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Children’s Books for Speech Therapy: The Ultimate List

If you are a speech-language pathologist searching for the best children’s books for speech therapy, check out this blog post! Using books during speech therapy sessions provide a fun way to target articulation and language goals. This article explains why SLPs might use children’s books in speech therapy. Additionally, it provides suggestions for how to use books in speech therapy, as well as suggestions for actual books that target a variety of speech and language skills. There are books listed by target speech sound. Additionally, there are book suggestions for vocabulary development, story retell, sequencing, spatial concepts, wordless picture books, imitating actions, gestures, and sounds, and books that promote diversity and inclusion. Finally, this blog post provides links to 5 websites that SLPs or other educators might use to access free digital libraries.

This blog post contains a list of the best children's books for speech therapy.

This post contains affiliate links, which means we could receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended.

Why Speech Pathologists Use Children’s Books in Speech Therapy

Books are such a wonderful tool to use with children who have language delays. In fact, shared book reading has been found to have a positive impact on receptive and expressive language skills .

When we read books aloud to children, we are exposing them to a ton of new vocabulary that they wouldn’t typically hear in conversation! The more exposure and direct instruction children have to new vocabulary words ( especially tier II vocabulary words), the better! Think about it: how often would your students hear the word ‘huddle’ in their day to day? But exposure to new vocabulary will also help increase literacy skills! SLPs also know how important vocabulary instruction is, and that it needs to be interactive and fun. Students have to be able to do more than spit out definitions. They need to actually make connections between words and their meanings .

In addition to encouraging vocabulary development, books also provide a wonderful way to increase narrative skills. Skills like retelling stories, summarizing, and sequencing can be directly taught through appropriate children’s books.

Books can also be a fantastic tool for targeting comprehension goals.

Speech sound targets can be addressed using books as well during speech therapy sessions.

Finally, books provide a fun way to keep kids engaged during speech therapy sessions.

How To Use Books in a Speech Therapy Session

It’s easy to incorporate books in a speech therapy session! Engaging stories encourage language learning. Children’s books are a wonderful way to target a variety of speech and language objectives.

Here are some ideas that school SLPs could try during therapy sessions in academic settings or outpatient speech therapy:

Identify tier II vocabulary in the book. Discuss the definitions of unknown vocabulary terms both before, and during, a story read-aloud. Have the students write target vocabulary words on index cards, and draw pictures or write sentences to pair with that definition.
Incorporate the strategy of dialogic reading into your story read-aloud.
Find any target word that pairs with a specific speech sound. Write those words on a dry-erase board while reading, then review them after the story read aloud.
Discuss any figurative language while reading a story aloud.
Sort pictures related to the book into different categories. For example, if reading The Little Blue Truck, one might sort farm animal pictures and vehicle pictures into separate piles.
Answer comprehension questions about the story.
Review the story grammar elements using a graphic organizer (plot, setting, point of view, characters, and conflict).
Have students retell the story using their own words. Provide a list of transition words to help them out.
Describe story characters or objects using a multisensory tool, such as the Expanding Expression Toolkit.

The Best Children’s Books for Speech Sounds and Articulation Therapy

Did you know that children with speech sound disorders sometimes struggle with storytelling? That can be an issue because storytelling and reading success go hand in hand !

SLPs can incorporate literacy into speech therapy sessions while targeting articulation. There are too many book options to list!

The best part is that, typically, you can use (almost) any book of your choice to target any speech sound. If the text doesn’t directly state words with the target sound, then we describe what we see in the picture using our target sound.

Still, it can be super nice to have a set of books that target specific speech sounds in your therapy room. Check out the following books for articulation therapy:

P Sound-Loaded Books

“Peek a Who” by Nina Laden

“The Pout-Pout Fish” by Deborah Diesen

“Pig the Pug” by Aaron Blabey

B Sound-Loaded Books

“Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

“Bear Snores On” by Karma Wilson

T Sound-Loaded Books

“The Tiptoeing Tiger” by Philippa Leathers

“Ten Apples Up on Top!” by Dr. Seuss

D Sound-Loaded Books

“Five Little Ducks” by Raffi

“Dinosaur Dig” by Penny Dale

K Sound-Loaded Books

“Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type” by Doreen Cronin

“Whose Chick Are You?” by Nancy Tafuri

G Sound-Loaded Books

“Giggle, Giggle, Quack” by Doreen Cronin

“Gooey Gummy Geese” by Angela Holzer

F Sound-Loaded Books

“The Foot Book” by Dr. Seuss

“Hooray for Fish” by Lucy Cousins

TH Sound-Loaded Books

“The Tooth Book” by Dr. Seuss

“The Mighty Thor” by Billy Wrecks

S Sound-Loaded Books

“The Seals on the Bus” by Lenny Hort

“Silly Sally” by Audrey Wood

S-Blend Sound-Loaded Books

“Sneezy the Snowman” by Maureen Wright

“There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Spoon” by Lucille Colandro

“The Snail and the Whale” by Julia Donaldson

SH Sound-Loaded Books

“Sheep in a Jeep” by Nancy Shaw

“Sheep Blast Off!” by Nancy Shaw

“Sheep in a Shop” by Nancy Shaw

CH Sound-Loaded Books

“Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

J (DJ) Sound-Loaded Books

“Giraffes Can’t Dance” by Giles Andreae

“Jump” by Scott M. Fisher

R and R Blend Sound-Loaded Books

“Raccoon on His Own” by Jim Arnosky

“Room on the Broom” by Julia Donaldson

L and L Blend Sound-Loaded Books

“Llama Llama Red Pajama” by Anna Dewdney

“There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” by Lucille Colandro

Top Childrens Books for Vocabulary Development

Books can provide engaging ways to target vocabulary knowledge and depth.

Have you checked out the ‘Bear’ series by Karma Wilson? If you haven’t, you absolutely need to!

Karma Wilson is one of my favorite children’s book authors. These are the best books for working on vocabulary development! This is because tier II vocabulary words are included in these engaging books for younger students! Tier II vocabulary words are high-frequency words that are important to target during your speech therapy session. Tier II vocabulary words are not super common in everyday conversations, but are not as specific as content-area vocabulary.

One of the best books in the ‘Bear’ series is Bear Feels Scared , but check out any that you see! Some tier II vocabulary words in “Bear Feels Scared” include “scared”, “huddle”, “tremble”, “quake”, “shiver” and “worry”. Check out this blog post to learn how to target learning new vocabulary in speech therapy .

Another great Karma Wilson book is “ Bear Wants More “. Some tier II vocabulary words that a speech therapist could target during a speech and language session might include “ravenous”, “wriggle”, “gobble”, “drowsy”, “gorge”, and “sniff”.

Best Story Retell Children’s Books

Little Blue Truck is a classic book featuring a friendly blue truck and different animals that share in his adventure. In this story, Little Blue takes the time to be a friend to many farm animals and help others out (including a grumpy dump truck). Little kids find the illustrations and rhyming lines enchanting! Repetitive books are fun, as your students can help repeat lines as the story goes on. This book is a fun way to work on narrative sequence and animal sounds!

Tomie DePaola is another children’s author to check out. My favorite is The Knight and The Dragon . This book is really fun for obtaining language samples because although there are words, there are many pages that are illustrations-only and encourage children to talk about the story! The best part about this story is the unlikely best friends that pair up in the end!

P.S. Want to learn how to best assess preschool narrative skills ? Some research indicates that interactive conversations with your younger students are the preferred way to do this!

My Favorite Children’s Books for Spatial Concepts

A speech language pathologist will want to try reading “Where’s Spot?” by Eric Hill when targeting spatial concepts. This book is engaging for younger learners working on early language development. The book contains a lift-the-flap component to keep kids interested!

Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins is a great book for teaching prepositions to younger children. In this story, a hen goes for a walk while being trailed by a sneaky fox! There are tons of opportunities for discussing spatial vocabulary during a speech therapy session while looking at the pictures in this book!

An additional children’s book that targets spatial concepts (prepositions) using colorful dogs is the classic book Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman . And since children of all ages love animals, a good dog book is always a win in speech therapy!

Wordless Picture Books for Speech Therapy

Want to try using some wordless picture books? These provide a perfect way to target all sorts of objectives in articulation and language therapy!

One of my favorite wordless picture books is Chalk by Bill Thompson . Students can help tell the story while looking at the different pictures. Your students can practice using target words in a variety of sentence structures. Try writing a target word, like a conjunction, on a sticky note. Stick it onto a page and see if your student can come up with a sentence to describe the picture using that target word.

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney is another fantastic option. It includes beautifully-drawn illustrations. This story tells the tale of a lion who spares a mouse. The mouse then goes on to help free the lion later in the story.

Another wordless picture book series is the Wimmelbooks. There are no words, but each page has a TON of exciting action and characters. Younger students could simply label action words. Older students can follow characters from page to page and tell a story. Check out My Big Wimmelbook: Dinosaurs or My Big Wimmelbook- Cars and Things That Go .

Books for Imitating Actions, Gestures, Sounds, and Exclamations

SLPs know how gesture development is an important precursor to language development ! That’s why it’s important to incorporate imitating gestures into your therapy session.

I love the simple illustrations in the Leslie Patricelli board books that are just so engaging for my younger students! These are wonderful, quick books for working on expressive language or a speech disorder. Though advertised as toddler books, my younger preschoolers still loved them! These were wonderful books for my preschool students with special needs. I paired them with gestures and exclamations. Check out the silly book Yummy, Yucky to get started. Your students can imitate a thumbs up, or thumbs down gesture, and practice exclamations like “ewww!”

this book can be used to target imitating gestures during speech therapy sessions (Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli)

Hoping to try books written by SLP authors? One great pick is The Big Book of Exclamations , written by Teri Kaminski Peterson and Chris McAllister. Bonus- they’ve also written a part two ( Talk with Me! The Big Book of Exclamations 2 ). Young children will be engaged by this interactive book, and it’s easy to modify language modeling based on a child’s ability.

Dear Zoo is such a great book and another classic! It is sturdy and contains interactive, “lift the flap” features. Work on labeling animals, animal sounds, and other language or imitation skills. This board book will be a favorite for young children.

Top Children’s Speech Therapy Books for Sequencing

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? This is a classic book by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle that a speech therapist might try out in therapy! The unique illustrations and engaging rhythm are very appealing to young children.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a wonderful way to discuss the life cycles of butterflies! The beautiful transformation from caterpillar to butterfly is very enchanting for children to see, and the illustrations are a hit. If you happen to own a felt board, check out these Very Hungry Caterpillar felt board pieces that can be paired with the story. This book provides a great way to work on vocabulary, sequencing, and more!

Another personal favorite is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff . In fact, my SLP coworkers and I even dressed up as characters from the Laura Numeroff book series one year at Halloween! This is a classic story that is fun and engaging and can easily be used to address sequencing skills.

The Mitten by Jan Brett is another great children’s book that can be used to target sequence of events! Nicki loses his mitten in the snow, but many grateful animals soon snuggle inside to stay warm.

The Best Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

Are you wanting to use interactive books in speech therapy? My favorite books, both written by Bill Cotter, include Don’t Push the Button! and Don’t Push the Button: A Halloween Treat! These fun books will have your students shaking the book, pushing buttons, and shouting when instructed- and of course, they’ll be giggling the entire time!

this is a fun interactive book for speech therapy that can be used with preschool and elementary speech and language students (Don't Push the Button by Bill Cotter)

Another fun interactive book option that speech language pathologists could recommend that parents try at bedtime is Touch the Brightest Star by Christie Matheson .

Best Children’s Books for Speech Therapy that Promote Diversity and Inclusion

Check out Max and the Tag-Along Moon by Floyd Cooper ! This is a comforting story about a little boy and his grandpa. The swervy-curvy car ride home and the beautiful text and illustrations will make this story a favorite in your speech therapy room!

The children’s book Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña is absolutely worth checking out! In this story, a boy and his grandmother take a bus ride after church through a busy city. Along the way, he meets many diverse people. At his final stop, his grandmother encourages him to see the beauty in his surroundings.

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold is a wonderful book where children from all backgrounds go to a school that promotes love and inclusion. It promotes being kind to all, despite our differences.

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales has the most beautiful illustrations! This is the inspiring true story of the author who immigrated to the United States with her son. They had to be resilent and faced times of confusion and lonliness in a new country. They discovered the public library and an enthusiastic love for books and reading, which allowed them to have hope and finally feel at home.

Best Books for Upper Elementary

In case you missed it, I reviewed my f avorite books for upper elementary students in a previous post . In that post, I provided suggestions for how to use books in speech therapy with older students. I also provided a list of my absolute favorite books to use with 4th and 5th graders. Make sure to check it out!

5 Websites with Free Digital Libraries for SLPs and Educators

Although I always prefer a hard copy of a book if possible, it doesn’t hurt to know how to access a digital copy! This is especially important for a busy speech pathologist who travels between buildings.

