Top 20 BEST Books For Speech Therapy

If you are making routine visits to speech therapists with your young children then I feel safe assuming that you want to hear that little angel’s clear crisp voice more than just about anything. I say that because I know it is true for me and my mama heart.

Language development, speech delay, and longing for those first words is not something I have shared about openly here on my blog or on my social media pages. I want to gracefully walk a line between respecting my children’s privacy and simultaneously speaking love to other mama’s who are in a similar situation as we are.

Children’s Books For Speech Therapy

This list I have put together are all great books we truly love and read often in our house. To be honest there are a few of them that are such favorite books I have completely memorized them at this point. Sometimes I dream about Little Blue Truck and I could Chicka Chicka Boom Boom with my eyes closed!

I am a huge advocate for literature and reading to children. Read alouds are such a fun way to connect with your little people and they are also a wonderful way to practice and introduce language skills. Whether you are battling a language disorder or just looking for some new books you will not be let down with this list.

My Three Favorite Books For Speech Therapy

I am going to start off this list with my top three favorite picture books of all time. Or at least they are the all time favorites of my oldest and I can recite them forward, backward, and inside out.

Discloser Note:

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Little Blue Truck

I absolutely must start the list with our all time favorite book. Little Blue Truck is such a hit because it is a wonderful interactive book. You can have so much fun with all the Beep Beep Beep’s and the farm animals are a great way to get your little one vocalizing even if they are nonverbal. We have read this book so many times that our copy is falling apart. In fact, we had a Little Blue Truck themed birthday party last year. And if you think that is where the fun stops oh no my friend. There are MANY more books in this series and I think we own them all.

Honorable mention definitely goes to Little Blue Truck Leads The Way and Goodnight, Little Blue Truck.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

When I first bought this book it was because I knew how much I had loved it as a child. My mom would tease me a lot about how often I requested that she read it and needless to say she thrilled to find that I’m sharing it with my kids. The repetitive text in this book is wonderful for little kids and I truly believe it is a must have book for speech therapy.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

One of the best children’s books of all times! Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See teaches colors, has an easy repetitive flow, and is a staple in children’s literature. Another great one is Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear which follows the same idea as the Brown Bear book and is equally wonderful.

The Best Books For Speech Therapy

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Honestly, I am just going to say that any book by Eric Carle or Bill Martin Jr is bound to be a hit for little kids and even older students. This sweet story sneaks in a great message about eating your vegetables. It also introduces counting and the days of the week. The little caterpillar packs a big punch! Because it is such an interactive book it is a great choice for getting your child involved in the story and having fun.

The Rainbow Fish

The Rainbow Fish is, in my opinion, one of the best children’s books. This picture book is gorgeous with the glittery scales that rainbow fish loves. If some of your specific goals include teaching appropriate social behaviors then you will be glad to know that in addition to being one of the great speech therapy books The Rainbow Fish also teaches about the importance of sharing and how to treat our friends.

Llama Llama Red Pajama

The story elements in this book are a great way to talk about how bedtime can be a little overwhelming. But the story shows that the little llama is safe and secure because mama is never far. Also, I find that it can be used to talk about social skills. For example, what is an appropriate reaction to being impatient for mama to help us. The book has a simple sentence structure and great rhymes that make it a great addition to the bookshelf whether or not your little learner has speech difficulties.

Hop On Pop

Hop On Pop is great for promoting phonemic awareness and getting your child to use dad as a jungle gym. Both of which very important in my opinion. The best thing about this book is that it is super simple and super effective. You can get really animated while you read and the rhyming structure is a favorite of many language pathologists. And of course it does not hurt that we usually end this book in a dog pile with everyone tackling dad. I might like that part a lot.

Ten Little Fingers And Ten Little Toes

Learn about your body parts, enjoy culturally diverse illustrations and characters, and tickle some toes while you read. Mem Fox is a treasure and anything you can find written by her is bound to be a winner. Really playing up the repeating phrase in this book will be a great way to encourage your child’s speech. When you read the part about “ten little fingers” wiggle your fingers up by your face to encourage your child to look at your mouth while you speak. Then attack their sweet little toes with tickles and enjoy the precious giggles that erupt.

That’s Not My Duck…(Usborne Touchy-Feely Books)

There is actually a whole series of these usborne books.

The ones that I have shared here barely scratch the surface of how many there are. If you need the perfect book for a baby shower, birthday gift, or anything really then I would almost guarantee you can find one of these that would match the theme of the party. They also come in seasonal books.

The touchy feely nature of the books is a great way to have little hands interested in interacting with books. Any positive interaction that your child has with literature is a win! If you know or love a child with special needs who is sensory seeking then these would be wonderful to fill that need as well. Similarly, a child who does not enjoy different sensory experiences might find these books a safe way to introduce different textures and feels if he/she is allowed to be in control of if and for how long they touch.

The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!

Another awesome book series that I has to include as one of the best books for speech therapy are these pigeon books. My husband does the most hilarious voices for the pigeon and duckling that make the books even more hysterical. Rich with figurative language, sassy pigeons, and a little bit of a smart aleck duckling.

Even More Children’s Books For Speech Therapy

Reading aloud to your child is such a wonderful way to develop speech and language. I could probably sit for days listing out all of the amazing books there are that will brighten your child’s life and help them find their sweet voice. Instead of completely overwhelming you with books I will will leave you with just a few more. Each and every book that I have shared on this blog post is a real gem. Truly. We love them all and read them all. Often.

You will be glad you added any of these to your home library. And from one mama who is anxiously awaiting to hear her little angel talk to another… You are doing a good job. And you are doing all the right things.

You are a good mama!