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PSPKK12314 Comments

Books for Letter Z

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It’s time for another letter of the week book list!  Our list is short because we picked only the best books to read for letter Z.  Feel free to try a few others, like Dr. Seuss’ On Beyond Zebra (which is actually not about zebras) and If I Ran the Zoo… but those are some of Seuss’s loooong rhyming books that test the patience of preschoolers and parents alike — at least at our house!

I only share books I love… and here they are!

letter Z book list - the measured mom

  z book 1

Zero the Hero, by Joan Holub

Zero doesn’t add up to anything.  When numbers subtract with him, they still get their same number.  And they refuse to be divided by him!  Finally Zero learns that when he multiplies, he makes his friends disappear – and what kind of a friend does that make him?

After being mistaking for a donut, Cheerio, and the letter O, Zero is feeling pretty low — until the day his friends need him, and he swoops in to save them like the hero he knows he is.  I love this book.  The hilarious speech bubbles and storyline will have you laughing  — and even though some of the math and humor may be above your preschoolers’ heads, they’ll love it too.  A favorite at our house!

z book 2

Zoomer, by Ned Young

This is part of a series of books about an imaginative puppy named Zoomer — in this book, Zoomer is too busy to go to school. He’s  creating a giant sandcastle out of dog food, sailing a pirate ship, and launching a pirate ship. Kids will enjoy the engaging illustrations and the funny twist at the end.  My boys request this one a lot.

z book 3

Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree, by Betsy Franco

I like this book because it illustrates the concept of zero in a way that preschoolers can understand.   Zero is the balls in the bin at recess time, the kites in the sky when the wind stops blowing, and the sound of stars filling the night. A simple, peaceful book.

z book 4

Animal Strike at the Zoo, It’s True!  by Karma Wilson

Here’s another treasure of a book by the author of the Bear Snores On series.  The animals at the zoo feel they aren’t being respected or treated fairly – so they’re on strike!  “‘We’re paid only peanuts!’ the elephants shout.  “And goodness, we’re bigger than that.’ So now they won’t trumpet or lumber about. They just sit around looking fat.'”  We love the silly text and the bright pictures.

z book 5

If Anything Ever Goes Wrong at the Zoo, by Mary Jean Hendrick

Leslie and her mother visit the zoo often, and each time Leslie is sure to let the zoo workers know that if anything ever goes wrong, they can bring the animals to her house.  Imagine her mother’s surprise when one day the zoo floods… and all the zoo workers take Leslie up on her offer!

z book 6

A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Philip C. Stead.

If I could include this book in every one of my book lists, I would. I love it that much.   Amos, the kindly old zookeepker, is home sick with a bad cold.  The elephant is sad to miss their chess game, the rhinoceros (who always has a runny nose)  needs Amos’ handkerchief, and what will the owl do without Amos’ bedtime stories?  Missing their friend, the animals take the bus and visit him instead.  The pictures will steal your heart!

z book 7

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I’m off to the Moon! by Dan Yaccarino

Truth: the word “zoom” is only on the first and last pages.  So it’s a bit of a stretch to say this book teaches letter Z.  But it’s a great rhyming book  for preschoolers – bright, colorful, and imaginative.  Recommended!

z book 8

Zero, by Kathryn Otoshi

If you have a child who’s crazy about numbers, you’ll definitely want to find this one at your library.  Zero is a big round number who sees a hole in her center.  She wants to count like the other numbers, too — but how will she ever add up to anything?  One day Zero learns that by joining with the other numbers, she can add value to everyone.

z book 9

Put Me in the Zoo, by Robert Lopshire

Here’s a classic book about a spotted animal (a bear?) who tries to prove to everyone that he belongs in the zoo. After demonstrating his many tricks (including changing the color his spots, juggling them, and moving them onto everything around him), Spot is still not welcome in the zoo… he gets to travel with the circus instead!

z book 10

Less than Zero, by Stuart Murphy

This is such a great book for teaching kids about how to manage their money. Perry the Penguin needs 9 clams to buy a scooter — but when he borrows money to buy things he doesn’t need, he has less than zero clams!  It’s a simple and fun introduction to the concept of zero and negative numbers.

z book 11

Zoo-Looking, by Mem Fox

This book doesn’t use the word zoo very often, but it would work great within a zoo theme study.  The rhythmic text tells the simple story of a father-daughter outing.

view at the zoo

The View at the Zoo, by Kathleen Long Bostrom

This rhyming book tells about the funny things creatures do at the zoo — and it isn’t until the end that we learn that it’s the animals observing the people!