Here are a list of websites or apps that school SLPs and educators might wish to check out for free digital copies of books:

Open Library is one possible option for SLPs or other educators ( https://openlibrary.org/ )
Project Gutenberg has a library of over 70,000 free e-books! ( https://www.gutenberg.org/ )
Check out Storyline Online, which features videos with well-known actors reading stories aloud ( https://www.storylineonline.net/ )
Epic! is a must-check out digital library site that is free for educators! ( https://www.getepic.com/ )
Check out Bookshare, a federally-funded library of ebooks that is FREE for educators! ( https://www.bookshare.org/ )

Incorporating Yoga and Children’s Books into Speech Therapy Sessions

Speech pathologists can pair this yoga mat book companion with any book. It’s the perfect way to target story retell and story elements!

First, your student will listen to the story. Then, he will identify the characters, setting, and problem. He will additionally describe events in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Finally, your student will explain the solution to the problem and identify any lessons learned from the story.

After each part of the story retell task, your student will complete a yoga pose!

This is a yoga mat book companion for speech therapy. It can be used for story retell and story elements. Created by The Pedi Speechie

In summary, Speech-Language Pathologists often use children’s books in speech therapy. Books can provide an engaging way to promote language skills, speech sound skills, and literacy. SLPs might wish to target a variety of speech and language objectives using a book during a speech therapy session.

Scroll up to read a list of suggested books sorted by target goal area for speech therapy. Finally, SLPs might wish to access free digital libraries in addition to reading paper copies of the best children’s books.

Speech therapists may also wish to read about the best books for 4th and 5th graders .

Quick and Easy Semantic Relationships Speech Therapy Worksheets

These semantic relationships speech therapy worksheets make it simple to work on this skill. They are absolutely perfect for upper elementary or middle school speech therapy students who need to work on semantic relationships, and involve no prep- making them quick and easy to use during a busy day! In this blog post, I’ll share…

10 Tested (and Cheap) Preschool Books to Boost Language Skills

Are you a speech-language pathologist, preschool teacher, or intervention specialist searching for cheap preschool books? Are you hoping to add new books to your book collection? This blog post recommends 10 children’s books that are engaging and fun for preschoolers. Whether you’re trying to build your book collection, or simply planning to visit your local…

Initial and Final K Words for Speech Therapy

If you’re a speech-language pathologist looking for a quick list of initial and final k target words to practice during therapy, this post is a great place to start! You’ll also find some great ideas for making therapy more fun with a variety of engaging games, resources, and speech therapy activities for teaching the k…

St. Patrick’s Day Ideas for Speech Therapy

Hey guys! St. Patrick’s Day is almost here, and you can BET that I’ll be celebrating this fun holiday in my speech therapy room! Here are few activities you can try with your students… 1) If you’re working on basic concepts, try this activity out to teach “more” vs “less”. We just used construction paper…

The MUST-HAVE Speech Therapy Grammar Program

It all started in an IEP meeting I realized just how important grammar and syntax really is I can’t even tell you how many times I’d heard it- but one particular meeting, it really got me thinking. And I’m sure as a school SLP, you’ve heard it too: “he’s really struggling with reading comprehension.” But…

This is a blog post that targets wh questions speech therapy activities. It also provides ideas for speech therapy

The Best WH Questions Speech Therapy Activities and Ideas

Speech-language pathologists often teach wh- questions in speech therapy sessions. There are different types of wh questions. WH questions contain the wh question words: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. A qualified speech-language pathologist may target wh questions in therapy to support language development. The ability to answer wh questions is very important for…

100+ Children’s Books for Speech Language Development

Kidmunicate_List_Children's_Books_Speech_Development

100+ Children’s Books for Speech-Language Development

Categorized by target sounds.

Reading to your child is so important, especially if your child has a speech or language disorder. Reading aloud to your child will activate their imagination, expand their understanding of the world around them and help them develop their expressive (talking) and receptive (listening / understanding) language skills. Your child’s brain is developing each and every day from birth, so start reading to your children daily, right away.

Need help finding a book? The speech and language pathologists at Kidmunicate have compiled a growing list of 100+ Children’s books for speech language development. We arranged the list based on sounds. So if your pre-schooler or school age child is having a problem producing a particular sound then choose a book from that sound category and emphasize the sound. It’s important to note that a child practicing a sound incorrectly can be counterproductive. It’s always a good idea to work with a pediatric speech pathologist first. A good pediatric speech pathologist will teach your child how to produce the sound correctly and will also show you how to coach your child.

We also assembled a list of books that build a child’s vocabulary. We have arranged a list of books for animals, clothing, body parts, counting, colors, food, and prepositions. Check them out below.

Here are some tips for reading children’s books for speech-language development:

Tips for reading to infants and toddlers

Read to your child daily because his or her brain is developing every day.
It’s ok to read your child’s favorite book over and over again. The repetition will help, but continue to expose them to other great books.
Chose books with rhymes.
Choose books with a wide variety of vocabulary words. (Animals, colors, body parts, clothing, numbers, etc.)
Build up their reading time tolerance. Start with shorter sessions and continually add time.
Point to and talk about the pictures.
Ask your child questions. Where is the dog?
Read the story and then pause to let them fill in the words. Use real objects like plastic animals, cars or food to allow your child to see, hear and feel the objects you are reading about.
Relate the story to them if you can. The bear is a baby just like you.
For toddlers, follow the words spoken with your finger to connect the words with the sounds.

Tips for reading to pre-schoolers and school children

Read to your child daily. Again his or her brain is developing every day.
Read books that are on their reading level.
Emphasize sounds or syllables that your child may be struggling with. We have listed the books by sounds to help you find some great books to use to practice particular sounds.
Ask your child questions about the sounds. What sound does baby? – Pointing to it to start. What other words start with a /b/ sound?
Relate the story to them if you can.
Encourage them to read as much as they can. When they get tired, you can pick up where they left off.
It is still a good idea to read to them often even after they know how to read.
Read the story and then pause to let them fill in the words. (Emphasize trouble sounds)
Use real objects like plastic animals, cars, or food to allow your child to see, hear, and feel the objects you are reading about.
If you have both an infant or toddler and a school-age kid, it’s ok to read to different stages at the same time because children love stories. Read a book for the school-age child, then have the school-age child help you read a book for the infant or toddler.

The children’s books for speech-language development listed below are linked to Amazon. Full disclosure, if you purchase a book through our site we receive a small commission that we use to run the site and create more content. Thank you for supporting our site with your purchases.

The Sound
/b/
/ch/
/d/
/f/
/g/
/h/
/j/
/k/
/l/
/m/
/n/
/p/
/r/
/s/
/sh/	by Joy Cowley (Age range 4-8)
/t/
/th/
/v/
/w/	by Joy Cowley (Age range 4-8)
/y/	by Carol Pugliano-Martin
/z/

Animals	by Carol Pugliano-Martin by Joy Cowley (Age range 4-8)
Body Parts
Clothing	by Jonathan London. (Age range 2 to 5)
Colors	by Matthew Van Fleet. (Age range 1 – 6)
Counting
Food
Prepositions	by Felicity Brooks. (Age range 2 and up) Any book, like Find the Duck and Find the Kitten in the Find Its Series is great for prepositions.

One Comment

Thank you for this wonderful list!

I’ve created a FREE eBook that is perfect for October. It is targeting the “g” sound but all of my K-2 students seem to love it. I hope you’ll check it out and pass along the word: https://www.amazon.com/Ghostly-Night-Jeanette-Stickel-ebook/dp/B01MCSV4KE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1476444928&sr=8-2&keywords=jeanette+stickel

1. Photograph Books with only 1 or 2 pictures per page

I LOVE Roger Priddy’s simple picture books and own so many that I can’t pick just one! Here are a few of my favorites for toddlers who don’t understand very many words yet.

Because you’re using photographs instead of cartoons or drawings, these pictures are more like REAL LIFE. This is particularly important for children with global, cognitive, and receptive language delays who may have difficulty understanding any kind of symbolism or have difficulty making associations and connections. They may not “get” that the picture of the sippy cup in the book is the same as their own sippy cup. When we use simple, realistic pictures, books become more meaningful for these toddlers.

The most obvious way to use this kind of beautiful book of real photographs is to teach early picture identification. You’ll do this by first “teaching” the words, which means you should point to the picture as you say the name of the picture OVER and OVER and OVER again. To learn to understand words and to eventually be able to point to pictures, a child has to hear the word OVER and OVER and OVER. There’s a theme here! It’s repetition .

When you are working with any late talker, one of the first things you have to do is to make sure is that a child understands words. If a two-year-old cannot point to several familiar pictures on request, and by that I mean consistently looking for and finding the right picture when you say, “Where’s the ____?” then he likely has a receptive language delay. This means a child doesn’t understand words as well as he should for his age. Many, many, many parents miss this important reason a toddler isn’t talking. If you suspect this could be a remote possibility for your child, please read this post:

If you’re thinking, my child knows the pictures, but he just won’t point when I ask him AND if this same child doesn’t consistently follow simple directions, then I would also, very gently, encourage you to consider the possibility of a receptive language delay. Receptive language delays are so overlooked in early intervention and even by pediatricians who mean well, but who don’t really understand language development themselves. I specialize in receptive language delays in toddlers and have some super information in my DVD series Teach Me To Listen and Obey 1 and 2 . Take a look at those fantastic resources for hands-on and immediate help for you! Just today a mom emailed to tell me how effective the DVD has been for her son after she implemented my “Tell him. Show him. Help him” approach.

Back to photography books…

The very BEST way I use simple picture books is to teach a child to follow directions using a book like this one.

Using this cute book about babies, you would teach very simple actions such as:

Kiss the baby. Pat the baby. Tickle the baby.

This kind of teaching is wonderful for kids who like books, but who don’t have great play skills yet or who have difficulty following verbal directions. In addition to working on receptive language, what you’re really teaching a child here is to imitate actions. This is the one of the first developmental steps in learning how to talk. Here’s a little summary of how I introduce this kind of activity with a book:

Keep your language very simple. Avoid over-talking since you can overstimulate a child with too much language and actually drive him away. Label the picture and keep your comments brief. Then once you’re sure the child is staying with you, begin to model the action you want him to complete. For example with this book with babies, this is what I would say:

“Baby! Ahhh baby! Look! Baby! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss the baby! Kiss! Give baby a kiss.”

Model and practice that same action several times as you’re saying “Kiss!” If a child doesn’t lean in to try to kiss the baby, move the book toward the child’s mouth. Don’t force him, but do help him. Keep it light and fun and keep kissing the baby’s picture yourself as a “model” for what you want him to do.

Patting is another action to try. Say something such as:

“Pat, pat pat! Pat the baby! Ahhh…. Pat! Pat that baby.”

If a child doesn’t pat the baby’s picture, offer hand over hand assistance and help a child complete this action.

Other movements you can try are tickle, hug, and give the baby a “high 5.” With a few props you could teach: wash the baby, feed the baby, hide the baby, etc…

If a child doesn’t like babies, find a book with something he does like. Here are other ones I’ve used based on a child’s individual preferences.

Here’s another hint…It doesn’t even have to make sense to you! If a child LOVES trucks, then you could even use a book like this one to teach him to imitate actions and follow directions – I have! My little friend who was obsessed with trucks was fine kissing and patting his beloved “tu.”

Certainly you can extend this concept with other kinds of books. If you’re using a book with a picture of a door, model knocking on the door. If there’s a flower, pretend to smell the flower. Imitating actions is always a great beginning goal for late talking toddlers and using a book can be a very successful way to help a child learn how to do this!

Here’s one more suggestion in this category of simple photo books. I bought this book several years ago and have replaced the batteries, but it’s still going strong!

As a rule, I don’t like many “sound” books or books with buttons, but this one is EXTREMELY enticing for toddlers who don’t usually attend to books. You’ll want to be sure a child doesn’t perseverate or become “stuck,” pushing the buttons. To prevent that, MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE BOOK! Here’s the BEST way I begin with this book to focus on learning words rather than pushing buttons…

Open the book. Point to the picture as you’re naming the picture several times. Then say, “Let’s find it! Where’s the ____?” as you point to the buttons. If the child has difficulty finding the correct button, use your hand and arm to cover most of the buttons except the correct choice and 1 or 2 other options. Provide gentle hand-over-hand assistance if he needs help to push the button or can’t locate the correct button. Let the child push a couple of times, then return your attention to the pictures. It may help to flip the page to redirect the child’s attention. I also tap the picture several times to call attention to the picture. Some toddlers become fascinated with that tapping sound and will begin to imitate pointing.

2. Books Based on Songs

When a child likes music, books based on songs are a natural extension of this interest. If I’m working with a child who loves for me to sing, but hates reading books, this is my go-to trick! The song is your “hook” to capture a child’s attention.

