Recommended Books

Books are powerful tools for supporting speech and language development. This page includes two types of recommendations: parent guidebooks for learning how to support your child's communication, and children's books that are particularly good for speech-language practice due to their repetition, rhyme, vocabulary, or subject matter.

5 sections
2 pro tips
4 external resources

Parent Guidebooks

These books are written for parents and caregivers who want to understand speech-language development and learn evidence-based strategies for supporting their child at home.

General Language Development

  • It Takes Two to Talk (Hanen Centre) - The gold standard for parent-led language intervention
  • First Words by Barbara Levine Offenbacher - Step-by-step guide for children with delays
  • The Late Talker by Marilyn Agin - Comprehensive guide for late-talking children
  • Baby Talk by Sally Ward - Understanding and encouraging language development

Autism & Social Communication

  • More Than Words (Hanen Centre) - Building social communication for children with ASD
  • TalkAbility (Hanen Centre) - For verbal children with social communication challenges
  • An Early Start for Your Child with Autism by Rogers, Dawson & Vismara - ESDM approach
  • The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz - Understanding sensory processing

Stuttering

  • Stuttering: Straight Talk for Teachers (Stuttering Foundation) - Free resource
  • If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents (Stuttering Foundation)
  • Seven Tips for Talking with Your Child (Stuttering Foundation)
  • Stuttering and Your Child: Questions and Answers (ASHA)

Apraxia

  • The Late Talker by Marilyn Agin - Covers CAS among other causes
  • Speaking of Apraxia by Leslie Gruber-Miller - Parent-friendly guide to CAS

Literacy & Reading

  • Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf - Understanding how we learn to read
  • Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz - Science-based guide for parents
  • Reading Magic by Mem Fox - The importance of reading aloud

Children's Books for Language Development

These books are excellent for building language skills through their repetitive structure, vocabulary, rhyme, or interactive elements. Reading together is one of the most powerful ways to support communication development.

Repetitive & Predictable (Great for Early Language)

  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. - Repetitive structure
  • Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown - Repetitive, calming vocabulary
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle - Sequencing, food vocabulary
  • Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell - Lift-the-flap, repetitive structure
  • Where's Spot? by Eric Hill - Lift-the-flap, prepositions
  • We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Repetitive, action words

Rhyming Books (Phonological Awareness)

  • Dr. Seuss books - Rhyme, rhythm, wordplay (Green Eggs and Ham, Cat in the Hat)
  • Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet Ahlberg - Rhyme, hidden pictures
  • Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - Alphabet, rhythm
  • Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson - Rhyme, sequencing
  • The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson - Rhyme, repetition, vocabulary

Wordless Picture Books (Great for Narration)

  • Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola - Sequencing, storytelling
  • Good Dog Carl series by Alexandra Day - Action sequences
  • Tuesday by David Wiesner - Fantasy, describing, wondering
  • Chalk by Bill Thomson - Creative storytelling opportunity

Books About Feelings & Social Skills

  • The Color Monster by Anna Llenas - Emotions vocabulary
  • How Do Dinosaurs... series by Jane Yolen - Social skills scenarios
  • Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud - Kindness, social awareness
  • Julia Cook books - Specific social skills (personal space, anger, friendship)
  • When Sophie Gets Angry by Molly Bang - Emotions, self-regulation

Interactive & Engaging Books

  • Press Here by Hervé Tullet - Following directions, cause and effect
  • Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson - Interactive, seasonal vocabulary
  • There's a Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher - Following directions, fun
  • Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems - Character perspective, emotions

Books About Stuttering for Kids

These books can help children who stutter feel understood and less alone, and can help siblings and classmates understand stuttering better.

Picture Books (Young Children)

  • Sometimes I Just Stutter by Eelco de Geus - Child-friendly explanation
  • Trouble at Recess (Stuttering Foundation) - Dealing with teasing
  • A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz - True story, inspiring
  • My Name Is Chicken Joe by Trout Fishing in America - Acceptance, humor

For Older Children & Teens

  • Stuttering: Inspiring Stories and Professional Wisdom
  • Out With It by Katherine Preston - Memoir about stuttering
  • Paper Birds by Madeleine Delvaux-Mufu - Novel featuring character who stutters

Books About Being Different

These books celebrate diversity in communication and can help children who communicate differently feel valued.

  • All My Stripes by Shaina Rudolph - Autism awareness
  • My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete - Autism from sibling perspective
  • Don't Call Me Special by Pat Thomas - Disability awareness
  • Moses Goes to School by Isaac Millman - Child who is deaf
  • A Friend Like Simon by Kate Gaynor - Autism friendship story
  • Emmanuel's Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson - Disability and ability

Tips for Reading Together

  • Read the same books repeatedly—repetition builds language
  • Let your child choose books—interest drives learning
  • Make it interactive—ask questions, point to pictures, pause for your child to fill in
  • Don't rush—savor the words and pictures together
  • Talk about the book—before, during, and after reading
  • Connect to your child's life—'This is like when you...'
  • It's okay to not read the text—talking about pictures is valuable too

Expert Tips

Repetition is Key

Don't worry if your child wants the same book over and over. Repetition is how young children learn language. Each time, they're picking up more vocabulary, understanding the structure better, and building comprehension.

Interactive Reading

Make reading a conversation, not a performance. Ask questions, make predictions, point to pictures, and let your child participate. The back-and-forth builds language better than just reading the words.

Still Have Questions?

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