For math connections, free printables, crafts and more, click on the image below! 

Letter Z Activities - the measured mom

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Filed Under: Book Lists, Letter of the week Tagged With: Pre-K, preschool, kindergarten

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Reader Interactions

14 Comments

  1. Janel

    August 4, 2020 at 4:59 pm

    These book lists are the best!! Thank you for putting them together. I use books from your lists in my Kindergarten class. 🙂

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna G

      August 5, 2020 at 7:40 am

      I’m so glad you enjoy our book lists, Janel!

      Reply to this comment
  2. Dorothy

    May 16, 2020 at 5:01 pm

    Thank you for sharing. I am returning to teaching a preschool class after over 20 years. Being at a play based center, letters are taught carefully without any kind of worksheet type of activities. I love that but it makes planning a little harder as I got rid of all of my files and activities. Having your book list and other articles is making my planning so much easier. I can spend my time on collecting and making materials rather than starting at square one. I am using quarantine time to check which books we have at our preschool, which ones our community library has, and which ones to buy on line if I find some great activities that go with a book that I don’t have. (I love bookfinder.com as I can get a used book for about $4.)

    Thanks again for your websight. It is really helpful.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna G

      May 16, 2020 at 5:18 pm

      This is great to hear, Dorothy! Thanks so much for your feedback, and I love how you’re making the most of quarantine!

      Reply to this comment
  3. Sicili Hale

    September 21, 2017 at 12:20 pm

    My older three children were very blessed with a fantastic preschool program. We recently moved, and our new state does not quite have it together. 😉 I am so grateful for these lists. My bottom three are enjoying these letter themed books along with the curriculum I have designed. Thank you so much for sharing! I love that you give a description so I can pick and choose which ones to add this year, and which ones will be better next year! Thank you!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna G

      September 27, 2017 at 12:59 pm

      I’m so glad you’re enjoying these lists, Sicili! They were so much fun to put together.

      Reply to this comment
  4. connie

    June 26, 2015 at 10:25 am

    I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your entire site! You are so talented and so giving and for that I am so very thankful.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 10, 2015 at 4:54 pm

      Thank you so much, Connie! I’m so thankful to have this creative outlet. It’s been real blessing to me and my family. 🙂

      Reply to this comment
  5. Anne

    October 13, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    These posts don’t get a lot of attention?!? Every week I look forward to coming to the post for our current letter and requesting from the library the books you’ve suggested. I love your reviews of each book and have found this series SO helpful! 🙂

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      October 18, 2014 at 9:01 pm

      Thank you, Anne, I’m so glad to hear that :). I think most people come to my site for the free printables, but I’m happy to hear the book lists are helpful too. I just love doing them!

      Reply to this comment
      • jessica fernandez

        June 13, 2015 at 12:34 pm

        The book list have been a huge help to this Momma! I have enjoyed reading them to my kids and we have learned about great authors too.

        Reply to this comment
        • Anna Geiger

          June 22, 2015 at 5:26 pm

          I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed our book lists, Jessica! We’ve had so much fun putting them together.

          Reply to this comment
  6. Toni

    May 9, 2014 at 11:22 am

    Thank you so much for your thoughtful book recommendations. It’s nice to have a variety to choose from for each letter of the week AND a description of each book so I can decide if it will be a good fit for my kids. I appreciate that you don’t list every “Z” (or other letter) book available, but only the tried and true favorites from your house. Thank you!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      May 14, 2014 at 1:00 pm

      I’m so glad you like the book lists, Toni! They don’t get a lot of attention compared to my other posts, but I love to put them together.

      Reply to this comment

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