221. The ABC's of Picking Books that Ignite Literacy

Ever wonder how to pick the books that end up being absolute hits in therapy-the ones every kid on your caseload actually wants to read again and again? Today I'm taking you behind the scenes of my summer book-buying process. This involves old school, sitting crisscross-applesauce on the bookstore floor for the day with a huge stack, using my "ABC" framework rooted in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to find books that are truly inclusive, multisensory, and unforgettable. In this episode, I walk through exactly how I evaluate a book before it earns a spot in my therapy bag, and then I show you the 6 brand-new books that made the cut in my latest spree. 6 Books Featured: 1. How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? 2. That's Not Funny, David! 3. Llama Llama Feelings 4. Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? 5. Night, Night Farm 6. In My Heart Here's my ABC Framework for picking "sticky" books: A — Connection: Does it connect to the child's world, interests, and prior knowledge? B — Multimodal Presentation: Can I bring it to life with rhyme, sound, emotion, and movement? C — Active Participation: Can the child move, sing, gesture, or respond using their whole body? When a book hits all three, my experience has shown it becomes a book every kid in the room engages with, not just the strong readers or the kids who already love books. That's the heart of UDL: full inclusion, full engagement, full participation. Want the ready to use therapy activities and materials that come with this book? You don't have to spend three hours on a bookstore floor yourself. I'm doing it for you! Every one of these books (and so many more sticky favorites) gets turned into immersive, ready-to-use literacy activities inside the SIS Membership, delivered straight to your inbox every week: ✅ No-prep, ready-to-print and digital activities ✅ Built on Universal Design for Learning principles ✅ Designed for small group, large group, and 1:1 therapy ✅ New content delivered weekly — you'll never run out of "sticky" books again 👉Join the SIS Membership today and start bringing literacy to life in your sessions this week: https://www.kellyvess.com/sis When you join, you receive the researched, powerful treatment target library so you can immediately get started in optimizing gains when neuroplasticity is at its highest level. 💬 What book have YOU found that's a guaranteed hit on your "back porch"? I'm always hunting for the next one! Drop a comment below. 🔔 Subscribe for more behind-the-scenes therapy planning, book hauls, and UDL strategy videos every week. 00:00 Book Hunt Setup 00:45 My Bookstore Method 02:40 UDL ABC Framework 05:40 Dinosaurs Bedtime Pick 10:07 Inferencing With David 14:50 Llama Llama Emotions 18:17 Sounds Flaps Feelings 27:34 Wrap Up And Next Reads #UniversalDesignForLearning #SLPsOfInstagram #SpeechTherapy #BookHaul #InclusiveLiteracy #SISMembership