Tag: Author D. Passmore

Best Handwriting Picture Book Series

Four Pirate Adventures. Four Visual Handwriting Discoveries.

Discover a different way to learn lowercase letter formation.

Join the pirates as they explore their island and uncover the shapes hidden within lowercase letters.

From seaweed and coconuts to turtle tracks and shark teeth, each adventure uses imaginative visual clues to help children recognise letter patterns, understand starting points and become familiar with the movements used to form letters.

Kids can learn letter formation visually from a storybook

These story-based picture books help children learn how to form lowercase letters the right way—through engaging characters and visual storytelling, not repetitive worksheets. Young learners can visually see the similarities in the letters. Each book guides young learners step-by-step, showing how letters are shaped and why, so children naturally understand proper formation as part of the story.

Designed for preschool and early primary years, this series builds strong handwriting foundations while keeping learning enjoyable and meaningful. It’s a gentle, effective way to support early writing skills—perfect for parents, teachers, and anyone looking to help children develop confident, correct handwriting from the very beginning.

Why Visual Letter Grouping Makes a Difference

Grouping letters by similar shapes helps children build both muscle memory and visual recognition more effectively. When letters are introduced in carefully chosen groups, learners begin to notice patterns in how letters are formed, making it easier to remember and reproduce them correctly. This structured approach supports consistent, confident handwriting from the very beginning.

By practising letters with related shapes, children strengthen fine motor skills through repeated, meaningful movements rather than isolated drills. Over time, this reduces common issues like letter reversals and confusion, as children develop a clear and reliable understanding of how each lowercase letter is formed.

The Four-Book Set is available together in one complete book

On amazon

Pirate Letters Handwriting Storybook By D. Passmore

More Than Handwriting Practice – A Visual Journey of Discovery

The Pirate Handwriting collection brings together four imaginative stories, each introducing a different group of lowercase letters through visual storytelling.

Instead of presenting letters in alphabetical order, the books explore related letter shapes and formation patterns.

Children discover:

  • Letter relationships: Recognising familiar shapes within different lowercase letters.
  • Starting positions: Using visual clues to understand where letter formation begins.
  • Letter size: Noticing the differences between short, tall and drop-down letters.
  • Formation movements: Building familiarity and muscle memory through related letter patterns.
  • Vowel awareness: Following the colourful bird’s discoveries throughout the four adventures.

Two Kinds of Treasure

The pirates begin by searching for treasure, but their adventures lead them to two important discoveries.

First, they uncover the visual patterns that help them understand lowercase letter formation.

Then, with the help of a colourful bird, they discover the vowels and why these special letters are needed for reading and spelling words.

Four books bring these discoveries together in one continuing adventure.

A playful story. A visual discovery. A meaningful approach to learning handwriting.

Display cards, posters, and worksheets support the picture books

Handwriting Cards 4 sets Pirate Letters

Spelling to the Rescue

Unlocking the Magic of Vowels: A Creative Way for Kids to See Spelling Patterns

As educators and parents, we know that learning to read and spell can be challenging for young students. Traditional drills and rote memorization often leave children frustrated or disengaged. But what if we could make spelling visual, playful, and memorable—so that kids can see the patterns as well as read them?

That’s the idea behind my new series of books, Pure Joy Phonics. Designed specifically to help students connect visual storytelling with vowel spelling patterns. Each book brings letters to life in a world where they have personalities, feelings, and relationships—making the abstract rules of spelling something kids can actually see and understand.

In: The Vowel Tree

Take the letter “u”, for example. In these books, “u” is a curious little letter who doesn’t like to be alone at the end of words. When it finds itself lonely, the silent “e” swoops in like a superhero, giving “u” a partner and forming the magic of words like blue and glue. With clever illustrations and playful narratives, children can visualize why letters behave the way they do—and the patterns stick.

This approach does more than teach spelling; it encourages children to think about words as a system, noticing the relationships between letters, sounds, and meaning. It also empowers educators and parents with a fun, ready-to-use tool that makes reading instruction engaging and effective.

Whether your students are struggling spellers or eager word explorers, these books offer a fresh way to build confidence and curiosity. With each page, children are not just memorizing rules—they’re discovering the personalities of letters and the stories behind the words they read every day.

If you’re looking for a new method to help students connect visually to spelling patterns, this series brings both magic and learning into every lesson. Invite your students into a world where letters have lives of their own, and watch as the rules of spelling become something they can see, remember, and enjoy.

The first two books are in print, and more books are on the way. Look for them on Amazon.