Begin by singing the song as you normally would, and then the second time you start to sing the same song, pull out the book based on the song. Point to the picture that corresponds to the words you’re singing. It’s important to continue to sing the song in the same way you always do so that the child stays with you and begins to associate the book with the song.

Over time, move from true singing to using a more sing-song kind of speaking voice, and then to a more natural (but still animated!) reading voice with the same books. After a while, introduce other kinds of books still using your sing-song voice since you know a child responds well to this strategy.

Here are a few other titles to consider:

If you need some help remembering children’s songs or simple games and could use a little guidance with how to make these activities FUN for children who love music but who don’t interact or play with others very well, take a look at the description of my book Teach Me To Play With You in that link.

3. Moo Baa La La La

All of Sandra Boynton’s books are precious, but my favorite is the one I have here, Moo Baa La La La. I’ve adapted this book to use with my little friends who are so BUSY that they can’t sit still for a book.

It’s easier to explain this on video than in writing, so watch this Therapy Tip of the Week video to see how I’ve modified this kind of book and then make it even more fun by adding other options for the pictures.

When you adopt the book, you’ll be giving a child something to do with the book, which means that he or she now has a reason to stay with you. Personally, I’ve had so much success with this method for years during speech therapy. After I published this Therapy Tip of the Week video last year, SLPs and Moms have emailed me to RAVE about how well this idea has worked.

It will take some extra time and a little investment to prepare this activity, but it can result in dramatic improvements.

4. Happy Colors – Bright Baby Books

This darling set is similar to the books listed in #1, but the complexity increases since there are several pictures per page. The activity I’m going to share is so special that it’s worth its own category! Here’s the book I used to set up this activity in 2010 and I’m still using the set today!

In this activity you’re teaching a child to match pictures to objects. For this activity, you will need to do additional work, but the results will justify your prep time! Let me share all the types of kids who will benefit from this activity:

A BUSY toddler who needs something more to do with a book than listen in order to keep his attention, but who is ready for a slight increase in difficulty.
A young child who understands some words and is following a few simple directions like those in #1, but who does not “get” pictures yet and is not pointing to pictures when you ask “Where’s the ___?”
Kids who only ‘tolerate’ books love this activity and with exposure to books in this context, they learn to like reading.
This is my favorite ‘beginner’ activity with books for many toddlers when language delay is the only or primary issue.

To organize this activity, you’ll gather objects to match pictures in the book. Try to match objects and pictures as closely as you can so that it makes sense to the child. It will not be necessary to find an object for every single picture, but try to get at least a couple of objects per page/s.

Because this is one of my standard therapy activities, I keep all of these things together in a bag so they’re ready to go when I need them. Moms I’ve worked with have also put together their own bags and have even taught babysitters and grandparents how to use this activity.

I also like to have a container or a bucket for the child to put the object away after she’s selected it to keep her on task and coming back to the book – otherwise, she may decide just to play and not come back to you and the book!

When you’re a first beginning, you’ll only ask a child to find one object for each page so that you can keep it moving pretty fast. I like to start with objects and pictures I think a child already knows so we build in a pattern of success from the beginning.

Here’s how to play:

Set out a few of your objects – don’t overwhelm a child with too many choices – pick 2 or 3. Say something like, “Look! Let’s find this one!” as you point to the picture and then say, “Where’s the ________?” as you say one of the objects you have available for her. Praise her liberally when she finds it or provide additional cues if she doesn’t.

I also have a child turn the pages if it seems to keep them involved in the book AND if it doesn’t provoke them into wanting to hold the book.

If you’ve bought my first course on DVD or if you’ve seen me teach that course live, I show a CUTE clip of my little friend Kellie and me using this activity in the Receptive Language Section. Take a look at that for a refresher!

This matching activity is a great way to keep kids involved, but it isn’t solely dependent on the book. Beyond teaching matching, you’re helping kids who don’t seem to understand the symbolism of pictures. You’re teaching them that the picture represents the object.

This one way of integrating real objects has been hands-down the most successful strategy I’ve ever used to help a child learn to identify pictures and to participate with books when he or she has shown little interest in the past. If you’re the kind of person who says, “Just give me one great take away idea …” then this one is it! Get this book or a similar one, dig through your toys to find matches, or if you have to, get to Dollar Store and find the objects for your book. You’ll prep for this one time and then you have the activity FOREVER which is totally worth it!

5. Little Blue Truck

This has become my standard therapy activities in the last year because it’s SUPER engaging, especially for little boys who are fascinated with trucks and other things that go! The book has been even more fun now since I began to read it with “props.” As we did in the last activity, find toys that look very, very, very similar to the pictures in the book and then act out the story as you read.

As with the last activity, you’re giving the child something to do besides sit there and listen, which is huge for our busiest little guys who become “antsy” when they aren’t moving. This strategy has also helped several of my little friends who love books, but who don’t know how to play with toys. The book serves as a “script” for what to do and how to use the toy.

I implement this idea in therapy by reading a page and then playing with the toys. If a child doesn’t catch on immediately, I slow down a bit, read a line in the book again, and then very purposefully show a child exactly what to do with the toys. As I play, I rephrase any words I don’t think he understands.

I’ve taught this method to several families (and therapists) over the last year for kids who like books, but who have significant language delays and limited play skills. My Little Blue Truck bag has become a staple for their therapy programs and at home with parents to teach them how to play and associate the words in their books (or movies!) with real life. It’s also been helpful in teaching a child to consistently follow your directions with very few of the “compliance” issues we can sometimes see because they think they’re just playing. I’m sneaky like that and it works so well!

Last Christmas I videoed an extensive version of this idea. Before you watch, let me caution you… DON’T BE INTIMIDATED by the lengths I went to in order to recreate this book. My “every day” therapy sets of books with toys don’t have nearly the number of objects I included for the video. Start small! My original set for the Little Blue Truck I have linked here consisted of a blue truck, a dump truck, and several of the animals in the book. Over time, I built up inventory of potential props and I went all out for this Christmas Little Blue Truck since I was making a video for a course I was teaching.

6. From Head to Toe

I love any book by Eric Carle, but this one has become my favorite. Let me tell you who it works for:

“Busy” kids who can’t sit still and need to move.
Kids with limited vocabulary words – teach ACTIONS or verbs!
Groups of kids (You know when you walk in the daycare and suddenly, you’re the teacher!?!?)
Toddlers who are isolated and unaware of others but who respond to books.
Children with limited social skills who are ready for the next step. They may notice peers during gross motor activities like running on the playground, but they don’t yet participate in true parallel play.

Your goal is to get a child to imitate and perform the action in the book. Introduce the book by saying something like, “Let’s do what’s in the book!” Read a page, show a child how to copy the action, and encourage the child to imitate too. Everyone present should participate, including mom, siblings, or other children in a child’s class if you’re using this as a group activity. Read the entire book keeping it light and fun, even if the child isn’t 100% compliant. Use hand over hand assistant to help a child perform the movements if it’s not too disruptive and it doesn’t evoke negativity or an avoidance reaction from the child.

This book is repetitive so there’s a Verbal Routine. The repetitive line is, “Can you do it? I can do it!” I think it’s always fun if you can get your group to “yell” that line with you after they’ve heard you read it a time or two. The group yelling usually entices little ones who are reluctant to participate to try the action and they begin to anticipate the words. You may even get some early word attempts as their friends or family “yell.” This technique is called Vocal Contagion and it’s so effective for late talkers!

The two important language strategies you’re using with this book are teaching a child to imitate body movements and verbal routines. You can find detailed instructions for using those techniques in my book Building Verbal Imitation in Toddlers.

7. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

If you’ve followed teachmetotalk.com for very long, you may be surprised that this book made my list since I PREACH teaching words that are meaningful and functional for late talkers.

Let me restate this… you should not worry about teaching a late talker letters, numbers, colors and shapes. Working on those words makes no sense at all when a child is not talking! A child should learn to say words he needs and can use all day long rather than ABCs, counting, or any of those other “academic” concepts. We should never focus on teaching this kind of vocabulary until a child is communicating pretty well. I encourage parents of the children I treat to hold off on teaching colors, shapes, numbers and letters until a child is consistently using short phrases.

There are some children who seem to have taught themselves letters, numbers, colors or shapes. I’ve seen children who were fascinated, almost obsessed , with this kind of visual information. When I see a child with this “splinter skill” for therapy, I use it as my way “in” with that child. I teach him to include me in his play by sharing his interest.

For young children like this, start with a book that includes his preference. With a child who is fixated on letters, I introduce this book and target listening practice by reading the book and then asking him to “Show me the b,” or “Where’s that r again?” or “Find the g and the h,” or “Where’s the yellow t?” You’ll make him feel successful since this is what he LOVES, but here’s what else you’re doing in those early sessions:

Making a connection with a child who may be difficult to engage
Targeting language processing or “listening” since he’s following directions
Building compliance since he’s responding to what you ask him to do
Meeting him where he is by using his quirk as a STARTING point and then bumping up the complexity as you become more creative about what you ask

I add magnetic letters like those you put on your refrigerator and “act out” the book with the letters as I read. You can use the side of the refrigerator. I’ve made a tree from construction paper and taped it on a metal cookie sheet for the background to play with the letters. It’s a great way to draw a child’s attention to me when he tends to leave me out of reading books.

Children who are “echolalic” with their favorite books, meaning they memorize and repeat the book out of context, often are initially confused when I demonstrate the book or what they’re saying, but if you keep at it, they will become intrigued. In some instances I’ve quickly noted huge progress in how they connect with me during an activity like this using their “echoed” topic.

If you have a child who FREAKS OUT over numbers, then I’d go with this version:

Here’s a Therapy Tip of the Week video where I’m discussing using a child’s special interest in this way with books:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

I’m going to end this list with the quintessential speech therapy book that every SLP can quote in her sleep. We ALL own and use this book. Let me share a few of my best ways to use this book with toddlers.

For starters, the version I’ve posted here has a very cool sliding feature that even the “most belligerent hater of books” kid cannot resist! I’ve seen children dramatically improve their ability to point after we’ve practiced with this book because they learn to isolate their finger to slide the page.

Our little friends who are iPad-addicted like this version of Brown Bear, Brown Bear because it’s like ‘swiping’ an app! If you’re trying to help a little one break their addiction to technology (and I’m not even kidding!) or if you’ve become too app-dependent yourself in therapy, this is a great transition activity to help either of you back to interacting during real life with real people with more traditional activities!

Other excellent ways you can use Brown Bear:

Teach the signs for the animals. It’s a great vocabulary extender!
Do one Google search for matching pictures and use them on AAC devices!
Copy and laminate your pictures to use with Velcro like we discussed for book #3 or matching objects as I talked about for book #4!

But my second FAVORITE thing I do with Brown Bear is teaching…

Play Sounds!

Many toddlers begin speech therapy with the ability to make an animal sound or two and aren’t ready to jump to single words. Spend some time in this vocal play stage since you know this is where they can be successful! Check out this post for more ideas with play sounds… Let’s Make Some Noise! (For SLPs who need more help knowing the prerequisites for talking, get your hands on my CE courses on DVD – Early Speech-Language Development: Taking Theory to the Floor or Steps to Building Verbal Imitation in Toddlers !)

My BEST way and my FAVORITE way I use Brown Bear is to teach the word (or sign) for “me.” The word “me” is the last word of every page so it’s repetitive and qualifies as a Verbal Routine. A child begins to expect that word and if you set it up right, will often blurt it out before he even knows he’s talking.

Once a child has mastered the word “me,” I try to elicit “see” using the same strategy of reading the book until a child becomes familiar with the word and anticipates it. I use my facial expressions, my body language, pacing my voice so that it primes his little pump to talk, and then the PREGNANT PAUSE, where he fills in the word. I don’t have a great clip of this to post today, but I’m going to do one soon just so you can see this SUPER SUCCESSFUL strategy.

This also has been the book I use most often when I’m working on teaching the vowel sound “eee.” Vowel sound errors are common in apraxia, a motor speech sound disorder. For more information about apraxia, check out my DVD Teach Me To Talk with Apraxia and Phonological Disorders .

—————————————————————–

While there are DOZENS of other books I like, these books are the ones I use over and over and over because they work !!

The books and the activities I’ve shared have been the most successful for me during therapy sessions AND, more importantly, in helping (moms and dads) know how to work on language when I’m not there!

Get the books.

Copy the activities.

HAVE SOME FUN!

