My Favorite Fall Books for Speech Therapy
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Fall is my FAVORITE! (see Fall Activities Blog Post) I love seeing all of the fall colors and finally experiencing the long awaited SWEATER WEATHER!
As an SLP who practices literacy based instruction, I believe that books are vital tools to support speech and language development. For my youngest learners, I look for interactive books with flaps, different textures to feel, and books with hidden pictures to discover. I also look for predictable books with repetitive lines. For my preschoolers and early elementary students, I especially love books that have a sequence to retell. In addition, I look for books that teach social language skills and how to get along with others.
I recently asked members of the Pinwheel Speech Community to share their favorite fall books and how they use them during speech therapy sessions. I received so many responses from the community and learned about several new books. We are truly better together! I have summarized 10 of our favorite fall books and included comments from community members. In addition, you will find many more recommendations from community members at the end of this blog post.
Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases linked in this post
Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves
There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves by Lucille Colandro
Summary: The Old lady is swallowing autumn items in this fall story. It has a fun surprise at the end when she puts all of the items together to make a scarecrow!
Why we love it: I love using this book to practice retelling, sequencing, temporal / sequential concepts, and fall vocabulary. You can also predict what might come out of her mouth at the end of the story!
“One of my all time favorites is There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves. This book is perfect for fall. I love that it has repetitive, predictable text, which is great for speech and language development. The silly nature of the story keeps students engaged, and the sequence of events helps reinforce storytelling and sequencing skills. During therapy, I focus on vocabulary related to fall (e.g., leaves, pumpkin, hay, etc.), sequencing, and expanding sentence structures. After reading, we practice retelling the story with visual aids, working on the order of events and using complete sentences.” -Jenna
“I love to read “Old lady who swallowed leaves” and work on sequencing the story! The kids love feeding the old lady!” -Barbara
“I love There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves because it keeps the kids very engaged, and teaches sequencing.” -Christina
The Busy Little Squirrel
The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
Summary: Squirrel is getting ready for winter and he is SO BUSY!
Why we love this book: I like this book because it has a repetitive line (“He was so busy”). It also features a variety of fall animals and fall items (pumpkins, leaves, apples, etc) to introduce my youngest learners to fall vocabulary. In addition, you can practice answering questions (“Where is the squirrel now?”, “Why is he collecting food?”), predicting, and sequencing, and retelling the story!
Apple Trouble
Apple Trouble by Ragnhild Scamell
Summary: An apple falls from a tree and gets stuck in Hedgehog’s spines. Her friends are quick to give advice but they actually make the situation worse. She ends up with even more things stuck to her body like nuts, a pear, a leaf, and some berries. Finally, she makes a new friend who helps solve her problem by eating all of the things stuck to her spines!
Why we love it: Every good story has a problem to be solved and this hedgehog has a very obvious problem! I love the fall vocabulary (and animal vocabulary). It is a sweet story to teach children about friendship. You can practice problem solving, predictions and making inferences as you infer how the hedgehog feels. Of course, this is also a great story to sequence and retell at the end!
The Leaf Thief
The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming
Summary: Squirrel loves the fall leaves on his tree but he realizes that one of his leaves is missing! He teams up with his friend to find the “leaf thief” among their forest friends.
Why we love it: This story captures the beauty of autumn and the changing of the seasons. You can discuss the variety of emotions that the squirrel experiences throughout the story. It is another fun book for making predictions and inferences.
“The Leaf Thief is a great one for fall! I love working on Who questions like “who took the leaf? Was it you?”. There is so much fall vocabulary in this book and I love the illustrations.” -Trish
“I also love The Leaf Thief because it’s a super fun story, with tons of WH question opportunities and inferencing!” -Christina
A Tale of Two Beasts
The Tale of Two Beasts by Fiona Roberton
Summary: I discovered this book at a Discovery Toys party a few years ago. In this story, a little girl finds a raccoon in the woods and takes it home. She feeds it, shows her friends, and even dresses it up. Next, you get to hear the raccoon’s side of the story. From his perspective, he was kidnapped, force-fed food, and terrified of the children.
Why we love it: This story shows how there are two sides to every story. It is perfect for practicing perspective taking and character point of view. You can also discuss solving conflict and resolving differences.
The Squirrels Who Squabbled
The Squirrels Who Squabbled by Rachel Bright
Summary: Two greedy squirrels argue over who will get the last pinecone of the season. This is a story about friendship and sharing.
Why we love it: This book is a springboard for discussions about sharing and working together. It is a fun way to discuss problem solving and conflict resolution.
“I absolutely love using The Squirrels Who Squabbled in both my articulation and language groups! It has such rich vocabulary, as well as lots of words with R and consonant blends for my artic kiddos. Another new one I’ve loved using this year is The Leaf Thief! I’ve used it for working on inferencing as well as working on L and TH.” – Meredith
The Golden Acorn
The Golden Acorn by Katy Hudson
Summary: Squirrel has to learn how to be a team player as his team races to find the golden acorn.
Why we love it: So many of my students struggle with winning and losing. This story emphasizes that winning isn’t everything. It is a sweet story about friendship, teamwork and forgiveness. The plot lends itself to discussions about working together and supporting one another.
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
Summary (from the publisher): As the leaves fall from his favorite tree, Fletcher worries that something is terribly wrong. But then winter comes, and with it a wonderful surprise. Do you know what it is? Join Fletcher and find out.
Why we love it:
When the Leaf Blew in
When the Leaf Blew in by Steve Metzger
Summary (from the publisher): A wonderfully zany story about what happens on a farm when a leaf blows into the barn! With simple, repetitive text and silly, expressive illustrations, children will fall for this hilarious autumn story about the way one leaf turns an entire barnyard upside down!
Why we love it:
The Scarecrow
The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry
Summary (from the publisher): This tender and affectionate story reminds us of the comforting power of friendship and the joy of helping others—a tale that will inspire and delight children for generations to come. All the animals know not to mess with old Scarecrow. But when a small, scared crow falls from midair, Scarecrow does the strangest thing.… He saves the tiny baby crow. Soon a loving bond grows between the two unlikely friends. But is it strong enough to weather the changing of the seasons?
Why we love it:
And many more!
What are Your Fall Favorites?
I hope you found a new fall book in this blog post to support speech and language development. I would love to hear your favorite fall books! Please comment below! Stay tuned for a post about my favorite Halloween books!
