Welcome to Aardvark to Zucchini Press, a publisher of children's books
and reading accessories headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. We are dedicated to educating children, helping them to thrive within
our communities and contribute to society to the greatest extent possible. To jumpstart childhood literacy, we developed a reading
primer, the Aardvark to Zucchini Phonetic Alphabet Book, with a unique phonetic alphabet containing the majority of letter sounds in the English
language. This teaching method makes reading simple and is appropriate for any age child who has shown a desire to read, but is especially
beneficial for kids during preschool years, prior to entering kindergarten. The book was designed with a simple goal in mind, to expedite
reading success, thereby making learning easy for today's children and teaching more rewarding for parents and instructors. By emphasizing
parent-child or teacher-student interaction, simplistic presentation of phonetic sounds, and continual reinforcement of mastered sounds,
the pupil will be set for a lifetime of learning and reading with ease.
Targeted for children ages 1 to 6 years, the book is designed ideally to cover one chapter per day such that the student will have
acquired basic reading skills within about one month. Covering a total of 64 phonetic sounds, when gradually introduced in a specific
order, they help the reader to grasp the concepts quickly. Although the book is crafted for children, the approach may appeal equally
to older students, including those who are learning English as a second language. In addition to introducing reading basics, this
primer emphasizes the importance of teacher involvement as a crucial step in the path to literacy.
Publisher of children's reading accessories, featuring a comprehensive phonetic alphabet book.
A key to the Aardvark to Zucchini Phonetic Alphabet is that each letter combination
has a unique appearance to denote that letter combination’s phonetic or phonic sound. New letter sounds are introduced and reinforced at a
pace that enables the pupil to commit sounds to memory. The letters may be bold, colored, italicized, or underlined for a specific sound.
Thus, students see a unique font within a word based upon the phonetic sound produced by a letter or combination of letters. Unlike other
phonetics or phonics approaches, this method retains the original spelling of the word.
Children who may particularly benefit from this book include those with learning disabilities, such as: dyslexia, autism, mild visual impairments,
attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder. The book may also assist children with special needs who have problems pronouncing words, learning
the connection between letters and sounds, blending sounds to make words, knowing basic words (e.g., sight words), and spelling words correctly.
For most kids, the book is fun and easy to use, with colorful illustrations, some of which are similar to what a child would create. Thus, the book
simply relates well to children, making them more engaged in the overall learning process. A number of children who have used this book prior
to entering kindergarten are now among the top of their reading class and are poised to excel in school. Early literacy is one of the keys
to a successful career and stability later in life.
