Chapter 4 Promoting Children’s Positive Sense of Self through Verbal Communication
(0-2 years):
Hindley, Judy. (2006). Baby talk: a book of first words and phrases. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Candlewick Press.
Through rhyme and action drawings of babies in many situations, the author introduces common words
to teach baby including: there, out, ouch, no, bump, whee, bye-bye, all gone, and splash. You can help
babies bridge the gap between nonverbal and verbal communication by reading this book and making
the motion to accompany the word and picture from the book.
Ross, Anna. (1990). Say the magic word, please. New York: Random House.
The Sesame Street baby characters are shown in playing situations where they learn to use magic words
including: please, I’m sorry, excuse me, thank you, you’re welcome. Children learn that it’s OK to spill or
break something as long as you have the words to convey that you didn’t mean it and you are sorry.
After reading this book together, look for opportunities throughout the day to model and help the child
practice saying these words.
Berendes, Mary. (2008). Feelings = las emociones. Mankato, Minnesota: The Child’s World, Inc.
Learn common words for emotions in both Spanish and English. Children will enjoy the comical
illustrations as you talk about situations where they might feel that way. This book supports children’s
emotional development as they learn how to express their feelings using words in both Spanish and
English.
Sanger, Amy Wilson. (2002). Hola! Jalepeno. Berkeley, California: Tricycle Press, a little division
of Ten Speed Press.
This child’s boardbook of Spanish and English phrases about eating a Mexican meal teaches children the
words they need to communicate what they want to eat. Fun pictures draw children in as you help build
their verbal skills by having them repeat words after you. This is a great book to read before a meal or
going out to a Mexican restaurant or while introducing various cultures.
(3-5 years):
Fitzpatrick, Marie-Louise. (2009). There. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
A little boy asks questions on each page as he ponders going somewhere: when will I get there, what will
be there, what will I wear there, can Teddy come too. This is a great book to affirm a child who is
considering something very important to him by encouraging him to ask questions. Asking many
questions allows a child to learn about things they don’t understand and is an important next step in
developing strong verbal communication.
Bauer, Marion Dane. (2010). Thank you for me! New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young
Readers.
Through delightful drawings, children from a variety of cultures demonstrate their self-awareness as
they talk about their hands, feet, ears, noses, teeth, skin and what each enables them to do. They
appreciate their many gifts and say thank you for each. Reading this book together will allow children to
name each of their gifts, say what they do with them, and express thanks.
Hughes, Shirley. (1994). Let’s join in: four stories by Shirley Hughes. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Candlewick Press.
This book introduces young children to words to add to their vocabularies. Both inside covers are filled
with –ing action verbs and accompanying pictures. The sister and her little brother practice hiding,
giving, chatting and bouncing. They learn that they can chat with neighbors, parents, stuffed animals,
toy telephones, and grandparents on the real telephone.
Zemach, Kaethe. (2003). The question song. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Through rhyme and rhythm the children learn to sing the question song whenever something goes
wrong as they play. They learn that it is a good idea to go to adults and friends to ask a question when
they have a problem. Parents, grandparents, neighbors and friends help them with answers to make
things better so they can go back to their playing.
(6-8 years):
Cox, Judy. (2010). Carmen learns English. New York: Holiday House.
Starting school and lacking confidence in her English-speaking skills, Carmen is apprehensive since her
first language is Spanish. She wants to help prepare her younger sister for school next year, so as she
learns English, she teaches it to her younger sister. Specific words and phrases are used in Spanish and
their direct correlation in English is provided, along with context and pictures. There is a glossary of
Spanish terms used throughout the story at the back of the book.
Joosse, Barbara. (2007). Please is a good word to say. New York: Philomel Books (Penguin Young
Readers Group).
Specific dialogue boxes are used to help the illustrated characters effectively communicate. The
dialogue boxes exemplify the message of the text in specific words so children can learn what is
appropriate wording for situations such as apologizing, carrying on conversations with a friend, and
introducing yourself.
Kent, Susan. (2001). Learning to say you are sorry. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Identifying immediately that everyone makes mistakes and has a need to know how to effectively
apologize, this book sets up situations and specific wordings for saying you are sorry at home, school
and in conversations with friends. Pictures of real kids making sincere apologies helps visually support
the text and verbal wordings.
(9-12 years):
Leedy, Loreen. (1996). How humans make friends. New York: Holiday House.
Dialogue boxes help the multicultural character illustrations come to life. Specific wordings are shared
for situations of getting along, experiencing conflict, situations that friends talk about, admitting
mistakes, and keeping in touch. All of this is done in a context of explaining to an alien how humans
communicate, so the illustrations help echo the powerful message of the verbal dialogue wordings.
Burstein, John. (2010). Saying no! Refusal skills. New York: Crabtree Publishing.
Configured in a yearbook-style, this book has articles on many aspects of refusal skills such as the
importance of not giving in to peer pressure, how to respectfully refuse, and considering the
consequences of saying no. Specific phrases and situations are reviewed to help emphasize an effective
way to say no, complete with following no with other options and future bridge-building conversations.
This book is part of the Slim Goodbody’s Life Skills 101 series and has very effective graphics, definitions,
and pictures of real children in realistic situations.
Evans, Lezlie. (2006). Can you greet the whole wide world? 12 common phrases in 12 different
languages. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
This book sets the stage for a variety of situations, such as saying hello and beginning conversations with
basic greetings and questions. Then, in 12 different languages, including Hindi, Zulu, Portuguese, Arabic,
Hebrew, German, and Spanish to name a few, the response is written out with the phonetic spelling for
correct pronunciation. The illustrations highlight different examples of the languages being used in that
context. This diverse look at verbal communication allows for an introduction to foreign languages.