Which Should You Teach First: Uppercase or Lowercase Letters?
Most alphabet programs start with uppercase, since straight lines are easier for small hands to draw. But look at what kids actually read — picture books, cereal boxes, street signs — and about 95% of it is lowercase. Starting there gives children letters they’ll immediately recognize in the real world, and lowercase shapes are smaller and rounder, which makes them easier for kids to relate to as “characters” rather than abstract symbols.
Twenty-six new shapes is still a lot to absorb at once, though. So instead of flashcards, my book series gives kids somewhere to meet the letters.
Welcome to the Alphabet Village
Picture a neighborhood of 26 houses arranged in an oval. In each one, a lowercase letter lives with its uppercase relatives — a mom, dad, grandma, uncle, or aunt. At the center of the village are the five vowel houses: a, e, i, o, and u.
Each house is also tied to a word starting with that letter’s sound — a in the Apple House, b in the Bell House — so kids are absorbing phonics naturally, long before formal reading instruction starts.
The story is set on the season’s first snowy evening—a moment every kid gets excited about. That familiar, joyful setting is what turns the alphabet from a simple lesson into a story kids will want to revisit. As readers turn each page and discover all 26 unique and interesting house shapes in cute, colorful illustrations, they’ll be completely hooked by the story. From there, it becomes so much easier for them to remember each house and who lives there.
The Books
The village is split across three books so the learning stays manageable:
- Book 1: Letters a–h
- Book 2: Letters i–q
- Book 3: Letters r–z
- Book 4 : Review
- Book 5: Workbook
- Book 6: Letters A-H
- Book 7: Letter I-Q
- Book 8: Letter R-Z
- Book 9: Review
- Book 10: Workbook
The Takeaway