Best-Ever Books For Speech Therapy: Peck, Peck, Peck

Summertime means it's time to find some great books to read!

I can head to the library, and I have time to peruse the stacks all I want. For this book-lover, that's a treat! So have I found a great mystery to read? Science fiction maybe? Or perhaps a biography? Well...no.

My first trip to the library yielded an armload of children's stories.

I don't even have any little ones at home! (I will go back and find that perfect summer read for me, just not yet!) I can't resist trying to discover a few more storybooks to use with my little ones in speech therapy, while I have the time.  If you have read about my free Sound-Loaded Storybooks for Articulation list you know I love using terrific children's literature in therapy.  So now I have some new gems to share with you.

Today's find is Peck, Peck, Peck by Lucy Cousins.

This book is totally sound-loaded with final /k/ and it's adorable too! The story is about a little woodpecker who learns to peck. He is growing up, and it's time to learn new things. The story repeats the word "peck" a bunch, as the little guy ventures out and pecks everything in sight! Perfect for auditory bombardment.

 One thing I really love about this story is that it is the daddy that teaches the youngster, and tells him how great he is. I think we need more children's books where the daddy is the teacher and nurturer. So many of my children at school do not have a daddy at home every day, and I love having them read about a good fatherly role model!

 So off the little woodpecker goes, out into the world to practice.

He finds a gate to peck and makes a hole right through it. Then  he spots a big blue door. This can't be good!

As the little woodpecker makes holes in everything he sees, the word "peck" is repeated constantly.  

It is also printed on the page next to everything the woodpecker is pecking.

I like to work on print awareness with my preschoolers, so this is great. I can have them point to the word "peck" on each page. We will take note of the "k" on the end of the word, and practice making the sound it spells. Lots of velar practice. Love that.

The text rhymes too.

We can work on listening for rhymes as we point out rhyming pairs. Then we will generate a few new rhymes to go with them. Wait and gate, door and more, hat and mat. Perfect!

It's lots of fun seeing the growing number of holes in the pages.

The little woodpecker works his way through an armchair, a teddy bear and even a book named Jane Eyre. Yup, rhymes make me smile.

Maybe we'll count the holes. For sure we can talk about the words "a few, more and most." Quantity concept time.

My children love characters that do something a bit wrong. 

The little woodpecker heads to the bathroom  and pecks some blue shampoo, and he even pecks the toilet too! Eww!  The kids will love that. It's just the right amount of gross.

As the woodpecker heads through the house, we can talk about each room, what he might find there, and work on a bit of categorization. This is why I love children's books, there are so many, many natural opportunities to teach language concepts.

Finally, there is nothing left to peck.

The little woodpecker is tired out, and he's ready to head home. He tells his daddy about his day. About the many, many holes he's made and how much he loved it.

Daddy tucks him in, tells him he loves him and gives him a kiss. So sweet.

This book will be on the top of my list when we do a final /k/ unit.

 I hope you can find this wonderful storybook in your library too! I know I will be checking out more stories by this author, Lucy Cousins.

If you are looking more more fun books, read my review of  Press Here by Herve' Tullet. Click this link, Best-Ever Books For Speech Therapy: Press Here. It's sure to be a favorite of any child who reads it!

What are your favorite storybooks for speech therapy with preschoolers and kindergarteners?  

I am always looking for more suggestions, so comment if you have one to share!

Happy Reading! 

Hope you have lots of time to enjoy a good book if you are on break, or soon to be. You can find more of my favorites for littles here: Storybooks.  Until next time.