Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is the understanding that words are made of discrete sounds.  If children cannot distinguish individual sounds, or phonemes, within words, they have difficulty learning to read and write. 

The books on this list help pre-readers focus on the sounds in words.  They are meant to be read to the child, and caregivers can guide listening by asking questions such as: “What sound do most of those words end with?” or “Where do you hear the /b/ sound?”