When speech/language pathologists effectively use children’s literature during therapy sessions, children will make tremendous progress in their speech and language skills. Here are my recommendations for excellent children’s books for May speech/language therapy. This specially curated list focuses on celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, ocean themed books, honoring mothers, and even a celebration of African American heritage in Florida. Did you know that there are 50 countries in Asia? You can learn more about the various geographical regions here. It’s so important that pediatric speech-language pathologists incorporate lessons that represent the diversity of these countries.
Asian-Americans Who Inspire Us by author Analiza Quiroz Wolf and illustrator Michael Franco
This great book is written by Filipino American, Analiza Quiroz Wolf. She was born in California to parents who are originally from the Philippines. She is a prestigious Fulbright Scholar and served in the U.S. Air Force. She currently plays an integral part of leading educational programs for low income children in New York. In this book, children will learn about interesting people in Asian American history. This excellent book contains biographies of people with heritage from various countries. Children can practice speech language skills while learning about the first Asian American astronaut, musicians, athletes (surfer/figure skater), architect, and even a U.S. Senator. Children will learn details about Japanese-American, Ellison Onizuka who dreamed about going to space as a child. He studied to be pilot and then worked towards being an astronaut. Because of his excellent skills, he was selected to be an astronaut and flew his first mission on the Discovery space shuttle. They will also learn about amazing Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, Chinese-American journalist Lisa Ling, Hawaiian-American surfer Duke Kahanamoku, and Thai-American Senator Tammy Duckworth who was a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot. They’ll also learn about excellent Chinese-American musician Yo-Yo Ma whose story inspires children to know that they all have unique gifts to share with the world and it is okay to be different. There are many others featured in this book too.
Speech/Language therapy targets:
Listening Comprehension/Language Memory- Children should try to recall 3 facts when read aloud biographies. They can also practice answering literal and inferential questions pertaining to the biographies.
Syntax- During picture description tasks, children can practice verbalizing sentences with correct morphology (word structure) and syntax (sentence structure).
Shark Lady by author Jess Keating and illustrator Marta Alvarez Miguens
Shark Lady is about a Japanese American scientist Eugenie Clark who loved studying marine biology and especially sharks. Yikes! As a child, she enjoyed going to visit the New York aquarium with her family and swimming at the beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey. When she was in university, her professors thought that she was not brave or smart enough to be a zoologist or scientist because she was a woman. She certainly proved them wrong! Children will enjoy learning about her and practicing speech/language skills. At the end of the book, there is a nice timeline of her accomplishments through the years. She was born in New York to a mother of Japanese heritage and her father was American. Did you know that she earned her doctorate degree in Zoology and was also a Fulbright Scholar in 1950? She received this scholarship to study ocean life in the Red Sea. Eugenie Clark was an accomplished researcher who pioneered the use of scuba diving to collect scientific information. She even scuba dived well into her 90s in Jordan and Israel.
Speech/Language therapy targets:
Tier 2 vocabulary- Children can practice explaining the meanings of tier 2 words using sentence context.
Sequencing- Children can use the timeline to describe key points in Eugenie Clark’s life.
Listening Comprehension/Language Memory- The SLP can provide practice opportunities for children to recall and answer literal comprehension questions about the story.
Nailah & Nash Take Tokyo, by author Jawad Williams, and illustrator Shiela Alejandro.
Children really enjoy this story about brother and sister, Nailah & Nash, who travel to Tokyo, Japan with their mom to visit their dad who plays professional basketball there. They get a little introduction to Japanese culture. What will they experience? They visit historic landmarks such as Toyko Tower, taste the cuisine, learn about the cherry blossoms which are the national flower of Japan, and even get Kimonos as a gift. At the end of the book, they watch their dad’s team win the Japanese Basketball Championship. The author, Jawad Williams is a former basketball player at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He wrote this story about his children’s real life experiences. It’s so important to connect across cultures. Children who read and listen to this story will get an early life lesson about that as well. Children can readily practice speech/language skills with this book too.
Speech/Language therapy targets:
Tier 1 vocabulary- Children can practice naming nouns, verbs, and adjectives while looking at the pictures.
Mean Length of Utterance (MLU)- The SLP can provide practice opportunities for children to produce oral simple sentences about the story.
