How to Start Reading Alyssa Satin Capucilli’s Books
For parents, teachers, and librarians looking to introduce emerging readers to the wonderful world of Alyssa Satin Capucilli, the good news is that her books do not require a strict chronological reading order. Because these stories are designed for toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary students, they are written as standalone adventures. Readers can jump into any book at any time based on their current reading level, interests, or holiday themes.
However, there are still excellent starting points for each major series to help build reading confidence:
- For Toddlers and Newborns: Start with the New Books for Newborns series, particularly Blanket of Love or Good Night, My Darling Baby. These board books focus on rhythm, rhyme, and parent-child bonding.
- For Emergent Readers (My First I Can Read): Start with the original Biscuit (1996). This is the book that launched the entire franchise and introduces Biscuit's signature "woof, woof!" and his gentle owner, the little girl.
- For Level 1 Readers: Start with Katy Duck (2007) or Inch and Roly Make a Wish (2012). These books introduce slightly more complex sentences while maintaining the playful, rhythmic prose that Capucilli is famous for.
- For Picture Book Storytimes: Start with The Library Fish (2022) followed immediately by The Library Fish Learns to Read (2023). This is one of the few subseries with a light sequential continuity.
The Biscuit Universe: Series & Subseries Order
With over 50 million copies sold, the Biscuit series is the cornerstone of Alyssa Satin Capucilli’s bibliography. Illustrated by Pat Schories, the series is divided into several formats to match a child's developmental stages.
1. Main Biscuit Adventures (My First I Can Read)
These are the core early reader books. They are designed for shared reading and feature high-frequency words, simple repetition, and clear illustrations that offer contextual clues. While they can be read in any order, following the publication order shows how the world of Biscuit gradually expands to include school, farm visits, and new animal friends:
- Biscuit (1996)
- Biscuit Finds a Friend (1997)
- Bathtime for Biscuit (1998)
- Biscuit's New Trick (2000)
- Biscuit Wants to Play (2001)
- Biscuit's Day at the Beach (2001)
- Time to Paint, Biscuit! (2001)
- Biscuit Goes to School (2002)
- Biscuit Goes to the Park (2002)
- Biscuit Meets the Neighbors (2002)
- What Is Love, Biscuit? (2002)
- Biscuit Is Thankful (2003)
- Biscuit and the Bunny (2003)
- Biscuit's Big Friend (2003)
- Biscuit Wins a Prize (2003)
- Biscuit Loves Mother's Day (2004)
- Biscuit Loves Father's Day (2004)
- Biscuit Visits the Pumpkin Patch (2004)
- Biscuit Gives a Gift (2004)
- Biscuit and the Baby (2005)
- Meet Biscuit! (2005)
- Biscuit's Birthday (2005)
- Biscuit's Graduation Day (2005)
- Biscuit's Fourth of July (2005)
- Biscuit's Snowy Day (2005)
- Biscuit's Hanukkah (2005)
- Biscuit Visits the Big City (2006)
- Biscuit's Pet & Play Christmas (2006)
- Biscuit's Show and Share Day (2007)
- Biscuit's Day at the Farm (2007)
- Mind Your Manners, Biscuit! (2007)
- Biscuit's Christmas Eve (2007)
- Biscuit and the Little Pup (2007)
- Biscuit Goes to the Fair (2008)
- Biscuit's First Sleepover (2008)
- Biscuit's Big Field Trip (2008)
- Biscuit Visits the Doctor (2008)
- Biscuit Takes a Walk (2009)
- Biscuit Visits the Petting Zoo (2009)
- Biscuit's Walk in the Woods (2009)
- Biscuit Meets the Class Pet (2009)
- Biscuit's First Trip (2010)
- Biscuit and the Lost Teddy Bear (2011)
- Biscuit's ABCs (2011)
- Biscuit Plays Ball (2012)
- Biscuit's 123 (2012)
- Biscuit in the Garden (2013)
- Biscuit Loves the Library (2014)
- Biscuit Goes camping (2015)
- Biscuit Feeds the Pets (2016)
- Biscuit Flies a Kite (2017)
- Biscuit's Pet & Play Bedtime (2017)
- Biscuit's Pet & Play Farm Animals (2018)
- Biscuit and the Big Parade! (2018)
- Biscuit and the Little Llamas (2021)
- Biscuit and the Cat (2021)
2. Biscuit's Holiday & Seasonal Celebrations
These lift-the-flap and picture books are perfect for specific seasons and holidays, making them excellent gifts. They focus more on seasonal traditions than early literacy milestones:
- Happy Birthday, Biscuit! (1999)
- Happy Halloween, Biscuit! (1999)
- Happy Thanksgiving, Biscuit! (1999)
- Happy Easter, Biscuit! (2000)
- Biscuit's Christmas (2000)
- Biscuit's Valentine's Day (2000)