Until next time…

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Now she is little sweet 2.5 years old and she says "mama" (I cried when she said that magic word), she waves bye bye or hi, she points, she gives "high 5", her joint attention is great and overall she is doing so much better! And that's all because I have been doing everything you described in your books and videos! I. My mind I always play "repetition, repetition and repetition", teaching her everything through play that she so much enjoys!!! I can write forever explaining how much I taught her through yr videos and books! And the most amazing thing is that her speech therapist is a big fan of yours as well so it worked out perfectly since we understand each other and work based on your teachings! The therapist even owns the same books I own ...I am so grateful that my toddler has such an amazing therapist; especially the one that understands autism and is ready for a real challenge! God bless you for all you do and I cannot wait for my toddler blossom.. you gave me hope and lit the light inside me. And I'm determined to work with my girl :)"

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Hi Laura, I want to thank you so much for the resources you provide, my daughter has delayed speech and though she qualifies for CDS. Honestly the most progress she has made in her speech/language development has been after I implemented your 5 top strategies for delayed talkers! She is now almost 2.5 and her vocabulary is well over 75 (I haven’t counted recently, could be over 100) words when at 2 she barely had four words. Honestly the last few months have been a transformation for her.

10 Books That Get Toddlers Talking

September 29, 2022

As a speech therapist specializing in working with toddlers, books are a go-to activity for me! Here are a few that have become all time favorites over the years:

My First Learn to Talk Book:

We typically hear little ones imitate fun sounds before they imitate words. This book, written by a Speech Pathologist, is full of these sounds. You can model sounds and gestures to encourage your little one to imitate. It also has a wonderful close-up pictures of toddlers saying the sounds!

Brown Bear :

I love to sing this one to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle.” Add the animal sounds in to encourage imitation. Pause on wait before saying, “me” and model gesturing to yourself

Dada/ Everything Mama:

I love the repetition of these books. You can incorporate pausing and waiting to encourage your little one to imitate, “Mama” or “Dada”

Who Says Peek-a-Boo?

I love this whole series! Encourage imitation of animal sounds throughout the book.” There is a mirror at the end you can encourage your little one to watch your mouth as you say, “Boo!”

Peek-a-who?

This book is so fun and I love that it rhymes. It also encourages lip rounding, which we need for the vowels o like “no” and oo such as in “two”

My First Noisy Books :

The sounds in this book are perfect for encouraging your little one to imitate. You can also target a word like “push” or “help” throughout

Oh No, Poo Poo/Pee Pee:

This silly book was written by a Speech Pathologist. Practice telling the dinosaur and puppy, “No, no” or encourage your little one to imitate “eww” if they are beginning to imitate sounds Link here (not available on Amazon): Bjorem Speech Books | Speech Therapy | OH NO Poo-Poo – Bjorem Speech®

Lift the flap books are great because they add an interactive component. Use this book to model animal noises. You can also model knocking on the boxes to encourage imitation of gestures and signing/saying open before you open each box

All Better!:

For beginning talkers, I ignore the text and simplify the language such as, “Puppy went boom!” You can model gesture such as blowing a kiss and words like boo-boo and ouch!”

Goodnight Moon:

This classic book is great for imitation of the gesture and/or sound “shhhh!” If your little one is beginning to use more words, they might enjoy saying, “Night Night” to all the animals

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Halloween Books for Littles (By Age)

It’s that time of year! Time for pumpkin patches, cooler weather, and new books! Books are such a great way to learn about new things and experiences. Books can also reinforce what your little one is learning about out in the world. For example, if you are planning to go to a pumpkin patch, you […]

Traveling with a Toddler? Ideas to Keep them Entertained

There’s no denying that traveling with a toddler can be tough! Here are a few ideas that might keep your little one entertained while traveling to your next destination! Painter’s Tape: Make a track, shapes, letters, etc. I love all the colors in this set Water Wow Books: So fun and no mess Quiet Books: […]

As a speech therapist specializing in working with toddlers, books are a go-to activity for me! Here are a few that have become all time favorites over the years: My First Learn to Talk Book: We typically hear little ones imitate fun sounds before they imitate words. This book, written by a […]

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The best books for preschool speech therapy.

How do you teach toddlers and preschooler to love books? By making them an active part of the reading process!!

Books are a perfect speech therapy tool for targeting everything from articulation, to wh-questions, to expressive language, to apraxia of speech! Not to mention they are a great way to build vocabulary and story retell skills.

I am sharing FOUR types of books (and my favourite five of each type) that keep toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners students engaged the entire time - even the wiggly ones!

1) Lift the Flap Books: There is something about that element of surprise that children just love! You can easily build anticipation by showing just a part of what is under the flap or slowly lifting the flap.

Some of my favourites are:

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell - watch it on Youtube here

Where is Maisy by Lucy Cousins - watch it on Youtube here

Peek a Who by Nina Laden - watch it on YouTube here

Do Crocs Kiss? by Salina Yoon - watch it on YouTube

Let's Go to the Farm by Fisher Price - watch it on YouTube

2) Repetitive Books: The benefits of repetitive books are that children can predict what is going to be on the next page, making it easy for them to fill in the blanks. The familiar text also helps them comprehend the story. Some of my favourites are:

Oh No! It's a Boo Boo! by Anna Dee SLP

Dada by Jimmy Fallon - watch it on YouTube here

Everything is Mama by Jimmy Fallon- watch it on YouTube here

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can you?- watch it on YouTube here

Who's Making that Mess? by Phillip Hawthorn - watch it on YouTube

To read all about all of the benefits of repetitive books, check out this blog post!

3) Action Books: Books that encourage kids to MOVE are perfect for little ones. Some of my favorites are:

Shake a Leg by Constance Allen - watch it on Youtube here

Repetitive Season Books by Anna Dee SLP

Dance by Matthew Van Fleet - watch it on YouTube here

We're going on a Bear Hunt by Micheal Rosen & Helen Oxenbury - watch it on YouTube here

Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig and Marc Brown - watch it on YouTube here

4) Interactive Books: Books with moveable pieces and tasks for littles ones to complete are a serious game changer. There is something about giving a child a job to do that makes them super accountable and focused. Some of my favorites are:

Tails by Matthew Van Fleet - watch it on Youtube here

There's a Monster in Your Book - watch it on Youtube here

Hi-Five Animals by Ross Burach - watch it on YouTube here

Never touch a monster - watch it on Youtube

Poke a Dot Book Series (They are all SOO good

I hope this list helps you find some new favourite books that you can use with your little ones.

Want to grab a free repetitive and interactive book from my store?

Grab Is that your Poo for free - it's available as a BOOM card or PDF !

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Play Based Speech Therapy Ideas
Speech Therapy Tips and Tricks

Play Based Articulation using a Toy Farm

Castle Theme in Speech Therapy

The Ultimate List of the Best Toys for Speech Therapy

A selection of some of the best children’s books for encouraging speech and language development in young children. Use the filter function to search for specific speech and language goals within these books.

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The Best Speech Therapy Books To Help Toddlers

Inside: The ultimate list of speech therapy books for toddlers. This list of books will help improve your toddler’s language skills.

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Are you on the lookout for the best speech therapy books for toddlers?

Whether your little one is experiencing a speech delay or you just want to give their language development a boost, here is a list of our favorite books out there tailored just for young children.

My son was born during the pandemic, and like many of the pandemic babies out there, he is speech-delayed.

Because of that …

I’ve done a lot of research on how to help him best. Below is a complete list of great books, approved by our speech therapist, to help develop your little one’s language.

This list is full of our family’s favorite finds that not only support speech therapy but also promise to be a hit with your toddler.

Why Choose Books Specifically for Speech Therapy?

Before we jump into the list, let’s talk about why this topic is important.

When it comes to toddlers, especially those with speech delays, the right kind of book can truly make a huge difference.

Speech therapy books are designed to engage young children in a way that encourages them to mimic sounds, understand repetitive phrases, and get excited about language.

These books often feature interactive elements like flap books or real objects, making them not just educational but super fun, too!

Overall, these are seriously the best children’s books out there .

Top Picks for Speech Therapy Books for Toddlers

Let’s dive into some top book choices that are great for language development and are sure to become your toddler’s favorites.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

By Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

If you’re going to get any books from the list, this classic book by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle is a must-have. “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” is one of those repetitive books that’s perfect for young children.

The repetitive text allows your kids to understand new words more easily. The rhyme also helps children memorize and predict words more easily.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. by Bill Martin, JR.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

“Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” is a lively and rhythmic alphabet chant that’s all about letters climbing up a coconut tree.

This book is fantastic for teaching the alphabet in a fun, engaging way and is full of repetitive phrases that help in language development. Again, that repetitive nature is going to help your little ones memorize and improve quicker.

By Rod Campbell

“Dear Zoo” is another interactive flap book that’s perfect for toddlers. It’s a simple story about a child writing to the zoo to send a pet.

The repetitive phrases and animal sounds make it a great tool for language development. Board books like this are fantastic. You can make animal noises and knock on the boxes, and it’s a great way to teach opening and closing actions.

Where’s Spot?

By Eric Hill

This delightful flap book invites toddlers to search for Spot, the adventurous puppy. Interactive books like this encourage toddlers to participate actively, which is excellent for speech and language skills. You’ll get to introduce your toddler to lots of different animals while searching for Spot.

Our copy has been read so many times that it looks like it’s been run over. It’s safe to say it won’t make it as a hand-me-down to any future siblings.

Goodnight Moon

By Margaret Wise Brown

This one’s another classic! It’s the perfect book for bedtime. Plus, it’s great for them to practice the “shhhh!” sound. Adorable, right?

Never Touch a Dinosaur

By Rosie Greening

If your kiddo is into textures and dinosaurs, this book is a hit! This is one of the best books for combining rhyming and sensory play.

It’s a touch-and-feel adventure with a funny rhyme about why you should never touch a dinosaur. The silicone textures are perfect for little fingers, and it’s a great sensory experience.

Good Night, Gorilla

By Peggy Rathmann

This sweet book is full of surprises and showcases lots of different animals. Trust me, your toddler will be hooked, especially with the balloon. It’s perfect for pointing out and sharing little discoveries.

Plus, there’s lots of improvising, making it exciting and new each time you read it.

First 100 Words

By Roger Priddy

All parents need this for their little ones! This is a great book because it helps your child connect pictures with real-life objects.

The key? Don’t turn it into a drill. Instead, make it interactive – touch the pictures, make the sounds, and have fun with it.

PRO TIP: Find some of the objects in the book that are around the house, and point them out with your toddler so they can easily connect them with something within their home.

First 100 Board Book Box Set (3 books): First 100 Words, Numbers Colors Shapes, and First 100 Animals

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?

By Dr. Seuss

This book is a household favorite for sure! It’s such an entertaining and silly book and gets your toddler to make all sorts of sounds.

Imagine them trying to mimic “Moo” and “Cock A Doodle Doo” – it’s just hilarious!

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You : Dr. Seuss's Book of Wonderful Noises (Bright and Early Board Books)

Dada, Everything Mama , and This is Baby

By Jimmy Fallon

I’m going to bundle these books together because they are all Jimmy Fallon books and have the same concept.

These books are all about repetition. They’re great for encouraging your little one to say “Mama” or “Dada.” It’s simple but super effective.

Jimmy Fallon's DADA, MAMA, and BABY Board Book Boxed Set

PEEK-A-WHO?

By Nina Laden

This book is not only fun but also rhymes! It’s great for encouraging sounds like ‘o’ and ‘oo,’ which are important for speech development.

Peek-a Who? (Lift the Flap Books, Interactive Books for Kids, Interactive Read Aloud Books)

Noisy Animals

The sounds in these books are perfect for imitation. It introduces a lot of new animal sounds for your toddler to mimic. Plus, you can use them to teach action words like “push” or “help” in a really engaging way.

Blue Hat, Green Hat

By Sandra Boynton

For those in the stage between eating books and listening to you read them, Boynton’s books are perfect and favorite in our household. Seriously, everything she puts out is great. This book is so much fun and has this magnetic pull for both toddlers and adults.

Moo Baa La La La

This one’s a metaphor for infancy, parenthood, and life itself. It’s quirky, fun, and a great way to engage your toddler in learning new sounds and words. The book includes simple sentences and simple sounds, which in turn help your little ones learn simple sounds.

It introduces animal sounds and has a rhythmic feel to it, which is exactly what we are looking for in a book for communication skills.

Personalized Story Books

Okay, even though this isn’t an actual published book, it’s a good idea and worth mentioning.

Consider investing in personalized storybooks where your child is the main character. These types of books can be incredibly engaging for young children, making them more interested in the story and the language used.

My son has a personalized book that brings him and our dog through a different adventure with each page. He loves that him and his dog get to adventure through the book together. These types of books are great because each new page opens up more exploration.

Kids will love to point out all of the fun things on each page.

PRO TIP: All books above are fantastic options, but keep in mind the importance of engaging with your child during reading. Ask them questions, encourage them to mimic sounds, and, most importantly, have fun together!

Now, let’s recap to make the most out of these books.

