• Language and Literacy
     
    Children with language impairments are at a far greater risk for reading disability than the general population (Bordreau & Hedberg, 1999; Catts, Fey, Tomblin, & Zhang, 2002; Lewis et al., 2000, 2002).  The language basis of reading has been clearly established with oral language skills predictive of at least one of the variability in performance on measures of literacy acquisition (Griffin, Hemphill, Camp, & Wolf, 2004; Snowling, 2005; Speece, Roth, Cooper, & De La Pax, 1999; Spira, Bracken, & Fischel, 2005; Whitehurst & Lonigan, 1998) 
     
    Knowing that there is a link to language impairments and reading difficulties, a list of books to help children to improve their understanding of language through literacy is being provided. These books can be read by your child or you can read them to your child.  The book list was created from a conference, Language and Literacy for Student's with Disabilities, presented by  Carol Westby, PhD, CCC-SLP.
     
    Books to Help Improve Understanding of Conjunctions:
     
    1. "Because a Little Went Achoo"
    2. "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" (any of the series)
    3. "If You Lived at the Time Of"
    4. "Just Me and Six Thousand Rats - A Tale of Conjunctions"
    5. "Harry Potter" Series (has difficult syntax structure and can be read to the child and discussed)
    6. "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda (Similar to Harry Potter, but easier to comprehend)
    7. "Holes" by Luis Sachar

     

    The Remainder of the books suggested have a relation to Content Areas (Science, ELA, Social Studies, Cultural Discussions, and Comparing and Contrasting Skills):
    1. "La Mariposa" by Francisco Jimenez (good for the ESL population)
    2. "The Tale of Desperaux" by Kate DiCamillo
    3. "Chinye" Cinderella West African Folk Tale
    4. Passage to Freedom" the Sugihara story, Cinderella by Ken Mochuiziki
    5. "Voices in the Park" Cinderella (allows for perspective of four characters)
    6. "The Untold Story of Cinderella" the stepsisters story, by Russel Shupuro
    7. "Ella Enchanted" a Cinderella based story
    8. "The Three Little Pigs"
    9. "The Three Little Javelinas" by Susan Lowell
    10. "The Three Magic Pigs and the Magic Shark" Three Little Pigs, Hawaiian Version
    11. "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs"
    12. "The Wolf's Story" Little Red Riding Hood, by Toby Forward
    13. "Garth Pig and the Ice Cream Lady" by Mary Rayner
    14. "A Crocodile's Tale" A Phillipine Story, by Jose and Ariane Aruego, good for theory of mind
    15. "Piggie Pie" by Margie Palatini, good for theory of mind for younger children
    16. "Magie of Stories" by Carol Strong
    17. "The Halo Weiner" Scholastic - Teaches Multiple Meaning Words
    18. "A Wagonload of Fish" has theory of mind, concepts are explicit
    19. "Molly Bannaky" by Alice McGill
    20. "Dear Benjamin Bannecker"
    21.  "Thank You, Mr. Falker" by Patricia Polacca
    22. "The Librarian of Basra" by Jeanette Winter
    23. "Tomas and the Library Lady" by Raul Colon
    24. "Silly Goose and Dizzy Duck Play Hide and Seek" by Sally Grindy, for theory of mind
    25. "The Stranger" a book about Jack Frost being delayed
    26. "Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt" by Deborah Hokinson, uses quilts to teach literacy
    27. "The Secret to Freedom" by Marcia Vaughan
    28. "More Than Anything Else" about Booker T. Washington, by Marie Bradley
    29. "Follow the Drinking Gourd" by Yaunda Nelson
    30. "Almost to Freedom" told by the perspective of a doll
    31. "Freedom Summer" Civil Rights Movement story that allows for attachment for youger kids, by Deborah Wiles
    32. "My Brother Martin" by Christine Farris
    33. "If a Bus Could Talk" story of Rosa Parks
    34. "Through My Eyes" by Ruby Bridges
    35. "Harvesting Hope" by Cesar Chevaz
    36. "Coolies" about the Chinese Transcontinental Railroad
    37. "Ghandi"
    38. "The Man Who MAde Time Travel" by John Harrison
    39. "A Picture Book of thomas Edison"
    40. "A Kid Who Named Pluto" by Marc McCutcheon
    41. "Ask Kids" Science Magazines
    42. "Storm in the Night" by Mary Stolz
    43. "How Thunderabd Lightening Came to Be" Cherokee, African and Mayan Tales
    44. "How the Weather Works" Reader's Digest
    45. "The Big Storm" by Bruce Hiscock
    46. "Thunder Cake" by Patricia Polacco
    47. "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
    48. "Bartholomew and the Ooblek" by Dr. Seuss
    49. "Weather Proverbs" by George Freizer (Middle and High School level) 
Last Modified on June 10, 2008