My 6 Essential Winter Books for Speech Therapy!

There are a ton of books out there and it's hard to know which ones are truly appropriate for your caseload and also target language skills! The following books are my "go-to's" every winter! Check them out below and have a warm and wonderful winter!

1. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats:

Why I love it: This book is simple but perfectly encompasses a little boy's journey through his city on a cold winter's day. Several winter activities are highlighted (i.e.: snowball fights, making snowmen, making snow angels, etc) and I love highlighting the vocabulary with my students (smacking, heaping, adventure, dragged, path, etc). We make inferences as to where we think Peter's snowball went, why he didn't have a snowball fight with the older boys and what him and his friend did outside on the following day. We discuss pragmatics and talk about how we think Peter feels throughout each step of the day and why. The illustrations are sweet and colorful, making it one of my favorite books every winter!

2. A Loud Winter's Nap by Katy Hudson:

Why I love it: Poor Tortoise just wants to have a nice winter's nap but his forest friends are making it very difficult! I love reviewing the word "tortoise" which many of my students are not familiar with as well as all the forest animals (robin, squirrel, rabbit, beaver). The illustrations are hilarious and it's easy for students to understand how the tortoise is feeling on each page! We make inferences about why we think Tortoise hates winter, why it's not a good idea to fall asleep on a sleigh and what we think Tortoise feels about winter at the end of the book!

3. The Mitten by Jan Brett:

Why I love it: All Nicki wants from his "Baba" are a pair of winter mittens! But when he loses one, the forest animals have other plans for it! This book is perfect for working on sequencing skills (sequence the animals who enter the mitten), inferencing ("why do you think Baba did not want to make white mittens? Why do you think Baba smiled when she saw the stretched out mitten?") important vocabulary (crowded, knit, packed) and more! It's a winter classic worldwide and I make sure it's always a part of our curriculum!

4. Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

Why I love it: This fun and whimsical book perfectly highlights what snowmen really do at night! Why are snowmen misshapen the following day? Now you and your students will know why! I love to highlight all the different kinds of winter sports that are addressed (sledding, ice skating, snow ball fights, etc), tons of great "wh" questions ("why do you think they drink cold cocoa instead of hot cocoa?") and great descriptive vocabulary (crooked, wintry, anxious, etc ). My students also love the colorful, fun illustrations on each page! A must read the second snow starts falling!

5. Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

Why I love it: Another Jan Brett classic is the Gingerbread Baby! This naughty little Gingerbread baby makes my students laugh as he causes trouble throughout the whole town! Perfect for sequencing events, discussing things found in old villages and how one little boy simply outsmarted the Gingerbread baby makes this the perfect book for any speech therapy session!

6. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

Why I love it: The perfect book for the littlest ones on my caseload! A simple book about a boy who one night meets a snowman and go on an adventure! Easy vocabulary such as coal, flying and paper towels make this the perfect book to also incorporate with my ELL students!

Have you seen my Book Buddies? They are the perfect companion to any speech therapy session that incorporate these books! Book Buddies include comprehension questions, yes/no questions, basic concepts, vocabulary, sequencing and much more! Check them out below and check out Speechbop on Boom Learning to get your own!