Speech is the primary way people communicate with each other, so when a child struggles to talk it can be quite frustrating and negatively impact their quality of life. Around 1 in every 12 children needs help with speech development. Speech therapy books are a great resource to cultivate communication skills. Many cater to children and make speech therapy fun and engaging. Depending on the skill level, the books may focus on the basics of speech or more advanced areas of communication. Keep reading to uncover the best books for speech therapy for kids.
Table of Contents
Best Books for Speech Therapy: #1 Island of the Blue Dolphins (Scott O’Dell)
Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins is a great speech therapy book for elementary school children. For those suffering from childhood speech disorders, it offers easy-to-grasp language and an engaging story. Dialogue used throughout the book helps distinguish particular speech patterns and rhythms which is especially helpful for older children who require speech therapy. The story uses plenty of adjectives and descriptive language to distinguish tone which helps elementary school children understand narrative language and overcome communication barriers.
Read more: Best Autism Books for Parents
Best Books for Speech Therapy: #2 Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Judy Blume)
This is a great choice for slightly older children who will likely find the main characters relatable which helps them be more engaged. This engagement is key if children are to remain focused and willing to learn. As far as speech therapy goes, Judy Blume’s work focuses on detailed dialogue to separate the young characters of her book. This is particularly useful for children in speech therapy as it helps them learn and understand the different ways in which people communicate.
Read more: How to Help Your Child’s Speech at Home
#3 Sammy Goes to Speech (Marissa Siegel)
This book tells the tale of Sammy, who has a strong desire to speak with those around him but finds that he can’t do so effectively. It’s highly relatable for children receiving speech therapy and helps them understand the world around them more clearly. Marissa Siegel is an expert in the field of speech pathology. The book focuses on sounds and language features that children may struggle with. Yet Siegel has made the book easy to navigate so that no child will feel overwhelmed while reading it.
#4 Sleep In a Jeep (Nancy Shaw)
Nancy Shaw’s Sleep In a Jeep uses rhyme to focus on speech rhythm and flow. Rhyming is one of the most effective ways to help a child learn speech patterns and how words relate to one another. The book itself is easy to read and engaging. It features fun and colorful pictures which make it easy to follow. Children and toddlers receiving speech therapy will enjoy how easily the book flows and tells a simple light-hearted story.
Read more: What are speech blocks and stuttering blocks?
#5 Turkey Trouble (Wendi Silvano)
Wendi Silvano uses Turkey Trouble to explore components of speech such as repetition, alliteration, and descriptive words to tell her story. The humorous and colorful tale of a Turkey who is not too thrilled about Thanksgiving is a creative way to introduce these speech components to children. With likable characters and fun-filled themes, children will listen attentively and learn naturally with this book. There are several onomatopoeias throughout this book that help engage children by grabbing their attention to keep their focus.
#6 Pete the Cat (James Dean)
James Dean created the Pete the Cat series to help children learn about sounds through playful characters and colorful illustrations. Join Pete in various locations as he tackles sounds such as /h/, /p/, and /t/. Those sounds are important for speech development because they’re used to pronounce a majority of words. These easy-to-read books also contain moral messages based on facing fears and being brave. This is a great message for children and toddlers, especially those facing a world where communicating with other people is difficult.
#7 The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own (Patricia Mervine)
The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own tells the story of Matthew, a boy who visits a speech therapist to help him with his speech problems. This highly relatable story for any child suffering from speech development issues is a great introduction to the world of speech therapy. Patricia Mervine is a qualified speech pathologist. Her expertise is clear on every page as Matthew grows to understand how his mind and his speech interconnect. This is a great companion book for any child starting their speech therapy journey to help them feel less alone.
Try Goally’s Word Lab App Along With The Books for Speech Therapy
Speech therapy is a great way to expose your children and toddlers to successful communication channels. The best speech therapy books prioritize learning and development in a way that’s fun and engaging for children. To supplement your child’s speech therapy at home, try Goally’s Word Lab app. The app focuses on the repetition of practices that highlight speech patterns and rules to help children develop the skills they need for verbal communication.
It’s a great language learning tool for neurodivergent kids where they learn key communication skills at their own pace while having fun at the same time. Goally makes more than just language-learning apps. Starting at just $15 per month, our suite of therapy apps includes customizable visual schedules, checklists, reminders, and more. You can download the entire collection of apps straight to any device or purchase our distraction-free tablet for $149.
Goally
We help parents teach their kids life skills, like doing bedtime and morning independently. Backed by science, we incorporate evidence-based practices and expert-informed designs in all of our apps and content.
