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BostonPL_Talk: 13 Picture Books to Support Early Literacy

Talk is one of the five early literacy practices outlined by the Every Child Ready to Read initiative. The more words preschoolers hear, the bigger their vocabularies will grow and the more they will ultimately be able to read and write. As children hear stories and tell stories themselves, they develop narrative skills that will help them interpret texts all through their lives. When you read with your child--and as you go through your days together--take the time to talk about what your child sees, hears, and thinks. Let your child interrupt a story to ask questions or point out interesting details. Use a rich vocabulary in everyday conversations, including words that your child may not already know. Retell the story of your day, or talk about plans for tomorrow. The more you and your child speak together, the stronger reader your child may become. Some of these books encourage conversation, while others are rich in potentially new vocabulary. Wordless books can provide a phenomenal opening for preschoolers to tell their own stories.

Boston Public Library

13 items

  • Little Red Chicken wants Papa to read her a bedtime story, but interrupts him almost as soon as he begins each tale.
    BookSomerville, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2010. — PZ7.S8179 Int 2010
  • Illustrations and simple text reveal that, even when a pesky rabbit annoys his bear friend with too many questions, their friendship remains strong.
    BookNew York : Holiday House, [2019]
  • A wordless picture book showing the fun a dog has with her ball, and what happens when it is lost.
    BookNew York : Schwartz & Wade Books, c2011. — PZ7.R1814 Bal 2011
  • What if a boy found a beach ball and kicked it into the ocean? What if two seals found it and began to play? What if a third seal appeared on the beach looking for a friend? Enjoy this visit to the beach and the chance to guess what…
    BookNew York : Roaring Brook Press, 2010. — PZ7.S4514 Wha 2010
  • A child who likes to draw and write stories imagines what would happen if there were no pencils, paper, or other tools for being creative.
    BookNew York ; Boston : Little, Brown and Company, 2018. — J PICTURE BERGER S
  • Groovy Joe is a fun-loving dog with a tub full of ice cream--which he shares with his unexpected dinosaur guests. Kids will call out the refrain again and again!
    BookNew York : Orchard Books, 2016. — J PICTURE LITWIN E
  • All seeds have one thing in common--inside each is a new plant life waiting to emerge. What kind of plant will bloom? Wait and see what will grow!
    BookNew York : Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2017.
  • A clever picture book about a multi-level apartment building's occupants and their many nighttime noises. Who is making all that noise?
    BookNew York : Roaring Brook Press, 2017.
  • How do fish breathe? Why is the ocean salty? Why is a whale not a fish? Find out the answers to these and many more questions in this brilliant interactive lift-the-flap fact book.
    Board BookMinneapolis, MN : Wide Eyed Editions, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 2018. — GC21.5 .A59 2018x
  • This book, constructed on one continuous folded page, explores the layers of the Earth from human-made structures like sewers, subways and archeological finds, down through various formations of rock, to the Earth's core and back up again.
    BookLake Forest, CA : Words & Pictures, part of the Quarto Group, 2017. — QE511 .G85 2017x
  • As he gets into bed, Timmy Bear asks his mother to play a game with him in which they remember everything he did during the day, but in reverse order.
    BookSomerville, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2011. — J PICTURE LAMB A
  • An exploration of all the different kinds of dens animals build for their babies.
    BookNew York : Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, [2018] — QL756 .W37 2018
  • Hey-ho, to Mars We'll Go!

    a Space-age Version of the Farmer in the Dell

    Lendroth, Susan,
    Set to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell," this jaunty journey follows five adorable, bobble-headed astronauts as they learn how to bathe in zero gravity, grow veggies in space, and entertain themselves on the six-month trip.
    BookWatertown, MA : Charlesbridge, [2018] — QB641 .L421 2018