The Vowel Tree By D. Passmore
The Vowel Tree Christmas Tale Book

The Vowel Tree Christmas Tale Book

Festive Phonics Adventure as the Five Vowels Team up to Decorate their Tree.

Join A, E, I, O, and U on a festive phonics adventure! As the five little vowels work together to decorate their Christmas tree, young readers discover how the vowel sounds grow from single letters into powerful vowel teams. This colorful, holiday-themed story blends early reading skills with lessons of teamwork, friendship, and fun—making phonics merry and bright. Supports early literacy skills, including vowel recognition, vowel teams, and phonemic awareness.

Phonics Vowel teams Christmas. Ideal for read-alouds, small-group phonics lessons, and holiday literacy centers.

Available on Amazon By D. Passmore

More books in the Vowel Tree series are on their way. Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get all the latest updates.

The Vowel Tree By D. Passmore

You may also like my pirate-themed handwriting books.

Letter g, Mastering Sound and Shape

lowercase letter ‘g’ can be a tricky one to learn, both in terms of its sound and its shape. While these challenges are quite common, understanding the reasons behind them can help students overcome confusion. They can master the letter with ease with these helpful tips. Let’s break down two main difficulties students often face when learning the lowercase ‘g’.

Clever handwriting trick for making the letter and the hard g sound.

Watch this super simple video a few times. Learn to make the lowercase letter g in three easy steps and remember the hard /g/ sound with the word “girl.”

See /c/, /a/, /g/ girl. YouTube Video Here.

Pure Joy Teaching. Handwriting Trick for the Letter /g/.

This video was made at the request of a mother who was trying to teach her daughter to make the lowercase /g/ correctly and remember the letter sound, too.

Understanding the Lowercase Letter ‘g’: Overcoming Common Struggles

For many students, the lowercase letter ‘g’ can be a tricky one to learn, both in terms of its sound and its shape. While these challenges are quite common, understanding the reasons behind them can help students overcome confusion. They can master the letter with ease with these helpful tips. Let’s break down two main difficulties students often face when learning the lowercase ‘g’.

1. Letter Sound Confusion: The Soft ‘g’ and the “j” Sound

One of the biggest challenges students encounter is distinguishing the sound of the letter ‘g.’ When we say the name of the letter “G,” it sounds like the “j” in words like “giraffe.” This can lead to confusion because the letter ‘g’ actually has two distinct sounds in English:

  • The hard ‘g’ sound, as in “go” or “girl.”
  • The soft ‘g’ sound, as in “giant” or “giraffe.”

Because the letter name sounds like a soft “j,” students can mistakenly believe that the letter always makes the soft sound. Helping students practice both the hard and soft sounds of ‘g’ can clear up this confusion.

2. The Shape of Lowercase ‘g’: Confusion with Capital G

Another challenge is the shape of the lowercase ‘g,’ which can easily be confused with the capital letter ‘G.’ The lowercase ‘g’ is unique because it has a loop at the bottom that faces the opposite direction of the capital ‘G.’ This can be difficult for students to grasp, especially since both letters look somewhat similar. If they have learned the capital letter first, they may influenced by that initial shape curving the other direction.

To help students remember the lowercase ‘g’ shape, it’s important to practice writing the letter step by step:

  • Start by drawing the letter /c/.
  • Then, make it into the letter /a/ by sliding up and down to the line.
  • Finally, complete the letter by drawing a little tail that hangs out to the left side. Very simular to the letter /j/ tail.

By focusing on these specific steps and practicing the direction of the curve, students can avoid mixing up the lowercase ‘g’ with its capital counterpart.

The Importance of the Starting Point

The lowercase letters c, a, and g, all have the same starting points. Unlike most lowercase letters the /c/ shaped letters move in the opposite direction of normal English reading. The /c/ shaped letters start at the top and move from right to left. This book is helpful for teaching these letters.

C Pirate Letters Handwriting Storybook

Tips for Teaching the Lowercase ‘g’

  1. Use Visual and Auditory Cues: To reinforce both the sound and shape of ‘g,’ this video can be a helpful tool.
  2. Practice Writing: Give students plenty of opportunities to write lowercase ‘g’ repeatedly, encouraging them to focus on the starting point of the letter /c/. and the direction of the curve. It can also be helpful to trace the letter first, then try writing it independently.
  3. Focus on the Sound: Practice distinguishing between the hard and soft ‘g’ sounds in various words. Reading aloud and singing songs with the letter ‘g’ can help students become more familiar with the sound.

