Language During Mealtime

Living with Viola written and illustrated by the talented Rosena Fung is a wonderful graphic novel about a young name Livy who is having trouble fitting into her new school. She also has a lot of anxiety, which is represented as a shadowy twin named Viola. When visiting Toronto, I found a beautiful and unique bookstore called Type Books. After browsing for a few minutes, I discovered this book, Living with Viola. I love middle grad...

The Way I Say It written by Nancy Tandon is a middle grade book that sixth grader, Rory who can't say  his r's. How can Rory get through sixth grade not even saying his name clearly? Rory struggles with an articulation disorder which affects his confidence and makes him prone to teasing. How does Rory get through this? What does he learn from this experience?

I really love this book because it helps gives readers the perspective of...

Would you like to teach your child about humanizing homelessness? Check out these two wonderful children's books, Knock Knock Give a Sock and Knock Knock, Where's My Sock? written by Adina Lichtman, founder of Knock Knock Give a Sock. 

These two books are part of the Pair of Books Project, which helps to "turn transactions into interactions."

Knock Knock, Give a Sock is about a young girl named Cr...

Do you have a child with a disability? Have you had trouble finding the right book for your child or student? Check out My Heart Books, which is a business that began with one mom's idea to help her family and teach others about her child with multiple disabilities. After meeting Erica, I immediately wanted to share her story about her son Brandon. 

My Heart Books began with one book, My Brother Brandon, and grew into a business th...

Adventure Girl, Dabi Digs in Israel, written and illustrated by Janice Hechter, is a picture book about a young girl's love for exploring nature. While on a special family visit to her grandparents in Israel, Dabi goes on a special archeology dig with her family. While on the dig in this national park, she discovers a beautiful gold ring! What else will she find?

Adventure Girl is a story that celebrates a child's love of nature an...

I am excited to present this podcast with Yehudi Mercado, author of Chunky and Chunky Goes to Camp. Both of his books are also memoir graphic novels, which make the books even more unique.

Chunky is based on the experiences of the author/illustrator, Yehudi Mercado, who is a Mexican Jewish boy growing up in Texas.  The book begins with a trip to the doctor when Chunky is told again that he has to lose weight. What will he do...

Most Perfect You written by Jazmyn Simon and illustrated by Tamisha Anthony is a beautiful book about a girl named Irie who rediscovers what it means to be perfect. Jazmyn Simon redefines what it means to be perfect in this book. The whimsical and bold illustrations bring this story together as a work of art. 

Irie hates her hair and all she wants is to have hair like everyone else. Her mom tells her a story that can warm the heart...

I discovered this picture book, Regina Persisted when recently reading the Hadassah magazine. Regina Persisted, An Untold Story written by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and illustrated by Margeaux Lucas is a wonderful book that tells the heroic story of Regina Jonas. The story begins when Regina was a child and dreamed of being a rabbi. She had many obstacles that held her back. In one part of the book, one of her professors told her "Stop...

I am excited to share this wonderful podcast with Roz MacLean. Part of what I love about podcasting is getting the opportunity to talk with interesting people who are helping to change the world. Roz is one of these people! Her projects reflect a passion for diversity, inclusion, and telling a story. I learned about Roz when writing a review and interviewing the author of I am Odd, I am New. To check out that podcast, click here.

R...

Terrance The Hothead written by Lisa Cloherty and illustrated by Alex Lopez is a story about big feelings and emotional regulation. Terrance the Hothead has big feelings and feels overwhelmed with big emotions each time a problem arises. He starts with a simmer, steam, and then explodes! How can he regulate his emotions better so he can begin to develop friendships with others? Terrance learns some key strategies from Coach Ice and...

Forget Me Not begins as Calliope moves to a new town with her mother. Calliope moves often with her unstable mother, which makes her feel displaced and unsure of how long she will be living in one place. On the first day that she moves, she meets her neighbor, Jinsong, who also is in 7th grade at her new school. Calliope immediately feels connected to Jinsong. Will he be a true friend to her? 

Calliope has always felt different bec...

Come On, Calm! is a wonderful, interactive book that is not just a story, it's a therapeutic experience when reading it with your child. I love supporting other speech-language pathologists in their journey in writing children's books since we have such a unique perspective with regard to neurodiversity. Come On, Calm! written by Kelsey Brown and illustrated by Joseph Wrightson is a picture book published by Mascot Books that embed...

Mindful Mondays: Transforming the Everyday to Claim Calm and Reduce Stress written by Kim Dwyer, Ph.D. is divided into four sections. These sections include General Mindfulness Strategies, Mindful and Thoughts, Mindfulness Values and Intentionality, and Mindfulness and the Art of Living. This book gives valuable strategies for both the beginner and expert in mindfulness. One of the most challenging aspects of daily living is being ...

I Am Odd I Am New written by Benjamin Giroux and illustrated by Roz MacLean is a picture book based on a poem that the author wrote when he was 10 years old. The poem, which is pictured below describes Ben's feelings about feeling "out of place", "like a castaway", and how he tries "to fit in". Benjamin, who is autistic wrote this poem as part of a school assignment. The poem is beautifully written and unique but the feelings he ex...

This picture book is a story that is intended to be read to friends and the class about selective mutism. This book begins with a section for adults and the story for children follows. ...

Be The Dragon 9 Keys to Unlocking Your Inner Magic written by Catherine J. Manning and illustrated by Melanie Demmer is a beautiful workbook to stimulate your child's creativity and imagination. The book begins with a Know Yourself Quiz to determine "What type of dragon are you?" From there, you can determine what type of dragon you are! Are you a water dragon, air dragon, ground dragon, fire dragon, or moon dragon? 

In this book, ...

When Things Get Too Loud written and illustrated by Anne Alcott is an excellent book to help children who are sensitive to loud noises. This story about sensory overload is visual in nature with the integration of the Feel-O-Meter, which helps children understand the intensity of their sensitivity. This book, written in rhyme takes children from low intensity (#1- feeling great) all the way through the high intensity with tips on s...

Make Social and Emotional Learning Stick 2nd edition written by Elizabeth Sautter is a wonderful book full of practical activities for parents. This book is designed and organized to be used "in the moment" and targets helping your child manage different emotions, social situations and reduce anxiety. The book is organized into different categories including; At Home, In the Community, Holidays and Special Events, and Bridging Home...

Stitches: A Memoir is written and illustrated by David Small. This graphic novel begins when David was six years old growing up in Detroit, Michigan. After a couple of pages in, I could immediately sense the world that this book lives in. It's dark, dramatic, and lonely. From the beginning of this story, I felt empathy for this boy, who doesn't know anything different since this is the only childhood he knows and has experienced. A...