Fig 1. Cover photo from Dear Zoo by R. Campbell, 1982, Macmillan Children’s Books.

Length: 18 pages

Most of us would agree that reading and looking at books can be fun! But, what about when you have a child who does not seem to really enjoy story time? How can we make reading and looking at books more engaging to our littlest and most active kiddos? That is why I selected the book Dear Zoo (A Lift-the-Flap-Book) by Rod Campbell for my personal “SLP Library” collection. This book has been one of my go-to books for my younger students who find reading books to be an otherwise “non-preferred” activity. This book is great for building interest and promoting engagement in reading while also simultaneously targeting a variety of speech and language skills and targets.

Here are some possible skills to target while incorporating this story:

Answering Wh-questions: Ask children various Wh-? Questions about scenes from the story (i.e. “What animal do you see?” “I see a snake!”, or “Where do snakes? usually live” etc.).

Naming additional items in categories: Encourage children to name other animals that would be considered “zoo animals” or animals that would be considered “pets”, etc.

Identifying adjectives and describing words: In order to target expressive language skills and increasing the length of utterances produced, discuss and practice modeling the adjectives/describing word(s) used in the story (i.e. “He was too scary! I sent him back.” Ask questions like, “Was he too “silly” or was he too “scary”? He was too scary! Why do you think the snake was scary?”, etc.).

Identifying objects/places based on attributes/descriptors: Ask children specific questions about the pictures in the story using only descriptions as clues to what the item/object is (i.e. “I see a big, heavy box.” What animal do you think is inside that’s big and heavy? An elephant! An elephant is big, and heavy!”, etc.).

Inferencing: Asking children open-ended questions about clues provided in the story or previous background knowledge (i.e. “Look at the tall, skinny box, what animal do you think might fit in there?” etc.).

Combining words to expand upon utterances: Model 2–3-word utterances for children to imitate (i.e. “I see…big elephant)”, “yellow box”, etc.).

Promoting joint attention skills: While reading, instruct children to point to pictures of various animals, objects, colors, etc.).

Incorporating the book with an AAC system: Model functional nouns and vocabulary words using an Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) system (i.e. “Look, the bear wants to make dinner. Let’s practice navigating to actions using our AAC system to say, “open” and “more”, etc.).

Conversational turn-taking: Ask questions that facilitate back and forth statements and responses (i.e. “My favorite animal to see at the zoo is a ____. “What is one of your favorite animals?” etc.).

Sequencing and story retell: After reading the story, practice retelling the key parts using sequencing words (i.e. “First, the zoo sent a ____. Next, box we opened had a ____.”, etc.).

Targeting a wide variety of articulation of speech targets/goals: (i.e. various syllable shapes (CV, CVC words, etc.) early and later developing speech sounds, etc.).

These tips and tricks are an engaging way to turn story time into a truly enjoyable experience while still targeting a variety of speech and language goals!

-Meredith Valk M.S., CCC-SLP

References:

Campbell, R. (1982). Dear Zoo, A Lift-the-Flap Book. (R. Campbell, Illus.) Macmillan Children’s Books.

Fig 1. Cover photo from Dear Zoo by R. Campbell, 1982, Macmillan Children’s Books.

Length: 18 pages

Most of us would agree that reading and looking at books can be fun! But, what about when you have a child who does not seem to really enjoy story time? How can we make reading and looking at books more engaging to our littlest and most active kiddos? That is why I selected the book Dear Zoo (A Lift-the-Flap-Book) by Rod Campbell for my personal “SLP Library” collection. This book has been one of my go-to books for my younger students who find reading books to be an otherwise “non-preferred” activity. This book is great for building interest and promoting engagement in reading while also simultaneously targeting a variety of speech and language skills and targets.

Here are some possible skills to target while incorporating this story:

Answering Wh-questions: Ask children various Wh-? Questions about scenes from the story (i.e. “What animal do you see?” “I see a snake!”, or “Where do snakes? usually live” etc.).

Naming additional items in categories: Encourage children to name other animals that would be considered “zoo animals” or animals that would be considered “pets”, etc.

Identifying adjectives and describing words: In order to target expressive language skills and increasing the length of utterances produced, discuss and practice modeling the adjectives/describing word(s) used in the story (i.e. “He was too scary! I sent him back.” Ask questions like, “Was he too “silly” or was he too “scary”? He was too scary! Why do you think the snake was scary?”, etc.).

Identifying objects/places based on attributes/descriptors: Ask children specific questions about the pictures in the story using only descriptions as clues to what the item/object is (i.e. “I see a big, heavy box.” What animal do you think is inside that’s big and heavy? An elephant! An elephant is big, and heavy!”, etc.).

Inferencing: Asking children open-ended questions about clues provided in the story or previous background knowledge (i.e. “Look at the tall, skinny box, what animal do you think might fit in there?” etc.).

Combining words to expand upon utterances: Model 2–3-word utterances for children to imitate (i.e. “I see…big elephant)”, “yellow box”, etc.).

Promoting joint attention skills: While reading, instruct children to point to pictures of various animals, objects, colors, etc.).

Incorporating the book with an AAC system: Model functional nouns and vocabulary words using an Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) system (i.e. “Look, the bear wants to make dinner. Let’s practice navigating to actions using our AAC system to say, “open” and “more”, etc.).

Conversational turn-taking: Ask questions that facilitate back and forth statements and responses (i.e. “My favorite animal to see at the zoo is a ____. “What is one of your favorite animals?” etc.).

Sequencing and story retell: After reading the story, practice retelling the key parts using sequencing words (i.e. “First, the zoo sent a ____. Next, box we opened had a ____.”, etc.).

Targeting a wide variety of articulation of speech targets/goals: (i.e. various syllable shapes (CV, CVC words, etc.) early and later developing speech sounds, etc.).

These tips and tricks are an engaging way to turn story time into a truly enjoyable experience while still targeting a variety of speech and language goals!

-Meredith Valk M.S., CCC-SLP

References:

Campbell, R. (1982). Dear Zoo, A Lift-the-Flap Book. (R. Campbell, Illus.) Macmillan Children’s Books.