Conclusion

While the lowercase ‘g’ may seem tricky at first, understanding the reasons behind the confusion can help students master both the sound and shape of the letter. By practicing consistently and breaking down the challenges step by step, students can overcome their struggles and gain confidence in their learning journey. With patience and the right approach, the lowercase ‘g’ will become second nature!

Sound Wall Frame for Intervention
Pure Joy Teaching

Waffle Letters butter drip shows the direction of handwriting

Capital and lowercase letters with start spot butter drip alphabet

Match up the letters in the waffle maker, or trace them out with marker or playdough. The important thing is to always start your letters at the top. The butter dip shows the direction in which your pencil should start to draw these letters. It is a great way to sort the letter too. Which ones curve, which letters slide, and which letters are straight?

This is a fun way to add play with practice in a dramatic way.

C-shaped letters, c, g, d, a, s, all have the same start. © Pure Joy Teaching

Look for this on TPT my Shop

This can be printed out for all kinds of fun play, matching, or tracing.

Pure Joy Teaching 2023

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I Pirate Letters Storybook – Learning Lowercase Letter Formation

Handwriting in a storybook to make learning visually memorable

Join the pirates on their third adventure as they follow turtle tracks in straight lines across the sand towards the ocean. Along the way, they discover six lowercase letters that share straight-line formation movements:

i, j, l, t, f, and k.

Available on Amazon.

Through the story and illustrations, children explore starting positions, downward pencil movements, letter height, and the pencil lifts needed to complete different letters. The turtle eggs and hatchlings provide a special visual clue for the dots above i and j.

These letters are the third handwriting group: i, j, l, t, f, k.

i Pirate Letters – by D. Passmore

Discover the Straight-Line Letters

These six lowercase letters share straight-line formation movements, but each has its own finishing steps. The pencil lifts for the second stroke.

Children explore where each letter begins, the direction of the pencil movement down, and when the pencil needs to lift and move to another position or make a dot.

  • i and j: Begin with a downward stroke, followed by a pencil lift to add the dot.
  • t, f and k: Require additional formation steps and pencil lifts.
  • l: Is the exception, formed with one continuous downward movement.

The lowercase letters are grouped to help build muscle memory skills and show a common starting point.

Letters are grouped by similar starting points and straight downstrokes; this can speed up the handwriting process and improve letter print recognition for reading.

The straight line letters are made alongside the little sea turtle tracks. Little hatchlings start at the top and head straight to the water. The visual theme in the story creates a reason why we start the letters at the top.

Discover the Different Letter Heights

Letter size is crucial but often overlooked when students are learning to write. Letters like i, j, f, l, t, and k provide great examples to highlight this concept.

The letters in this group also help children recognise differences in letter height and position.

  • Small letter: i
  • Falling letter: j
  • Tall letters: f, l, t, k

The illustrations help children see how these letters fit on the writing line and how their heights differ when they are all lined up together in the sand with the light blue wave under them.

This group of letters is more than just simple straight lines. Lowercase l is the only truly straight line. The other letters in this group have 2 or more steps that require the pencil to lift.

The sea turtle tracks explained

Sea turtle eggs are buried in the sand. When the hatchlings pop out, they head straight for the water. The visuals on the pages of this book use the natural activities of the baby turtle tracks in the sand and the egg as the dot on the letters i and j.

Available on Amazon.

Follow the Little Sea Turtles!

The pirates discover that the turtle eggs are beginning to hatch! The little turtles emerge from their eggs and make their way across the sand towards the light blue ocean.

The turtle tracks follow the direction of the pencil movements, providing a visual reminder of the downward strokes used to form the letters.

The Bird Has Another Vowel to Reveal!

“I see the vowel i” said the bird

The colourful bird returns with another important discovery! This time, the bird introduces the vowel i.

As the pirates continue their search for treasure, they discover that vowels are another kind of treasure. Each adventure brings them closer to discovering all five vowels!

A playful story that brings handwriting and early letter awareness together.

Handwriting letter strips can be found on my TPT page. These are great for students to use daily. Practicing writing the letters and making the letter sounds together is very important for reading and spelling.

This is a perfect book to use with sand tray letters.

2026 in Hardcover ISBN 978-0-473-60250-5

The next book in the series is “X Pirate Letters.“

The 4-book series can be purchased on AMAZON

Enjoy! Have Pure Joy Teaching

You may also like the c letters for sand trays.

C Pirate Letters Sand Tray