Children’s Books About Communication Devices
I was so excited to find so many well-written books about communication devices and about supporting kids who communicate in alternative ways. I can see all of these books being helpful for classrooms, peers, neighbors, and siblings. I love that they include AAC devices, tablets, and pictures, but that they also talk about kids expressing their emotions in many other ways. I encourage you to find at least one of these books to introduce to the kids in your life. They, without a doubt, will inspire important conversations about how they communicate, how they see other communicate, how they can listen to the people around them, and empathetic to those that need more time or other adjustments to be heard.
Again, I tried to put the more simply worded books at the beginning of the list to help you all find the kind of book you are looking for. Like always, if you buy through the link, I make a small commission that helps me justify the many hours it takes to find the good books for you!
More than Words: The Many Ways We Communicate by Leslie Kimmelman
This is a simple book full of Sesame Street characters that helps families talk about the many ways people communicate including facial expressions, body language, voice, and a “talker”. It also mentions the importance of listening and different styles in volume. This book could be helpful when a child will be around a child that communicates differently than they do. The book could also be an important classroom read aloud to address classroom diversity and the different needs of different kids. Good for preschool through middle elementary kids.
https://amzn.to/4vtL1jK
Something to Say about my communication device by Eden Molineuz
This simple book is told from the point of view of a girl with a communication device that she calls her “talker”. The book’s text is simple, explaining ways she uses her talker, that other people may need to give her a little more time, and that as she gets used to it she will want to use it more and more. The illustrations depict many ways she uses it to answer a question, tell a joke, or explain what she needs. The book does not talk about why speech is hard for her, so it could be good for a variety of different diagnoses or situations. Great for young children through early elementary school. This book can help a child who is learning how to use a communication device and even more so, for starting a conversation with classmates or peers.
https://amzn.to/4fzp2mA
More than Words: So Many Ways to Say What We Mean by Roz MacLean
This book uses simple words and beautiful pictures to show a wide variety of ways to communicate. It starts and ends with talking about a boy who does not speak, but it shows that if people pay attention and listen they can see some of what he is saying. The book also lists many forms of communication in simple language. Great for starting conversations with young children about communication devices. Appropriate for school groups, home libraries, and siblings.
https://amzn.to/4wFN84T
A Day With No Words by Tiffany Hammond
This book is told from the perspective of a young boy who uses a tablet as a communication device. He describes how different people’s voices sound and that he was born with “no voice” because of his autism. He shares how he uses his tablet. Then the book tells about a time that the boy’s mom brought him to the park, and he and his mother heard another person be rude. Instead of going to talk to them, his mom uses his tablet to reply. Then she communicates with him with the tablet. Later, they stop for lunch, and they both order using his tablet. His mother is teaching him by example that he can communicate all sorts of things with his tablet. I think this book could help friends and families understand, relate, and understand how they can help a child succeed with a communication device. Good for elementary school aged kids.
https://amzn.to/44wCFg7
This Is How We Talk: A Celebration of Disability and Connection by Jessica Slice and Caroline Cupp
This book highlights the many ways people communicate, specifically highlighting the different ways that disabled people communicate. This includes an AAC device, eye gaze communicator, communication posters, sign language,hand motions and covering ears, emotions, art, and noises. The book also includes pages for adults about how they can advocate for their own children with communication disabilities. I think this book is important for all children to understand disabilities and to be empathetic to the way other kids communicate. Teachers and parents could use this to have important conversations with kids to build an empathetic community around a child with a diverse communication method. Good for elementary school aged kids, the language is beautiful but more complicated. Adults can help clarify.
https://amzn.to/3SVuuYg
A Voice Like Yours by Frank Murphy and April Groman
This book is a message to all kids and people about the many ways they can express their voice and the importance of listening to other people’s voices. The book shows many ways of expressing with sound, in written form, with art, and even by voting. The book also talks about using a tablet, computer, and smart phone, and when it talks about helping others share their voice, it shows an adult helping a child with a communication device. While this book is not specifically about communication devices, it does a nice job of giving a global message that includes communication devices. I could see lots of nice moments to stop and talk about the different kinds of “voices”.
https://amzn.to/4fjoUq1
