There are a lot of things on Earth that make me happy, but books are in the top 10! As a speech-language pathologist, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate books into practice as well as pointing parents to good books that they can read with their kiddos. I have my own personal favorites, but I thought I’d get the opinion of some other speech experts to see what they have to say. So, friends, I present to you our first SLP Favorite Books Round-Up!
Kathy Bennett, Van Buren Intermediate School District
Book Recommendation: Click, Clack, Moo: I Love You by Doreen Cronin
I like this story for speech because you can learn vocabulary, names of animals, and the common theme of parties and Valentines. I like that we can talk about inclusion of others and friendship.
Lauren Clark, Grand Rapids Public Schools
Book Recommendation: Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
It’s a great story about how to be a supportive family and how to accept yourself for who you are.
Lauren Gius, CCHAT Center
Book Recommendation: The Tub People by Pam Conrad
I love it because it really shows us that we can overcome anything with the support of those around us. It shows kids that it’s okay to ask for help, and that we are always better together than alone. Plus it just makes bathtime way more fun
Mary Hodsdon, Grand Rapids Public Schools
Book Recommendation: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle
This book is great for early development. It’s repetitive and teaches basic question formulation, question answering, attribute + agent, colors, and animals. Plus, the bold colors and simplicity of pictures and pages and the rhythm are engaging for the little ones and great for early language development.
Kate Keller, Van Buren Intermediate School District
Book Recommendation: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
My second year as an SLP I met an amazing OT named Margarita. She introduced me to the world of co-treatment. We worked in ECSE together. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt excited every child we worked with. We made the book come alive with visuals and props. Then made an obstacle course. Since then I have always read the book with my students. It encourages communication at multiple levels. engagement, joint attention, and imitation. I’ve been able to modify & pair it with our core boards as well.
Book Recommendation (#2!): Hope by Matthew Cordell
I just discovered it with my Mom this summer. It is about grandparents giving the message of hope to their grandchildren. In our world kids and adults need the message of hope through life. I know, my mom is excited to read it to her grandson. He just needs to hurry up & get here.
*Also, shout out to Kate because she just had a baby!
Chelsea Noorman, Presence Learning
Book Recommendation: The Mitten by Jane Brett
I really like the illustrations and it’s fun to use it to teach sequencing, inferencing, and predicting.
Nicole Nicholas, Comprehensive Therapy Center/Presence Learning
Book Recommendation: Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
Kids can use pictures to guess at the words. It helps them feel confident!
Laura Ostermann, Dominican Hospital
Book Recommendation: Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill
As a therapist who has a large number of 3-4 year olds with limited exposure to literacy on my caseload, one of my favorites is “Where’s Spot?” I often hear parents tell me that their children refuse to read, or don’t like books. That’s when I pull out “Where’s Spot?” I have yet to have met a child who hasn’t found the book to be engaging and exciting. For me, it’s the book I use to teach parents how to create engaging, interactive literacy experiences with their children, and to teach them that their child can absolutely enjoy books. It’s the perfect gateway book into a future full of reading.
Alma Partida, Santa Cruz City School District
Book Recommendation: Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems
I don’t know why my students with Autism are so attuned to them! I’m not sure if it’s the facial expressions, the speech bubbles,or the bold face print when the characters are shouting, but I really like them for that reason.
Rebecca Ryan, Grand Rapids Public Schools
Book Recommendation: I Went Walking by Sue Williams
It’s kind of like Brown Bear!
Book Recommendation (#2): Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter
It’s a funny kids’ book.
