Banter Speech & Language

Sydney speech pathologists helping adults and children speak for themselves.

Books

12 Highly Recommended Picture Books to Read with your Preschoolers

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Reading books with your kids has a positive effect on later language, reading and maths skills; increases sustained attention; and reduces negative behaviours (Baker et al., 2013).

Peer-reviewed evidence shows that preschoolers have better outcomes when they participate actively in reading (Britto et al., 2006). On the other hand, reading books in a non-interactive way does not work as well, especially for children at risk for language delays or reading problems (e.g. Dickinson & Tabors, 2001). Children do not do as well when they just sit on your lap or lie in bed half-asleep being read to or at.

In this 21-page free resource, we reference 12 excellent picture books we use regularly in speech and language therapy for preschoolers, with lots of practical tips to make reading more interactive and fun for you and your child.

Each book has been selected by our speech pathologists to stimulate oral language development and print awareness:

  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
  • The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
  • Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
  • What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson
  • The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland
  • The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
  • Alexander’s Outing by Pamela Allen
  • Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
  • Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley by Aaron Blabey
  • Bertie and the Bear by Pamela Allen
  • Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers
  • We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

For each book, we include specific vocabulary suggestions and preschooler-friendly definitions. Here’s an example of the vocabulary ‘power words’ for The Very Hungry Caterpillar:

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We hope you enjoy using this resource with your child!

Note: We do not have commercial relationships with, or earn commissions from, any sellers or distributors of the referenced books. We just like these books. All photographs of the referenced books were taken by Banter Speech & Language.

David

Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.

Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language

Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.

Dear Santa: 13 tried-and-tested stocking-stuffer books for preschoolers

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Poor Santa! So many presents to find, for so many little people, with so little time! Luckily, we’ve been on the case, searching high and low for the best books to help stimulate preschoolers’ language development – from the Galston Rotary Giant Book Fair to the Scholastic Super Book Sale at Sydney Olympic Park.

So, for Santa and all his weary helpers out there, we are pleased to present 13 book suggestions based on what’s working well for our preschoolers in the clinic right now.

Need more book ideas? No worries, we’ve got you covered.

Ho Ho Ho!

Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough

One of my kids’ favourite books when they were young. They could recite the whole book and loved the rhyming. Jez Alborough’s excellent illustrations add to the text with lots of movement and frivolity.

Things I Like by Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne’s books are smart, thought-provoking and beautifully illustrated. Our personal favourites are Gorilla and Piggybook, and Things I Like is great for verbs.

Night Noises written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Terry Denton

Follow the adventures of a ‘fat old dog’ Butch Aggie on a wild winter’s evening as she attempts to protect ‘nearly ninety’ Lillie Laceby, who has drifted off to sleep by the fire, from unknown people outside the house. Are they robbers?

The Carnival of the Animals by Marianne Dubuc

Watch as a carnival of wild animals transform into other animals. Lots of lovely repetitions of the verb ‘to dress’.

Look and See written and illustrated by Shane Morgan

Another book featuring animals and action words, this time Australian fauna like kangaroos, emus, dingos, and frill-necked lizards, running, jumping, howling and hopping around the country.

Bouncing by Shirley Hughes

As the title suggests, there’s lots of bouncing in this book. The illustrations help reinforce the verb and as an added bonus, the inside sleeves feature illustrations of young children acting out another 17 verbs including bending, reading, scowling, looking, smiling, counting and drinking.

Let’s Go, Baby-o! by Janet and Andrew McLean

More actions on display with the McLeans’ Let’s Go, Baby-o! We love the rhymes, in the vein of Janet and Allan Ahlberg, and the illustrations of baby, Mum and random animals demonstrating the actions including pounce, thump, flap and hop.

Kissed by the Moon by Alison Lester

Alison Lester is one of our favourite authors of books for young children. Kissed by the Moon is a beautifully illustrated, verb-packed lullaby, perfect to serenade a baby to sleep.

Flashing Fire Engines by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker

Part of Tony Mitton and Ant Parker’s Amazing Machines series. We love these books as they appeal to children who like vehicles. They also provide excellent commentary about the particular machine’s function and how people, like firefighters in this case, operate the machinery.

Also available as an audio book with lots of noise to accompany the action.

Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Stephen Savage

Another lovely bedtime tale about an insomniac polar bear cub wandering around her arctic neighbourhood, gazing at the sleeping animals, before a shooting star show helps her to fall asleep. Another of my kids’ childhood favourites and a New York Times bestseller.

Going shopping by Sarah Garland

A patient, if slightly harried-looking mother takes her two children and dog to the supermarket. Reminds us of the Berenstain’s Inside Outside Upside Down with its few words and limited number of pictures to describe an everyday adventure.

Piglet and Mama by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Stephen Michael King

Piglet loses her Mama in the farmyard and the farm animals try to distract her from her distress with suggested activities like snoozing with the cat, chasing the donkey, and cuddling the duck, but Piglet just wants her Mama. Margaret Wild and Stephen Michael King are a winning combination.

What the sky knows by Nike Bourke and illustrated by Stella Danalis

A short-listed book for The Children’s Book Council of Australia book of the year, it explores a girl imagining what it would be like to know all the things the sky knows.

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David

Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.

Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language

Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.

More verb-charged books to ignite your child’s language development

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Dear readers: I have a confession to make.