Tips for Maximizing the Benefits of Speech Therapy Books

Engage in Repetition: Repetitive books are goldmines for speech therapy. Read them over and over again. Repetition helps reinforce language patterns and sounds.
Use Real Objects: Whenever possible, use real objects to connect the words in the books to the real world. For instance, if you’re reading about apples, have an apple on hand.
Interactive Reading: Don’t just read to your toddler; read with them. Encourage them to point to pictures, repeat phrases, and make animal sounds.
Choose Books with Familiar Themes: Books that revolve around everyday activities or familiar objects can be more engaging and relatable for toddlers.
Patience and Fun: Remember, the goal is to make learning fun. Be patient and keep the sessions light and enjoyable.

WRAPPING UP: THE BEST SPEECH THERAPY BOOKS TO HELP TODDLERS

Incorporating speech therapy books for toddlers into your child’s routine can be a game-changer. It’s like having mini therapy sessions without your toddler even knowing.

Books like “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”, “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” are not only excellent for language development but also offer fun and interactive reading experiences.

Remember, the key is to be involved and patient and to turn reading into an enjoyable activity. Your little one’s journey to effective communication is just a book away!

Did you get any books from the list? Which ones are you most excited about? Do you have more recommendations you would add to the list? I would love to hear from you in the comments section!

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13 Best Books For Speech Therapy And Development

By: Author Liz Talton

Posted on Published: July 1, 2022 - Last updated: January 20, 2023

Categories Parenting

13 Best Books For Speech Therapy And Development

The concern many parents have about their children is the progress of their speech development.

Speech development begins once a baby begins making babbling sounds.

Those babbling sounds are actually a form of communication!

Babbling will naturally progress into word formations.

But what can you do to help progress speech development in your baby or toddler?

Pick up one of these 15 best books for speech therapy and development!

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you click on them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Best Books For Speech Therapy And Speech Development

Hop On Pop is a classic Dr. Seuss book that keeps small children entertained and engaged through colorful illustrations and repetitive word rhyming.

This book is perfect for younger children to teach three letter words that rhym together.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

This children’s classic combines asking questions that build upon one another.

Questions, animal identification, and rhyming all help children with repetition makes it one of the best books for speech development.

Little Blue Truck

After the popular release of Little Blue Truck, Alice Schertle has created multiple Little Blue Truck books.

Each are equally fun and helpful for speech development.

These books teach children new sound words like “Beep”, “Oink”, “Cluck”, and more to explore the environment around the farm.

Other books in the Little Blue Truck series include:

Good Night, Little Blue Truck
Little Blue Truck’s Springtime
Time For School, Little Blue Truck
What Do You Say, Little Blue Truck? (sound book)
Little Blue Truck’s Valentine
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas
Little Blue Truck Leads The Way

Where The Wild Things Are

By far one of the most famous children’s books, Where The Wild Things Are has now been adapted into a movie and an opera. And for good reason!

Where The Wild Things Are not only takes your child on an adventure through an island of magical creatures and uses new descriptive words throughout the story to introduce and broaden speech development.

Bears On Chairs

Bears On Chairs takes the similar concepts presented in Five Little Monkeys.

Bears On Chairs is a rhyming book that teaches children how to count and problem solve with small numbers.

This classic Dr. Suess story teaches children simple words to recognize and say different vehicles like bicycles, skiis, roller skates, and more all while learning variations of dogs (big, small, white, black, etc).

Goodnight, Gorilla

Goodnight, Gorilla uses easy to follow repetition to say good night to each animal at the zoo.

Your child will learn to recognize common animal names along with what they look like.

Is Your Mama A Llama?

This book with lovely illustrations uses rhyming and riddles to create an animal guessing game to help Lloyd a baby llama discover who everyone’s mama is.

Pete The Cat: I Love My White Shoes

While Pete The Cat books are fairly new to children’s bookshelves they are rapidly gaining popularity because they are some of the best books for speech development.

Pete The Cat doesn’t let adversity stand in his way. He continues to walk through piles of messes with white socks still singing.

While he does this your child will learn about colors and how color combine to make new colors.

Did You Take The B From My _ook?

This children’s book is a little more advance and is suitable for children ages 4 thru 8.

While most children will be speaking by this age range, if your child is struggling with recognizing words or a language delay this is the perfect book!

Did You Take The B From My ook? explores different words and sound effects with the letter B, plus introduces a child to a guessing game with words to improve comprehension.

Blue Hat, Green Hat

Sandra Boynton books remains some of my children’s favorite books.

Blue Hat, Green Hat introduces simple and easy to understand phrases for younger children while teaching them to identify clothing items and colors associated with them.

Final Thoughts About Best Books For Speech Therapy

Books are an exceptional tool for teaching children new words, rhyming, phrases, and new concepts.

When looking for one of the best books for speech development look for books that include repetition.

Repetition is the use of repeat words and phrases to help your child remember new language words and speech sounds.

This will help your child remember new words and expand their speech development.

To increase speech and language, try one of the best books for speech therapy and speech development that made this list!

Works Cited

100+ Children’s books for speech language development (kidmunicate.com)

What Makes Great Books for Speech Therapy? – Bilinguistics

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15+ Best Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

I’m excited to share today’s blog post outlining a few of my favorite interactive books for speech therapy and some great ways Speech-Language Pathologists can use them in their speech therapy sessions.

In addition, I’ve included digital versions of the following books.

Interactive Speech Therapy Books

Here is a list of over 15 of the best children’s books perfect for a speech therapist or parent looking for a fun and engaged way of working on different articulation and language skills.

Be sure to check out the additional free supplemental resources at the bottom of this page and add some of these interactive books to your school supplies list this year.

**Please be sure to preview the digital versions of the books prior to reading or watching with your child or student. I have previewed all the videos myself, but you know your child or student best and your/their comfort levels with different words or visual illustrations.**

1. Dear Zoo – Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

Dear Zoo is a highly engaging flap book about a young boy who writes to the zoo asking them to send him a pet. The illustrations along with the lifting of the flaps helps to encourage joint attention in a fun and interactive way.

Articulation

B Initial – This book is perfect for working on the b sound because on every page you send the animal ‘back’ and each animal comes in a ‘box’.

Language Skills

Basic Concepts – You can have the child or student work on the concepts ‘ open ’ and ‘ close ’ as they use the flaps. In addition, each animal is given a description, such as “the elephant is too big ” or “the giraffe is too tall ” allowing the student to work on even more concepts.
Answering WH-Questions – This book is perfect for wh-questions. For example, after reading the story together you could ask, “Why couldn’t the boy keep the giraffe for a pet?” The child could then answer, “Because the giraffe is too tall and it couldn’t fit through the front door of the house.”
Answering Yes/No Questions – As you go through the story you could point to an animal and then ask a yes or no question about that specific animal. For example, you could point to the elephant and ask is an elephant purple?
Vocabulary – You can have your child or student practice filling in the blanks at the end of the repetitive sentences by naming the animal under the flaps.
Symbolic Noises – Have your child identify the different animal sounds as you come across each animal in the story.
Multisyllabic Words – Another fun activity you could try would be to count or clap out the number of syllables in naming each animal. For example, el-e-phant has 3 syllables.
Categorization – Categorization is a great vocabulary activity. Have your child or student identify animals that fall into all three animal categories of pets, farm animals, and zoo animals. If you have some play animals you could have the child practice separating out the play animals into different categories.
Reasoning Skills – You could also work on reasoning skills by asking your student what their favorite animal is and have them explain why it is their favorite animal.

Digital Version of Dear Zoo

2. Press Here – Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

Press Here is one of the most favorite books amongst speech therapists working in the special education population and a huge hit with the littles. This story is a fun imaginative story filled with verbs allowing your child to work on their fine motor skills of following the directions of the action given, such as press here and then making more dots appear.

Colors – This book is great for your young children working on identifying colors. Simply give them a simple direction, such as “Tap the red dot.”
Following Directions – Read the story and have your student follow the 1-step directions. For example, “blow on the page” or “tap the circle.” Some of the directions do get a little more complex, such as “tap only the yellow circles” or “tilt the book to the left”.
Basic Concepts – Descriptive Concepts (small, medium, large, colors, gently, hard), Quantity Concepts (counting, all, just, only, more, once, twice), Location Concepts (left, right, middle).
Vocabulary Action Verbs – shake, tap, blow, rub, turn, tilt, or clap.
Past Tense Verbs – Have the student retell what action they or their classmate just took. For example, Sam could say, “Jason just tapped the red dot.”
Answering WH-Questions – Ask your students simple questions about what they or their classmates just did. For example, “What color of dot did you just tap?”
Predicting – Have the child or student try to predict what will happen before you turn the page. “What do you think will happen next?” My students always loved the fun element of surprise when reading this story.
Expressive Language – Have your student explain what happened on each page. For example, if you have them tap the red circle 5 times and the next page shows 5 red circles in a line your student could explain that when they tapped the red circle 5 times it made 5 individual circles appear on the following page.

Digital Version of Press Here

3. Pete the Cat Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Pete the Cat Old MacDonald Had a Farm is a fun twist on a classic book that is perfect for your preschool students.

K Sound – cows, cats, cock-a-doodle, MacDonald, ducks, turkeys, donkeys, cluck, oink, quack, honk
M Sound – moo, meow, maa, MacDonald, farm
F Sound – farm
Z Final – dogs, cows, pigs, turkeys, donkeys, frogs
S Final – chickens, horses, cats, goats, ducks, roosters, geese,
Vocabulary Farm Animals – As you go through the story have your child or student label the different animals. You could do this by singing the song and then pausing to let the child fill in the blank with the animal name. If they don’t know that animal yet you can then label it and then see if they can label it again with you.
Regular Plurals & Irregular Plurals – Have your student identify the plural form of each animal as you read the story. (chickens, dogs, cows, pigs, horses, cats, goats, ducks, turkeys, roosters, donkeys, frogs, sheep, and geese)
Answering WH-Questions – Ask your students simple wh-questions starting with “who”, “what”, and “where” are the easiest. For example, “what does a pig say?”, “where is the turtle?”, or “who is driving the truck?”
Identify Attributes – Have your student identify the different attributes of the farm animals, such as sizes and colors. For example, the horse is big and brown.

Language Expansion

If you have toy farm animals, paper pieces, felt pieces, a barn, or even just stickers to play with then here are a few additional ideas to expand on the book activity.

Following Directions – Give the student a 1-step or 2-step direction to follow using their farm animal. For example, have the horse jump over the fence.
Spatial Concepts – Have the student practice putting different animals, “in”, “out”, “beside”, “under”, “behind”, or “on” the barn.
Answering WH-Questions – Ask even more questions that are discussed in the actual story about a farm. For example, “When does a rooster crow?, “Who works on a farm?”, “What animals say ‘quack’?”
Identify Body Parts – Take an animal and have your child or student name different body parts on the animal, such as ‘tail’, ‘ears’, ‘beak’, ‘hooves’, ‘paws’, etc.

Digital Version

4. Where is Spot – Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

Where is Spot is a great way to work on language development as children try to find Spot throughout this fun and engaging flip book.

S & S-Blends – Sally (Spot’s mom), s-s-s (snake sound), Spot, snake, stairs.
B Initial – bag, behind, bed, bear, box, basket, blanket, baby, book, boy.
D Sound – door, dinner, under, bed.
T Sound – time, naughty, basket, Spot, eat, blanket.
Vocabulary Animal Names – As you go through the story have your child or student label the different animals.
Prepositions – Have the student identify where the different animals are in the story. For example, “under the bed” or “in the box”.
Answering Yes/No Questions – Practice asking yes or no questions, such as “Is that Spot?” or “Is that animal a monkey?”
Answering WH-Questions – Ask your students wh-questions. For example, “who is under the bed?” or “where is the monkey hiding?”
Requesting – You could also have your child request to listen to more of the story or to open the flap.
Predicting – Have the child or student try to predict the next part of the story. “What do you think will happen next?”

5. Goodnight Moon – Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

Goodnight Moon is perfect for all of those language concepts on your caseload. The repetitive text helps children to anticipate what might come next in the story.

B Sound – bear, bowl, balloon
G Sound & G-Blends – goodnight, great, green
L Sound – little, light, lady, old, telephone, balloon, bowl, full
M Sound – mitten, mouse, mush, moon, jumping, comb, room
Vocabulary – As you go through the story, have your child or student label the different household items, toys, animals, and clothing. (moon, light, clock, sock, star, bear, chair, red balloon, cow, telephone, mittens, toy house, comb, house, and brush).
Prepositions – There is a mouse hidden in every picture which is great for working on prepositional phrases.
Colors – This book is great for your young children working on identifying colors. Simply have them sort the different vocabulary words by color.
Categorization – As you read the story, have your student category sort the different vocabulary words into one of the following categories, such as toys, clothing, animal, or furniture.

Here are a few additional ideas to expand on the book activity.

Categorization – Give your child or student a room within their school or their house and have them say night night while naming 3-5 objects within each room. For example, if you give them the kitchen they could say, “night night refrigerator”, “night night oven”, “night night toaster”, etc.
Following Directions – If you have a playhouse or toy animals you could give the student a 1-step or 2-step direction to follow using the toy objects. For example, “put the bear on the chair.”

6. Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear is a fun and adaptive book that you can use to work on animal vocabulary, animal sounds, sequencing, and answering wh-questions. This story is similar to Brown Bear, Brown Bear in that each animal introduces the next animal and the sound it makes.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? My First Reader

Vocalic R – roaring, leopard, ear, snorting, snarling, hear, polar bear, boa constrictor, zookeeper
Initial H – hear, hippopotamus, hissing
L Sound – lion, leopard, flamingo, elephant, snarling, yelping, walrus, bellowing, whistling, children, growling, polar bear, fluting,
Vocabulary Animal Names – As you go through the story have your child or student label the different animals (lion, polar bear, hippo, zebra, snake “boa constrictor”, elephant, peacock, leopard, walrus, and flamingo).
Answering WH-Questions – Answering the question, “[animal name] what do you hear?”

Here is an additional idea to expand on the book activity.

Categorization – If you have some play animals you could have the child practice separating out the play animals into different categories. For example, you could have your child or student identify animals that fall into all three animal categories of pets, farm animals, and zoo animals.

Ends at 3:45

7. Little Blue Truck – Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

The Little Blue Truck is perfect for those students working on language intervention, such as phonemic awareness. The story is about a kind little blue truck that helps a very rude construction truck that gets stuck in the mud. The children learn that when you are kind and helpful others will be kind and helpful back.

K Sound – cow, chicken, truck, chick, duck, quack, stuck
G Sound – goat, gallop, pig, big
D Sound – dump, duck, road, toad, friend
H Sound – horse, help, honk, heavy, hop
P Sound – puddle, push, pig, peep, beep, sheep, dump, help, hop
R Sound – road, room, roll
R-Blends – truck, green, friendly, brown
S-Blends – stuck, swerve, scared
Phonemic Awareness – This is an important skill helping children learn that words can be broken down into individual sounds or phonemes. An effective tool to help learn phonemic awareness is rhyming. This story is filled with rhymes making this story perfect for working on phonemic awareness, a therapy tool that is an important skill needed for reading.
Vocabulary Animal Names – As you go through the story, have your child or student label the different animals.
Spatial Concepts – The following location words are used in the story, “in”, “on”, “between”, and “next to”.
Basic Concepts – Descriptive Concepts (big, little, fast, colors, curve, dirty, clean).
Answering Yes/No Questions – Practice asking yes or no questions, such as “Is the dump truck friendly?” or “Does the little blue truck help the dump truck?” or “Is the dump truck stuck in cement?”
Answering WH-Questions – Ask your students wh-questions. For example, “Who got stuck?” or “How did the dump truck get stuck?” or “Where did they get stuck?”
Categorization – Categorization is a great vocabulary activity. Have your child or student category sort the animals that fall in the farm animal versus the zoo animal categories (giraffe, rhino, cow, sheep, lion, tiger, elephant, horse, or chicken).

Social Skills

Friendship – This book discusses the importance of being kind and polite to others. You can use this story as a jumping off point to discuss the importance of the life skills needed to be a good friend and what the characteristics are of being a good friend. For example, you could ask the question “What makes the little blue truck a good friend?”
Color Sorting – If you have toy trucks or cars you could have the child sort the toy trucks and cars by colors.
Story Retell – After reading the whole story have your child or student retell what happened in the story. For some extra fun during your story retelling grab these animal finger puppets and little blue truck to help retell the story.

End at 7:50

8. Don’t Push That Button – Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

If you’re in need of one of those interactive busy books for your littles then be sure to check out Don’t Push That Button . The story is about a cute purple monster named Larry who is constantly changing from page to page after the child “shakes the book” or “pushes the button”, etc. My students loved how interactive this book is and requested it over and over again.

Don't Push the Button!: A Funny Interactive Book For Kids

L Sound – Larry, look, little, let’s, almost, yellow, polkadot, only, seriously, tickles, couple, rule, all, normal
SH Sound – should, shake, push, pushed
T Sound – twice, two, times, tummy, tickles, button, better, pretty, little, extra, scratch, don’t, about, it, can’t, mustn’t, psst, just, polkadot, get, almost, but
M Sound – my, mustn’t, more, maybe, almost, normal, tummy, times, welcome, name
N Sound – name, normal, no, nice, now, one, only, think, don’t, can’t, mustn’t, end, button, even, happen, again, fun
K Sound – kinda, polkadot, okay, tickles, book, think, look, heck, shake, back
TH Sound – there, think, though
Following Directions – Have the child or student follow the directions on the page, such as “shake the book”.
Negations – Discuss what phrases such as “don’t push the button” really mean. Here are a few other negations you could discuss as well (no, not, don’t, can’t, never, none, won’t, nothing).
Following Mutli-Step Directions – Create your own buttons out of paper in different colors and give your child or student directions to follow. You could even do multi-step directions, such as “tap the blue button before you put the yellow button on top of the green button”.
Negations – To continue to work on negotiations you could set out 3 different objects and then tell your child or student which object to not pick up. For example, “Don’t pick up the [object name]”.

There are several different holiday versions of this book as well. There is a Halloween , Christmas , and Easter version to add to your thematic lesson plans.

10. Llama Llama Red Pajama – Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

Llama LIama Red Pajama is a great board book to discuss bedtime and how children can experience a lot of different emotions around bedtime. The story illustrates that the little llama is always safe because mama is never far away.

L Sound – llama, little, loves, listens, alone, always, hollers, pillow, loudly, calls, softly, snuggles
L-Blends – please, sleep
R Sound – red, reads, run, right, story, starts, downstairs, whimpers, dark, covers, hair, near, here
R-Blends – fret, drama
Story Retell – After reading the whole story have your child or student retell what happened in the story.
Sequence Your Bedtime Routine – Have your students draw to review what their bedtime routine looks like and have them sequence out the events.
Emotion Vocabulary – Read through the story and discuss all the different emotion words and their meanings. (alone, fret, moan, pouts, shouts, weeping, wailing, and being patient).
Discuss Appropriate Reactions – This book demonstrates how little llama is impatient when his mama doesn’t come right back. You can use this opportunity to discuss other ways that you can practice patience while you wait. For example, taking deep breaths, counting to ten, telling yourself a story, etc.

Ends at 4:45

11. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is perfect if you’re looking for a repetitive text that follows a family getting out into nature and exploring the world before coming back home.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt: 30th Anniversary Edition

B Sound – bed, beautiful, bear, big, back, bedroom, and stumble.
S-Blends – snowstorm, stairs, splosh, splash, swishy-swashy, stumble, squelch, squerch, and scared.
K Sound – cave, covers, catch, can’t, back, dark, and thick.
W Sound – wavy, wet, we’re, what, whirling, and we.
Story Retell/Sequencing – Due to the repetitive nature of the book along with a clear sequence of events makes this story a great one for story retelling/sequencing.
Spatial Concepts – Have the student practice putting the bear, “over”, “under”, “through”, “up”, and “down”. You can grab a bear cutout here .
Descriptive Words/Opposites – As you come across the different descriptive words throughout the text have your students identify the opposites for example, long/short, cold/hot, deep/shallow, wavy/straight, thick/thin, big/little, dark/bright, wet/dry, narrow/wide.
Answering WH-Questions – Ask your students wh-questions. For example, “who is going on a bear hunt?”, “what animal are they hunting?”, “where are they now?”
Vocabulary – As you go through the story have your child or student label the different nature nouns (snowstorm, bear, mud, cave, grass, river, forest, and trees). You can grab some of these vocabulary words from this Boardmaker Board simply sign in to download your copy here .

This book is filled with different sound effects so here are a few additional ideas to expand on the book activity.

Sound Effects – Have your child or student act out the different sound effects, such as “splashy river” or “howling snowstorm”.
Prepositions – Have your child act out the different prepositions (over, under, and through) with hand gestures, or have your child on a bear hunt by printing out some bear pictures or grab a couple of stuffed animal bears and hide them around the house. Then have your child tell you where they found the bears. For example, “the bear was under the chair”.

12. The Little Old Lady That Wasn’t Afraid of Anything

The Little Old Lady That Wasn’t Afraid of Anything is a wonderful interactive story. This story follows a little old lady who goes on a walk through the forest looking for herbs, nuts, and seeds and on her way home meets various clothing items that try to scare her, but she keeps telling them that she is not afraid of anything!

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

L Sound – lady, little, left, long, look, locked, old, walk, silver, suddenly, stumbled, whistled, bravely, silly, middle, wiggle, still
L-Blends – clomp, gloves, black, clap, closed
S Sound – seeds, suddenly, so, safe, sat, saw, said, seemed, forest, whispered, whistled, inside, once, nuts, pants, pace, us
S-Blends – spices, started, stopped, stop, sliver, stumbled, scary, scare
Z Sound – closed, was, herbs, spices, seeds, shoes, gloves
R Sound – ran, rocked, afraid, afternoon, forest, orange, early, farther, through, shirt, scary, started, herbs, dark, whispered, garden, sliver, her, far, were, hear, faster, near, door, chair, fire, answer, ear
T Sound – time, two, talk, tall, afternoon, cottage, started, faster, nuts, pants, startled, brighten, whistled, left, not, went, forest, collect, night, shirt, white, hat, out, quite, fast, sat, quiet, next
Clothing Vocabulary – As you go through the story, have your child or student label the different clothing items (gloves, hat, shoes, pants, shirt).
Verbs – Have the student retell what action each clothing item took. For example, “The pants wiggled.” To take it one step further you could have the child act out the action verb.
Answering WH-Questions – Ask your students wh-questions. For example, “Which item goes clap, clap?”, “Why was the old lady in the forest?”, “Where was the old lady headed to after it got dark?”, or “What action does the hat do?”
Sound Effects – Have your child or student act out the different sound effects, such as “pants wiggling” or “gloves clapping”. (Shoes – stomp your feet, Pants – wiggle your body, Shirt – shake your arms, Hat – nod your head, Gloves – clap your hands).
Categorization – If you have some play clothes or pictures of clothing items you could have the child practice separating out the clothes into different categories. For example, you could have your child or student identify clothing that falls into summer clothes versus winter clothes.

14. I Went Walking – Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

I Went Walking is a perfect book to use for auditory bombardment of the w sound due to the story’s repetitive nature. The story follows a young toddler on a walk who meets different animals along the way and then we get to enjoy his excitement when he realizes that the different animals are following him.

W Sound – went, walking, what, saw
L Sound – looking, yellow, walking, animals, following
Story Retell/Sequencing – Due to the repetitive nature of the book along with a clear sequence of events makes this story a great one for story retelling/sequencing. For example, retell the sequence that the animals started to follow the toddler.
Vocabulary Animals – As you go through the story, have your child or student label the different animals, such as a cat, horse, cow, duck, pig, and dog.
Answering WH-Questions – This book is perfect for wh-questions. For example, “What animal is red?”, “Who is sitting on the red cow?”, or “Who is petting the cat.”
Colors – This book is great for your young children working on identifying colors. Simply have the child or student identify the different animal colors.
Inferencing – Ask your student or child to make an inference of what animal might be next based on the previous page image, such as “What animal is pink and brown and has hooves?”
Requesting/Colors – You could do a fun coloring activity where you have the student request different colors to draw the animals from the story (black cat, brown horse, red cow, green duck, pink pig, and yellow dog).

15. The Tiny Seed – Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

The Tiny Seed is a fun story to use during the spring time in therapy. The story is about a tiny seed that grows up once it gets water and sunlight to help it grow. It ends up growing taller than the houses and trees around it. Then at the end of the story, the flower opens up and releases a group of tiny seeds to continue the cycle from seed to plant once again.

The Tiny Seed/Ready-to-Read Level 2 (The World of Eric Carle)

T Sound – tiny, tall, toward, autumn, mountain, water, winter, after, waiting, springtime, eaten, footsteps, melts, petals, hot, rest, fast, desert, burst, fat, sunlight, giant, bright
S Sound – seed, sun, sails, settle, soft, sunlight, summer, seven, icy, across, ice, eats, mouse, footsteps, nights
R Sound – red, rays, rest, rain, round, roots, carries, across, burn, desert, dry, bird, earth, hungry, burst, hurry, warm, flower, air, far, smaller, higher, never, over, water, winter, weather, neighbor, faster, summer, taller
R-Blends – grow, drowns, drifts, ground, trip, breaks, grew, three, friend, trees, drop, bright
S-Blends – strong, smaller, stops, small, sleep, snow, still, spring, start, stems
L-Blends – blowing, flower, flies, fly, blanket, plants, play
Story Retell/Sequencing – This story is perfect for story retelling and sequencing of the full life cycle of a little seed.
Vocabulary – This story has a lot of spring/weather vocabulary (spring, summer, winter, drift, settle, sway, sail, and bud).
Answering WH-Questions – This book is perfect for wh-questions. For example, after reading the story together you could ask, “What color was the seed?”, “What carried the seed away?”, “What made the seed grow?”, “What happens to the seed in the winter?
Describing – Have the student describe the flower throughout the story. For example, when the flower is a seed you could then have your student or child describe the seed, “The seed is brown” or “The seed is tiny”. Then later on as the seed becomes a flower they could describe the flower.
Cause & Effect – This story is also perfect to review cause and effect. You could ask questions, such as, “What causes the seeds to scatter?”, “What effect does water have on the seed?”

