This post is designed for speech-language pathologists who are working with students on learning the /r/ sound. Once students are at the sentence level, you may want to incorporate books into your sessions to practice the /r/ sound in a fun and engaging way. This post outlines three books I keep coming back to at this stage.
Three Outstanding Books for /r/ Sound Practice
Books are fun to read in speech therapy sessions, but not all books are designed the same. In over a decade in this profession, there are a lot of books I only used for a few sessions, and then donated or got rid of. As SLPs, we are looking for books that are versatile, fun, have a good sequence of events, and hopefully have a quality insight or lesson. These are SLP-approved books that hit all these criteria. I’ve been using them for years and hope you can, too.
(Amazon affiliate links are used in this blog post)
Chrysanthemum
This book is about Chrysanthemum, a little mouse who starts to feel self-conscious about her name. Over time, she learns about the upsides of being unique, different, and fully herself. Grab this book because of the /r/ sounds, and keep it because it’s a great book to also use with all your students on sequencing and story retell.
A House for Hermit Crab
In this book, a hermit crab takes his time making his shell as home-like as possible. He decorates his shell with things he finds in the sea until it’s perfect. Then, he realizes he’s outgrown his shell and needs to leave it behind. What happens next is a sweet lesson for students about giving and friendship. This is another book you’ll grab for the /r/ sound and keep using over and over for your language students as well.
The Polar Express
Although I typically dig this book out around December, it really could be used more often. There’s an abundance of /r/ sounds in this book, and it’s another sweet story with beautiful illustrations.
Wrapping it up: Three Outstanding Books for /r/ Sound Practice
I hope this book list was helpful for you. I hope these are books you continue to come back to year after year. Using quality books in your speech therapy sessions really does make all the difference. I love these books and hope you do, too!
Sarah Lockhart is a speech-language pathologist with experience in private practice, school settings, telepractice, and travel SLP settings. She owns a private practice in Southern Oregon.
