Confession time: I LOVE TO USE BOOKS IN MY SPEECH THERAPY SESSIONS. Any books. All books. The prettier the illustrations, the better. The more heartwarming the story is, the more I need it on my shelf. So, I had to have some books to go along with our virtual roadtrip around the National Parks this summer!
Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. When you buy items through this blog, it won’t cost you extra. I receive a small commission from your purchase.
Our roadtrip only includes 10 National Parks this summer. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see 10 new ones next summer. Some of these books are great for specific parks while others are great for the general premise of our trip. Now, without anymore delay… here we go!
Book #1: Setting the “scene” for Our Roadtrip
This book was the entire inspiration for this “trip.” I found it on Amazon and knew I needed it. National Parks of the USA by Kate Siber is a beautiful book that I use to gather information about each park we will be visiting. Each session, I pull it out, flip to one the maps so I can show where it is located from Texas (our location) and then flip to the information page about the park we are “visiting” for the day. This book inspires our activities for each of the stops as well. There is also a fun companion activity book! I haven’t implemented it into my sessions but still bought it to have on hand.
Book #2: Quick View of Our Location
I bought this picture last summer (2024) in the Target Dollar bin. Sadly, I do not have a link for it. This book does not include all of the National Parks so it is not used each session. But for the parks it does feature, there are beautiful photographs of the land and animals living there.
Book #3: Setting the “scene” for the Young Population
“All Aboard! National Parks: A Wildlife Primer is great for toddlers and early preschoolers. Next summer, I plan to use this one with my younger population since many of them love trains and animals! This board book has very simple text with each sentence beginning with a verb (marveling, hiking, watching,etc)
Book #4: General Outdoorsy Book
“I Love the Mountains” is a sweet book I picked up on a recent vacation. Celebrate the joys of nature in a sweet campfire song text and adorable illustrations. Haily Meyers created this book as well as book #3 above. This is a great one to read if you’re looking for a book to start the roadtrip instead of using an informational book like National Parks of the USA.
Book #5: A Voice for the Everglades: Margory Stoneman Douglas
I bought this one on my Kindle app. I will be ordering the book in print form! The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! The story is such as sweet one about how Margory fought most of her life to keep the Everglades safe. To be honest, I had no idea of the history of the Everglades before reading this book. If your roadtrip stops in the Everglades, you need this one your list to read!
Book #6: Hiking Through the Mountains…Any Mountains
Hike by Pete Oswald is a wonderful WORDLESS picture book about a father and son duo waking up early and going on a hike. See the magic of wilderness, the challenges they overcome and the small role they play in forest’s survival. The beauty of a wordless picture book is YOU MAKE UP THE STORY! Sure there are pictures to guide but ultimately you bring the story to life! Use this book at any stop in the mountains!
Book #7: “Grand Canyon”
I just received this book the other day, and I absolutely CANNOT wait to use it in speech therapy sessions. It’s gorgeous! The detail…the information…I’m here for all of it! I would go as far to say that you could probably stretch this book for an entire month in your speech therapy sessions! I will be using it with my older elementary articulation clients. I think they’ll appreciate the book for everything that it is! You definitely need to add it to your SLP shelf!
Book #8: “Over and Under the Canyon”
Kate Messner‘s books are some of my favorites to use in therapy. Follow a family’s hike through a desert canyon as the book reveals the hidden wonders, rich colors and layers of wildlife. You could use this book for park with this type of ecosystem. The animals that live in these habitats are not common in my area of Texas so the kids really enjoy listening to stories that include animals they’ve only seen on TV!
Book #9: “Dreaming of Arches National Park“
Let me start by saying I love Arches National Park. We went there about 6 years ago on part of our multi state roadtrip. The park is breathtaking. So I had to add it in our first virtual roadtrip. “Dreaming of Arches National Park” is about a coyote who does not want to go to sleep. But as she dozes off, she dreams of the magical arches that her back in time. The Arches has such as rich history ranging from dinosaurs to Native Americans to early settlers. Each of the coyote’s adventures is based on real events.
Book #10: Disappearing Lake
Denali National Park is one of our last stops on this roadtrip. “Disappearing Lake: Nature’s Magic in Denali National Park” is written by a woman who took her family each spring to this vernal lake. There are many scattered across Alaska. A vernal lake is a temporary water system created by rainwater or by melting snow in the spring. As temperatures rise and the snow disappears, so do these lakes. Learn about how the animals adapt to these disappearing lakes!
Now that we have great books selected, the next step is create your road map! This activity is great for articulation and language clients!!!
speechchicktherapyblog.com 