Here are some additional ideas to expand on the book activity.

Sequencing – A fun expansion activity would be to plant your own seeds and watch them grow. You could have your student sequence out the steps of how to plant a seed and make it grow.
Compare & Contrast – You could get a few packets of seeds from the store and then have your students compare and contrast the differences between the different types of seeds (tiny, round, bumpy, or smooth).

Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

Here are some resources to help you get started using your interactive books for speech therapy today!

Here are some teachers pay teachers free boom cards that are great supplemental resources for the books above.

Going on a Bear Hunt Book Companion Boom Card Deck, Reading Comprehension by Kelsey’s Speech Table – This set of boom cards is perfect for your students working on answering story comprehension wh questions.
Educator Resources for The Mitten Book Companion Unit – Boom Cards by Target Every Goal Speech Therapy – Use this resource to work on your child’s story comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, syntax, story retelling, and describing skills.

Book Attachment

If you want additional resources that you can attach right into the books themselves or want velcro pictures be sure to check out the following freebies.

Little Blue Truck Freebie by BunnyHoney – Grab these clipart images to help your students with story retelling or simply to use as you read the story together.
Little Blue Truck Communication Board by The Styled Speechie – Here is a helpful communication board full of all the animals from the story the Little Blue Truck.
The Mitten by ThinkSpeechandLangauge Kim – Here is a set of images that can be used for labeling, identifying, following directions, sequencing, or story retelling.
Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything Sequencing by Jessica Elaine – Use these images to help sequence the story.
Bear Hunt Story Retell Prompt Visual by The Speech Cupboard – Grab these images to help your child or student retell or sequence this super fun story.

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10 Repetitive Picture Books to Use In Speech Therapy

01/31/2022 by Jenna 2 Comments

Do you need some ideas of repetitive picture books to use in speech therapy? Why are repetitive texts a good idea to use with students? Let’s discuss why they are important and some ideas of repetitive books you can use during therapy or at home.

PREDICTABILITY

Repetitive texts are valuable in so many different ways for children. For one, they are predictable . Students that are learning to read will have more confidence while listening and trying to follow along when words repeat themselves. Children actually enjoy predictability in their day because it gives them a sense of calm, even when reading!

ELICITS EARLY LANGUAGE SKILLS

Next, repetitive books help elicit early language skills especially in early childhood stages. When stories are predictable, children will try to read along as well. Why? Because they have knowledge now of what the story “says” and it feels good for them to try to read along with you confidently. These books with predictable, repeated text also help students with decoding as well as fluency.

HELPS ATTENTION SPAN

In addition, books that repeat themselves actually help capture a child’s attention during reading. When a child has less to think about, there are more cognitive opportunities for them to use and think about language. The predictable nature of these stories just requires less cognitive ability from them; essentially it decreases their cognitive load. When children have less to think about, then they can focus more on what’s happening during the story! Hence-this gives opportunity for growing their comprehension!

NEW VOCABULARY EXPOSURE

Finally, new vocabulary words are repeated MANY different times throughout the story. Also- books that are repetitive provide frequent practice for targeted speech sounds that a student may be working on. This is a HUGE win for speech therapists and clinicians and a big reason why I love using repetitive picture books.

Let’s look at 10 repetitive picture books that are great:

#1 Brown Bear Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

Every child should be exposed to this story. It is absolutely a classic and probably my favorite predictive text! It helps young students with so many skills- predictability, colors, animal identification…the list goes on. Search on Pinterest for activities to go with this story and you will be overwhelmed at the opportunities for lessons!

#2 That’s Not My…

For these adorable repetitive stories by Usborne books and Fiona Wells, there are many different topics to choose from:

That’s not my llama.

That’s not my lion.

That’s not my unicorn.

THat’s not my plane.

That’s not my train.

(That is just a FEW.) These books are great because it’s simple to choose a topic to match what you’re learning about in therapy. Plus, there are only 6 sentences per story. This is a great book to target the sight words- That, not, my and even have students come up with their own ending!

#3 Sandra Boynton Books

Sandra Boynton is a queen of repetitive text. She has a multitude of titles when it comes to choosing predictive text. Some favorites are Blue Hat, Green Hat and Moo, Baa, la la la!

#4 Lisa Patricelli books

Like Sandra Boynton, author Lisa Patricelli has a flair for repetitive text. Her books are simple, to the point and easy for young children to follow along.

#5 Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

This is one of the most beloved books of all time. It is now part of my collection that I read with my toddler as well. The quiet poetry of the words and soothing illustrations makes Goodnight Moon the perfect book for the end of the day. “In the great green room there was a telephone and a red balloon… Goodnight moon. Goodnight mouse. Goodnight house…” This story is a true classic and one that every child should be exposed to.

#6 Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

Chicka Chicka boom boom….will there be enough room?! This is a classic story to use with younger students learning their alphabet letters. There are also tons of fun crafts and activities to use with this book. It is great for preschool and kindergarten age students.

#7 Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

In this sweet story, a child writes a letter to the zoo asking for a pet. On each page, a new animal appears from the zoo but each is unsuitable to be a pet. (Animals are also behind flaps which kids LOVE!) The last animal ends up being perfect and is the only one not sent back to the zoo.

#8 Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

Pete the Cat books have excellent repetitive text: Poor Pete keeps losing his buttons. Pop goes a button. Did Pete cry? Goodness, no! Buttons come and buttons go. He kept on singing his song: “My buttons, my buttons, my three groovy buttons. My buttons, my buttons, my three groovy buttons. This story is also great to sneak in a quick social skills lesson on always finding the good and not overreacting.

#9 Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee

This is an adorable story in which parents beg their very spunky child to please behave! Great use of simple repetition-”please, baby, PLEASE!”

#10 Go Sleep in Your Own Bed! By Candace Fleming and Lori Nichols

This book typically makes kids giggle. Each animal goes to bed and finds another animal sleeping in the wrong bed. It repeats “Go sleep in your own bed!” throughout the story.

Are you ready to grab some repetitive books for your students yet? Which ones would you add to the list?!

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02/15/2022 at 2:56 pm

Fantastic resources! Those are all great books! I appreciate the reminder to use them! Sometimes things are right under my nose and I just forget to use them! You are amazing! I don’t know where you have time for all of this! Thanks a million!

02/16/2022 at 1:54 am

Another Rod Campbell book called ‘Oh Dear’. Buster visits Grandma on the farm and she sends him to collect the eggs. He checks all the animals but ‘No eggs here’ ‘oh dear’.

5 Best Books for Speech Therapy

Speech therapy is a form of treatment done to address communication problems.

Also referred to as speech-language therapy, it involves practices that aim to treat speaking or reading challenges.

Besides speech challenges, it also focuses on language knowledge, language use, and social communication issues.

Writing and spelling challenges, particularly dyslexia, might also improve with the help of speech therapy .

To help your child in his journey, here are five of the best books for speech therapy you can use.

1. A Boy and a Jaguar by Dr. Alan Rabinowitz

2. the mouth with a mind of its own by patricia mervine, 3. from head to toe by eric carle, 4. sammy goes to speech by marissa siegel, 5. owl moon by jane yolen, comparison chart.

A Boy and a Jaguar

The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own

From Head to Toe Board Book

Sammy Goes to Speech

Best Books for Speech Therapy Reviews

Authored by Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, the book tells a simple narrative of a life-long bond between a youngster who felt “broken” and how animals influenced his life’s work.

Time Magazine tagged the book’s main character as the “Indiana Jones of wildlife preservation.”

Inspired by real-life events, join Alan as he embarks on a journey to fulfill a promise to be the voice of animals and people who cannot do so.

As one of the helpful books for speech therapy, there are notable qualities that made it a favorite by many instructors, parents, and children.

Based on Personal Accounts

The author had speech issues growing up, particularly stuttering, which he was able to overcome.

Since it covers his life, including college and job references, A Boy and a Jaguar perhaps provides more impact for older book readers.

As such, it could be a guide or inspiration for those who have doubts about their life trajectory due to speech problems.

Award-Winning Book

A Boy and a Jaguar , drawn by Catia Chien, has earned an award for the creative representation of handicapped experience in 2015.

It won the Schneider Family Book Award, given by the American Library Association .

Its subjects are not limited to stutterers, though, which makes this book more compelling.

Wildlife Advocacy

Dr. Rabinowitz is the founder of Panthera, a big cat conservation group.

After reading the narrative at length, the story can influence its readers to protect animals that have been threatened due to various factors.

By sharing his childhood experience, he aims for readers to understand the significance of wildlife preservation.

Relatability

A Boy and a Jaguar depicts a loud and clear message of being a voice for the animals.

Readers can relate to Alan and the animals for not having a “voice.”

The narrative assumes that animals have no human voices and, therefore, people don’t listen to their suffering and anxiety.

Through this story, the reader can empathize with the characters, who also struggle with not being understood.

Inexpensive
Great illustrations
Uplifting story
Not Kindle-friendly

Written by Patricia Mervine, the story of The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own revolves around a boy named Matthew.

As the title implies, the main character has an issue where his brain is not in sync with his mouth.

Because of this, he cannot mingle with other children or even say his own name.

The story is inspired by the author’s experience working with students like Matthew as a speech-language pathologist.

The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own illuminates the struggles toddlers with speech problems have to endure regularly during their formative years.

Let’s explore the features that made the book a must-have for speech therapy.

Realistic Story

While other books focus on poking the children’s interest using fictional elements, this book does the opposite.

It narrates the difficulties of a “real” character in a familiar setting, so the readers can directly relate their experiences to the story.

Because they are able to relate to Matthew’s experiences, the book could positively impact their development.

Candid and Informative

Despite the regular life premise of The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own , it still has a nice mix of humor and learning.

More often than not, it’s hard to keep the children engaged in a story with nothing but exposition.

Adults also have this sort of issue when there’s not too much to stimulate their senses.

Having a bit of humor in storytelling could diminish this circumstance and might result in better discussion and engagement.

Emphasis on Speech Therapist

One of the distinctive aspects of the story is explaining to the readers how a speech therapist can help improve their communication skills.

After finishing the story of The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own , children can be more welcoming and receptive to their respective speech therapists.

Applicable for homeschooling
Feel-good story
Vivid and colorful illustrations
Some words could be a tad abstract for kids
Might be too wordy

From Head to Toe describes the different movements of animals in detail.

Also, Eric Carle encourages young readers to mimic the various actions made by the creatures in the book, which adds fun to learning.

In turn, children will discover and give importance to the value of listening, exercise, and a new challenge via vivid illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions.

Compared to other speech therapy books, From Head to Toe offers a different approach to stimulate the interest and attention of its readers.

Let’s see the notable aspects of this colorful and energetic children’s book.

Interactive Learning

It is fascinating to be able to witness a giraffe bending its neck or a monkey turning down its arms.

However, letting the kids emulate these movements adds an element of fun, exercise, and engagement.

A kid is partnered with an animal on every two-page spread.

Then, the assigned are urged to move in the same manner as the highlighted creature.

The exuberant art could intrigue young toddlers, who might love the art and making their own motions .

Repeating Phrases

From Head to Toe incorporates plenty of repeating phrases that are extremely helpful for those struggling to communicate.

Due to its speech therapy-friendly questions, it further improves the children’s receptiveness and confidence.

Good Storyline

When it comes to the plot, From Head to Toe might not have a serious or real-world setting.

However, it has enough details to keep the children interested, which is beneficial to ensure they are learning continuously.

Quality Illustration

With an art style that many readers can relate to, the book makes itself more accessible than others.

The child art-like theme of the illustrations could also motivate the kids to attempt drawing the characters in the book.

While it is not directly related to speech therapy, getting interested in art will ultimately contribute to their learning and development as young students.

Because of the bright text and illustration, older relatives such as grandparents will find the book easy to read with kids.

What’s more, it’s not a challenge to read the contents with a bedside lamp, so it can easily become a favorite bedtime book.

Caters to many different types of children
Durable cover
Available in multiple languages
Pricier than others
Back cover art may not be available inside

Tailored for children who are either just starting speaking or in speech therapy, Sammy Goes to Speech is a resourceful and educational book.

It was written by Marissa Siegel, a speech-language pathologist.

The book tells a unique story about a girl who struggles with communication.

The premise is Sammy, the main character, desperately wants to talk but can’t find his voice.

Sammy and his mother then look for his voice all over but have trouble finding it.