Sequencing/Story Retell- Children should practice retelling the story with key events from the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
Listening Comprehension/Language Memory- The SLP can provide practice opportunities for them to recall and answer literal comprehension questions about the story.
Down to the Sea With Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen, author and illustrator
Down to the Sea With Mr. Magee is a favorite for many children. The author and illustrator, Chris Van Dusen, was born in Portland, Maine and studied fine art at The University of Massachusetts at Darmouth. He worked as a freelance illustrator for many years before publishing this book in 2000. In this book, the main character, Mr. Magee goes sailing and takes his dog Dee along for the adventure. While sailing, they spot whales off in the distance who are having their fill of breakfast. There’s just one whale that wanders off and is a bit too playful. What will Mr. Magee and his dog encounter? This story is ideal for early language learners to practice recall of story events and other skills. You may use my free wh questions comprehension check from my TPT store. Many children will like the vivid ocean themed illustrations in this story.
Speech/Language therapy targets:
Tier 1 vocabulary- Children can practice naming nouns, verbs, and adjectives while looking at the pictures.
WH Questions- Children can answer basic wh questions about the story. Use my worksheet for them to record their responses. It provides a field of 4 choices. I suggest reading aloud the questions and answer choices for kids.
Sequencing/Story Retell- Children should practice retelling the story with key events from the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
Poems in the Attic by author Nikki Grimes and illustrator Elizabeth Zunon
This is a beautifully written story by African American author Nikki Grimes that paints scenes with glimpses of her life. I recommend this book because it is a wonderful intergenerational story about a little girl, her mother, and grandparents. The main character visits her grandmother’s house one weekend and discovers a special cedar box with poems that her mother started writing when she was 7. It tells of memories through the years as her family traveled around the U.S. and world since her grandfather was in the Air Force. They experienced various cultures along the way. The main character is captivated by her mother’s writings and decided to pen her own poems. At the end of the story, she presents her mom with a thoughtful handmade book of new poems that she wrote and copies of her mom’s poems as a child. Her mother loved the heartfelt gift.
Speech/Language Targets-
Sequencing- Children can use the book as a visual as needed to recall and verbally list the states and countries that the family visited.
Story Recall/Language Memory- Children can name activities or events that the characters experienced in the various places.
Compare/Contrast- Children can think critically to describe similarities and differences about the places where the family lived while the grandfather was in the military.
Listening Comprehension- The SLP may ask students literal and inferential questions to check for understanding of the text.
May Day and Me! Celebrating Florida’s Emancipation Day by author, Byron Dickens
This is a newly published book written by Byron Dickens. It was written to teach young children about an important time in Florida History. Did you know that May 20, 1865 is known as Emancipation Day or the day when slaves received their independence in Florida? This day has been recognized for over 150 years and May Day is celebrated in certain Florida cities and towns. Families and communities gather and enjoy food, games, and story telling. For example, Tallahassee, Florida in the panhandle has a large celebration each year. In the book, a father teaches his daughter about the day when African Americans in Florida received their “freedom” two years after Abraham Lincoln read the Emancipation Proclamation. This book has a simple story line so it is ideal for children in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade. However, it is good for them to learn about African American history. This holiday is similar to Juneteenth that is celebrated in other states. The author, Byron Dickens, is the founder of The Emancipation Day Festival of Northwest Florida. You can learn more about that here.
You can learn more about Tallahassee’s recognition of this day here:
City commemorating Florida Emancipation Day with special events (wctv.tv)
Speech/Language Targets
Tier 1 vocabulary- Children can practice naming nouns, verbs, and adjectives while looking at the pictures.
Mean Length of Utterance (MLU)- The SLP can provide practice opportunities for children to produce oral simple sentences about the story.
WH Questions- Children can answer basic wh questions about the story.
These are great books to add to your SLP, classroom, and home libraries. As always, for effective speech/language therapy it is always a good idea to supplement books with other interactive activities/games each month and year round to maximize children’s growth of essential communication and language skills.
Have you used these books before in speech/language therapy? How else may you use them purposefully during intervention? I welcome your comments below.
All the best,
Tamara Anderson, M.S., Ed.S., CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist
Education Specialist & Consultant
Diversity & Equity Advocate