- Happy Hanukkah, Biscuit! (2002)
- Biscuit's Earth Day Celebration (2010)
- Merry Christmas, From Biscuit (2021)
3. Biscuit Phonics Fun Sets
If you are actively teaching a child to read using phonics, Capucilli has compiled specific boxes of short booklets designed to focus on distinct vowel sounds and consonant blends. These should be introduced alongside the main series:
- Biscuit Phonics Fun (2008)
- Biscuit More Phonics Fun (2013)
4. More Biscuit Books
This category comprises miscellaneous storybooks, sensory touch-and-feel books, and special collaborative editions that fit around the core reading levels:
- Biscuit's Picnic (1998)
- Hello, Biscuit! (1998)
- Biscuit Visits the Farm (2002)
- Biscuit Loves School (2003)
- Biscuit's 100th Day of School (2006)
- Where Is Love, Biscuit? (2009)
- Biscuit's First Beach Day (2010)
- Biscuit and Friends Visit the Community Garden (2022)
- Biscuit and the Great Fall Day (2023)
- Biscuit and Friends: A Day at the Aquarium (2023)
The Katy Duck Series
Drawing on Capucilli's professional dance background, the Katy Duck series stars a high-spirited, dancing duckling. Illustrated by Henry Cole, these Level 1 Ready-to-Read books are perfect for kids who love movement and music, showing how to navigate childhood struggles with a bit of grace and self-expression. Read them in publication order to follow Katy's growth:
- Katy Duck (2007)
- Katy Duck, Big Sister (2007)
- Katy Duck, Dance Star (2008)
- Katy Duck, Center Stage (2008)
- Katy Duck Is a Caterpillar (2009)
- Katy Duck Goes to Dance Class (2010)
- Katy Duck Makes a Friend (2011)
- Starring Katy Duck (2011)
- Katy Duck Meets the Babysitter (2012)
- Katy Duck and the Tip-Top Tap Shoes (2012)
- Katy Duck, Flower Girl (2013)
- Katy Duck Goes to Work (2014)
- Katy Duck's Happy Halloween (2014)
- Katy Duck and the Secret Valentine (2014)
The Library Fish Books
One of Capucilli’s most charming recent additions, the Library Fish series features a goldfish who lives in a library and falls in love with the stories she hears. This series is a rare example where a chronological order is highly recommended, as the second book directly builds on the premise of the first:
- The Library Fish (2022) – Introduces the book-loving goldfish and her cozy life on the library desk.
- The Library Fish Learns to Read (2023) – Follows the goldfish as she takes the next big step and begins deciphering letters and words herself.
Other Multi-Book Series by Capucilli
Beyond her flagship series, Capucilli has authored several smaller, highly-focused companion series for children experiencing specific milestones:
Tulip and Rex
This series explores the sweet relationship between a little girl named Tulip and her dog Rex. It is a wonderful alternative to the Biscuit series for slightly older readers who enjoy stories about pets:
- Tulip Loves Rex (2013)
- Tulip and Rex Write a Story (2015)
This Bear Series
Perfect for children adjusting to school routines and celebrations, this series provides comfort and humor through the eyes of a friendly bear:
- Not This Bear: A First Day of School Story (2015)
- This Bear’s Birthday (2017)
New Books for Newborns
These gentle, rhyming board books are designed specifically for parents to read to infants, building early auditory and language familiarity:
- Good Night, My Darling Baby (2017)
- Mama Loves You So (2017)
- Blanket of Love (2017)
- Hush a Bye, Baby (2017)
Ready-To-Read Level 1 Contributions
Capucilli has also contributed widely to licensed characters and historical/scientific topics within the Ready-to-Read Level 1 banner, including the delightful Inch and Roly books:
- Johnny Appleseed (2004)
- Eloise and the Very Secret Room (2006)
- What Columbus Found (2007)
- Martin's Dream (2008)
- Olivia and Her Ducklings (2010)
- Inch and Roly Make a Wish (2012)
- Inch and Roly and the Sunny Day Scare (2014)
What to Know Before You Start
Alyssa Satin Capucilli’s books are highly interactive. The repetition is intentional, designed to encourage kids to "read along" with sound effects like Biscuit's woofs or Katy Duck's quacks. As a former dancer, Capucilli infuses rhythmic flow into her texts, making them ideal read-aloud choices. When reading these with children, look out for the visual clues in the illustrations by Pat Schories (for Biscuit) and Henry Cole (for Katy Duck), which are meticulously designed to help children guess unfamiliar words independently.