Sammy Goes to Speech is labeled as one of the great resources for families with little ones dealing with speech issues.

Let’s check out why the book has earned praise from its readers.

Written by a Pro

As a licensed speech-language pathologist, Marissa Siegel has enough credentials and experience to produce a quality book.

Regarding the overall reception of Sammy Goes to Speech , it’s evident that there’s a consensus about its effectiveness as a speech therapy book.

According to Siegel, she was motivated by her own experience as an SLP to create this book.

Her sensitivity grew enormously after working with numerous families with small children dealing with speech issues.

She also realized that only a few accessible options are available for families that join the realm of speech therapy.

These factors inspired her to write Sammy Goes to Speech .

Clear, Concise Illustration

While the artwork is not as dynamic as other speech therapy books, it more than makes up for it with simplicity and clarity.

In regards to enhancing the speech level of children, the illustration doesn’t need to be significantly impressive.

Accessible Storyline

The narrative of the book is mainly for children who are learning how to communicate appropriately.

However, the engaging, practical storyline is also applicable even for those who don’t need an SLP.

Values such as perseverance and creativity apply to all children, which will contribute to their mental development.

Relatable Main Character

Many kids will find Sammy a relatable character mainly because he also goes to speech class and has a friendly speech-language pathologist.

His stuffed toy, Mr. Monster, adds an element of fun to the entire book, which draws the reader more to the story.

Bonus Content

After the story concludes, you’ll see additional sections labeled as “Tips” and “Activities.”

These sections provide parents with practical and accessible ideas that could help their kids improve.

As you can imagine, these parts make the book more equipped for speech therapy than others.

In addition to the engaging story, you can also use the tips and activities that the author has carefully written.

Philanthropy

While it is not necessarily a content attribute of the book, it’s great to know that a portion of its sales is put to meaningful research.

A part of the proceeds is dedicated to funding research on childhood communication disorders.

Easy to understand
Age range not wide

The Owl Moon is about a small child and her father looking forward to encountering the perfect owl.

The small girl has been waiting years to take part in the family ritual.

While their goal is about finishing an objective, the storyline revolves around the concept of love of nature and simplicity.

The book is for kids of all ages and is written by Jane Yolen.

The Owl Moon is revered by many as one of the best books for speech therapy because of its notable qualities.

Let’s learn about the features of this classic children’s book.

Applicable to Children of Different Ages

The Owl Moon tells a family-oriented story, so it’s a great book for children of all ages, from older preschoolers to school-age students.

Because of the theme and virtues presented, it is also relatable to those reading it.

High-Quality Illustration

The Owl Moon is rich in shadow and moonlight art details, which displays the people in the story from different perspectives.

Interesting angles of other forest animals are also prominently illustrated.

The picture compliments that narrative in this exceptional book.

Schoenherr, the illustrator, used nightly soft and misty blacks and browns, contrasting them with the piercing white snow.

Due to its art, the Owl Moon won a Caldecott Medal in 1988.

Dynamic Storytelling

While the cover art may imply a fantasy story, the Own Moon has a realistic narrative that many will find relatable and applicable to daily life.

The poetic language contributes to its wholesome appeal, while the imagery enhances the quality of the storytelling.

Considering these attributes, it wouldn’t be strange that many view the Owl Moon as a classic and must-have children’s book.

Excellent gift
Good story to share during Christmas or winter
Inspiring for young kids
Impressive print quality
Some proses might be a bit long
Underwhelming SLP elements

Out of these five outstanding books, we think Sammy Goes to Speech stands out.

Taking into account its readability, add-ons, illustration, and overall quality, it would be hard not to see how this book will help children.

On the other hand, if you are looking for something more interactive, you should check out From Head to Toe .

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Sound-Loaded Storybooks for Articulation- Find ’em Here by Phoneme!

Here’s why you should be using great sound-loaded books for articulation practice in speech therapy..

Sound Loaded Books for articulation by phononeme. A Free list by Speech Sprouts

Your students are engaged
You can target multiple goals with a single book
You can easily incorporate articulation. language and literacy skills too
Works beautifully for mixed groups
Very little planning, saving you time

The best reason of all? It’s just plain fun!

I needed a comprehensive list of sound-loaded books to use in my new speech therapy program

When a colleague and I started our intensive preschool speech therapy program, we had to design it pretty much from scratch. We wanted to incorporate literature in our two-hour sessions. So the hunt was on for books that worked well for each phoneme.

It’s really difficult to find books for specific phonemes in the library.

Even if a target word appears in the title, it doesn’t necessarily repeat very often in the text.

Still, a creative SLP reading to preschoolers can throw in target words more often than is actually written in the text, and I certainly do that!

I haunted the library, consulted what lists I could find, and developed my own go-to lists.

My criteria? I was looking for sound-loaded books that:

Repeat a specific phoneme/blend over and over, or has plenty of opportunities to insert it!
The target word is a simple word shape (CV, VC, CVC, CVCV, CCVC, CVCC) to help support my kids with apraxia and severe speech sound disorders.
Has a great story with engaging illustrations. I am visual, and so are preschoolers!
Has simple, repetitive text when possible. LOVE these.
Has lots of language opportunities, lending itself to discussing basic concepts, object function, past tense, -ing verbs, theme vocabulary, wh questions, and more.

Sound-loaded storybook List for Speech Therapy

Below is a sampling of my favorite sound-loaded books for articulation

There are many more titles in the full list, which is a freebie you can download in my store on TpT Sound-Loaded Book List for Articulation

Initial ch books

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault

Tippy-Toe Chick, Go! By Laura Dronzek

Itchy, Itchy Chicken Pox by Grace Maccarone

Initial /f/ books

Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone (repeats “fast”)

The Fire Station by Robert Munsch

The Foot Book by Dr Seuss

Final /f/ books

Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone

Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone

Give Me Half by Stuart Murphy (great for cthe oncept of “half” too)

Initial /g/ books

The Day the Goose Got Loose by Reeve Lindenbergh

Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Gladone

Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberly

Final /g/ books

Hello Red Fox by Eric Carle

A Frog in a Bog by Karma Wilson

Big Egg by Molly Coxe

Initial /h/ books

Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

The Little Red Hen by Rebecca Allen

Initial “j” books

Jack and the Beanstalk by Stella Williams Nathan

Hop Jump by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw

Initial /k/ books

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss

Three Little Kittens by Paul Galdone

Final /k/ books

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root

Shake my Sillies out by David Allender

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

Llama Llama, Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

It looked like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw

Initial /m/ books

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff (I insert “moose” for the pronoun. If the moose…)

Initial /p/ books

Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allen Ahlberg

The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone

Pickles in My Soup by Mary Pearson

Caps For Sale By Esphyr Slobodkina

Mama Cat Has Three Kittens by Denise Fleming (repeats naps)

One Pups Up by Marsha Wilson Chall (change puppies to pups when reading)

Initial /r/ books

The Big Red Farm by Cristianne C. Jones

A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman

The Little Mouse, the Red, Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Don & Audrey Wood

Vocalic r books

Aaron’s Hair by Robert Munsch

Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman

Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson

Initial /s/ books

Silly Sally by Audrey Wood

Final /s/ books

Initial sh books.

Shoo, Fly! By Joy Cowley

Sheep on a Ship by Nancy Shaw

Smiley Shark by Ruth Galloway * (Speech Sprouts has a book companion)

Final sh books

A Big Fish Story

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Phister

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming

Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup

Smiley Shark by Ruth Galloway

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner * (Speech Sprouts has a book companion)

Stand Back Said the Elephant, I’m Going to Sneeze by Patricia Thomas

I Love Spiders by John Parker

The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Keith Chapman * (Speech Sprouts has a book companion)

Where’s Spot? By Eric Hill

Sticky People by Tony Johnston

Stone Soup by Anne McGovern and Winslow Pinney Pels

Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle

Initial /t/ books

Ten Apples on Top

Five Teddy Bears by Anne Adeney

Who Wants a Teddy Bear? By Ginne Hofman

Final /t/ books

I Went Walking by Sue Williams

The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat by Nurit Karlin

Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne and H.A. Rey

Initial /w/ Books

The Wheels on the Bus (any version)

The Wee Little Woman by Byron Barton

Mrs. Wishy Washy by Joy Cowley and Elizabeth Fuller

Syllableness books

Five Little Monkeys Swinging From a Tree” by Eileen Christelow

Five Teddy Bears by Anne Adeney & Cathy Shimmen

Monkey and the Elephant by Carole Lexa Schaefer

Think book companions if you need ready-to-go materials to go with your favorite stories.

These sound-loaded books are great on their own, but to save time planning, I think you’ll love book companions.

When you download the free book list, look for books marked with an asterisk * that indicates that I have a book companion available for that book.

Here are a couple of book companions you may like:

A Snowmen at Night Speech Therapy Book Companion with 22 printable activities that includes the colorful open-ended build-a-snowman activity shown. This winter speech therapy activity targets over 13 goals including Wh & Yes-No questions. speechsprouts.com

I hope you enjoy exploring these books!

Get my free complete Sound-Loaded Books for Articulation list

Don’t forget to download the complete Sound-Loaded Books for Speech Therapy List in my TpT store. You’ll find many more book suggestions, all sorted by target phonome. If you download this freebie, I would love to have your review. Happy reading!

Read more about: Articulation , Freebies , Storybooks

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5 Fun Children's Books for Practicing the /l/ Sound

Reading with your child is a wonderful way to bond and support their language development. If your little one is learning the /l/ sound or /l/-blends , there are many engaging books that can help them work on these sounds while enjoying quality time with you.

Try practicing the /l/ sound with these children’s books

When it comes to learning speech sounds , daily practice will ensure your child makes the most progress. And reading together is an easy way to practice the /l/ sound!

Here, we’re sharing a list of children’s books that focus on the /l/ sound in fun and imaginative ways, including our speech therapists' favorites. Your child can read aloud or repeat the /l/ words after you say them. You can even turn it into a game by asking them to clap or raise their hand every time they hear a word with “l.”

In addition to practicing speech sounds, when you read aloud and talk with your child about the stories, you'll be giving them a valuable opportunity to grow their general language skills.

If you don’t own the recommended books, you don’t have to buy them! Check your local library, or search for a read-aloud version on YouTube. Let’s dive in and discover some great books to read with your child!

1. Is Your Mama a Llama?

The classic book Is Your Mama a Llama? is a great place to start. The word “llama” is repeated 13 times throughout the book, making it a perfect choice for a child practicing /l/ at the beginning of words.

This book also includes words with the /l/ sound in the middle of the word (“polite l y,” “rea ll y,” “certain l y,” and “si ll y”) and words ending with the /l/ sound (“a ll ,” “fee l ,” and “sea l ”).

2. The Very Lonely Firefly

If your child is working on /l/-blends, this one is a great choice for them! The Very Lonely Firefly includes plenty of practice words: fl ew, fire fl y, fl ashed, fl ickering, fl ashlight, gl owing, re fl ecting, fl ooding, spar kl ing, gl ittering, and fl ashing.

It also includes these words beginning with the /l/ sound: “ l ittle,” “ l onely,” “ l ightbulb,” “ l ight(ing),” “ l antern,” and “ l ook(ing).”

3. Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon is a classic story to read while cuddled up at night. The repetitive language gives your child plenty of opportunities to practice their target speech sounds.

/l/: te l ephone, ba ll oon, l itt l e, bow l , l ady, l ight

/l/-blend: cl ocks

4. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This classic Eric Carle book offers children lots of practice with /l/ and /l/-blend words. Check out all these /l/ words (but try not to get hungry!):

/l/: l ight, l itt l e, l ay, l eaf, caterpi ll ar, l ook, sti ll , choco l ate, pick l e, sa l ami, l o ll ipop, waterme l on, fe l t, bui l t, sma ll , ca ll ed, nibb l ed, ho l e, beautifu l

/l/-blends: pl ums, sl ice, butter fl y

5. Green Eggs and Ham

There are plenty of /l/ words in this silly, rhyming story. Here’s just one example: “I do not l ike green eggs and ham. I do not l ike them, Sam-I-am.”

Practicing speech at home leads to faster progress

When children are working on their speech articulation, home practice is essential. Consistency is the key to improving speech sounds, and practicing regularly at home allows your child to strengthen their skills outside of therapy sessions.

Reading books with your child is a fun, easy way to add speech sound practice to your daily routine. By using books that contain a variety of /l/ and /l/-blend words, you’re giving your child lots of chances to hear and produce these sounds in context.

To motivate your child to practice, focus on making the experience relaxed and positive. Celebrate your child’s successes, and encourage them to try their best without putting too much pressure on them. Use games , props, or other playful activities related to the books you read to make practice feel like a fun adventure.

You can also offer your child choices in which books they want to read or which characters they want to pretend to be. This gives them a sense of control and ownership over their practice. Remember, the goal is to help your child build their skills in a supportive and enjoyable way!

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