I’m a monomaniac: I have an obsessive preoccupation with one thing:

Verbs.

As a parent and speech pathologist, I just can’t get enough of them. If I get through a single language assessment or therapy session without extolling, enthusing about, lauding, celebrating, waxing lyrical about, rhapsodising over, or just plain raving on about the power of verbs to accelerate language development, it’s a miracle.

Last year, we had a terrific response to our article: Books with verbs to level up your child’s language development: 24 of the best.

But there are so many more cracking verb-books we’ve discovered since then!

Here are 11:

  • I Dreamt I was a Dinosaur by Stella Blackstone and Clare Beaton (dreamt, forage, teach, swim).
  • Charlie and Lola’s Actions by Lauren Child (skip skip skipping, hop hop hopping, bouncing, squashing, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g).
  • Chatterbox by Margaret Wild (She twiddled her toes. She crawled. She played…she splashed…she built towers…she listened…she banged…she did everything but talk.)
  • Za-Za’s Baby Brother by Lucy Cousins (I cuddled the baby…and I pushed him…and I built him a tower).
  • Fergus in the Park by Tony Maddox (The best thing to do was…RUN!… “He’s going to catch me”…he jumped on a [skateboard]…he began to swim…the park keeper was climbing into a row boat…the ducks…with Fergus hidden in the middle…paddled slowly past the park keeper).
  • Polar by Elaine Moss (Polar kicks back his rug and dresses himself…Polar pulls his toboggan…sits in his toboggan…slowly he slides…the sledge hits a hump and Polar comes tumbling…soon he is limping).
  • Katie the Kitten by Alex Scheffler (She cleans off her paws…she bursts into song. Dancing and prancing, she miaows all night long!).
  • Oh Dear! by Rod Campbell (Grandma asked Buster to fetch the eggs. So he went to the barn…went to the sty…went to the field…went to the stable).
  • Pirate Piggywiggy by Christyan and Diane Fox (Hoist the mainsail, Teddy! On hot, sunny days we could walk the plank! At night-time we could sit around the fire singing sea shanties…On Crossbones Island we would search for treasure).
  • Tadpole’s Promise by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross (That’s twice you’ve broken your promise. Forgive me…You have broken your promise three times and now you have broken my heart).
  • The Penguin who wanted to fly by Catherine Vase (Flip-Flop climbed on top of Polar Bear and flapped his wings…he spun around and around…he waited and waited…the balloon floated upwards).

Prefer pretty pictures? Here’s the selection:

If you know of other verb-laced books we’ve yet to stumble upon, please holler, shout, alert, communicate, connect, message, email, Facebook, Tweet, correspond, or even just speak with us to let us know so we can add them to the list!

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David

Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.

Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language

Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.

Books with verbs to level up your child’s language development: 24 of the best

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Yes, OK! I know I go on and on about the power of verbs to power (drive, propel, and kick-start) language development. I can’t stop (or cease, or desist, or refrain from) it!

Yes, lots of kids and adults benefit from targeted practice. But you can also do great work with books, too: especially with pre-schoolers and younger school-aged kids. So, if you’re strolling (loping, darting, flitting, hurrying, or trudging) around or through your local library;

or ambling (jouncing, galumphing, lumbering, sneaking, or prowling) about a bookstore over the next few weeks, look out for (watch for, inspect, search for, check out, study, view, or scan for) books stuffed (suffused, packed, loaded, jammed, crammed, or filled) with verbs.

To help (assist, support) you in your quest for verb-laden adventures, here are 24 favourite books we recommend:

A Good Job by John Burningham (e.g. Buzz buzzes the fly…we clap but we miss it…catch the fly…swat at the fly)

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman (I will go…)

Bibs and Boots by Alison Lester (Put on your boots…put on your coat)

Fraser’s Grump by Sue Heap (Buster barked at the…Buster barked at the…)

Grandpa and Thomas by Pamela Allen (Grandpa and Thomas go paddling. They paddle and they paddle and they paddle)

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (Would you, could you…?)

Helping by Bob Graham (Sweep up the dust Tom)

Hurry, Hurry Mary Dear by N.M Bedecker (Dig the turnips, split the peas, cook molasses, curdle cheese)

Mr Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss (He can go…)

Mr Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham (The dog teased…the cat chased..the rabbit hopped…)

Piggybook by Anthony Browne (Mrs Piggott washed…made…vacuumed…)

Press Here by Herve Tullet (Press here and turn the page)

Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire (I can put them…)

Richard Scarry’s Best First Word Book Ever (two pages of action words)

Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever (two pages of ‘things we do’ words)

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson (The frog found a… the cat found a…the bird found a…the dog found a…)

Sniff! by Matthew Van Fleet (Runny nose drips, Nose smells flowers-sniff, sniff, sniff!)

Spot’s Halloween (Helen dresses as a fairy…)

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson (A stick!…I’ll fetch it and drop it, and fetch it)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (On [Monday-Saturday] he ate through…)

The Witch’s Children by Ursula Jones (She changed the…)

Up in the Tree by Margaret Atwood (We swing in the Spring and we crawl in the Fall)

Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen (Do you know who sank the boat?)

Whose Mouse Are You? by Robert Kraus (Shake my mother…free my father)

If you need more, check out our ‘More verb-charged books to ignite your child’s language development’ article

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David

Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.

Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language

Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.

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