Speech pathologists commend books in helping development

Speech Pathology Australia’s Book of the Year Awards are now in their fifteenth year and acknowledge the role these valuable tools have in helping children develop speech and language development.

The shortlist was celebrated during Speech Pathology Week which was held on 19 – 25 of August.

With the theme ‘communication access is communication for all’, the week works to promote the speech pathology profession and raise awareness for more than 1.1 million Australians who have a communication or swallowing disorder.

The week is promoted through stories and case studies in the media and campaigns across social media platforms.

“Speech pathologists are in a unique position to recommend books to parents and teachers,” a spokesperson for Speech Pathology Australia says.

The awards are divided into five categories; birth to three years; three to five years; five to eight years; eight to 10 years and Indigenous children.

The books are nominated by Australian publishing houses, independent book publishers and authors and are judged on vocabulary, narrative, illustrations, functional design, children’s engagement with the text and building phonological skills.

The Book of the Year awards ceremony will be held at the State Library of Victoria on 9 November.

These books are available from any good book shop and through independent publisher and author websites.

Chief Executive Officer of Communication Rights Australia Jan Ashford says speech pathologists play a “critical” role in the education system, undertaking assessments and identifying appropriate communication systems so students have a means to communicate with teachers, classmates and others.

“All students with communication support needs – including many who have high intellectual and academic ability – have the potential to learn and achieve, yet this goes unrealised if they are not understood,” she says.

“Speech pathologists play an integral role in achieving this understanding.”

2018 Book of the Year Shortlist

Birth to three years

A the Zoo I See by Joshua Button & Robyn Wells (Joshua Button & Robyn Wells)

At the Beach I See by Kamsani Bin Salleh (Kamsani Bin Salleh)

Aussie Legends Alphabet by Beck Feiner

Busy Little Creatures by Fiona Bowden

Heads and Tails by John Canty (John Canty)

In the City I See by Tori-Jay Mordey (Tori-Jay Mordey)

Jump and Shout by Mike Dumbleton (Peter Carnavas)

Let’s celebrate by Bianca Ebeling (Jacek Cieslinski)

The Bum Book by Kate Mayes (Andrew Joyner)

The Pipey Fairy by Lisa Louden (Max Rambaldi)

The Scared Book by Debra Tidball (Kim Slew)

The Silver Sea by Alison Lester and Jane Godwin (Alison Lester and Others)

The Very Noisy Baby by Alison Lester (Alison Lester)

Who Says Moo? Is it you? by Kat Chadwick (Kat Chadwick)

Who Says Woof? Is it you? by Kat Chadwick (Kat Chadwick)

Wombat Big, Puggle Small by Renee Treml (Renee Treml)

You’re One by Shelly Unwin (Katherine Batttersby)

Three to five years

Bertha and Bear by Christine Sharp

Boy by Phil Cummings (Shane Devries)

Eddie Frogbert by Sue deGennaro (Sue deGennaro)

I’m Australian Too by Mem Fox (Ronojoy Ghosh)

My Brother is a Beast by Damon Young (Peter Camavas)

My Dog Socks by Robyn Osborne (Sadami Konchi)

No One Likes A Fart by Zoe Foster Blake (Adam Nickel)

Peas and Quiet by Gabrielle Tozer (Sue deGennaro)

Pig the Star by Aaron Blabey (Aaron Blabey)

Rodney Loses It by Michael Gerard Bauer (Chrissie Krebs)

Rose’s Red Boots by Maura Finn (Karen Erasmus)

Silly Lilly and the First day of Kindergarten by Jedda Robaard (Jedda Robaard)

Stitches and Stuffing by Carrie Gallasch (Sara Acton)

The ABC Books of Feelings by Helen Martin and Judith Simpson (Cheryl Orsini)

The Red Book by Beck and Matt Stanton

The Second Sky by Patrick Guest (Jonathan Bentley)

The Very Sleepy Bear by Nick Bland (Nick Bland)

Where’s Bear by Sarah Elliott Smyth (Nicky Johnston)

Why Can’t I Be a Dinosaur by Kylie Westaway (Tom Jellett)

Five to eight years

Arty Farty Marty by Dale Baker (Dale Baker)

Danny Blue’s Really Excellent Dream by Max Landrak (Max Landrak)

Ella and Olivia: Best Friend Stories by Yvette Poshoglian (Danielle McDonald)

Emerald The Green Turtle’s Tale by Aleesah Darlison (Leanne White)

Hark, It’s Me, Ruby Lee by Lisa Shanahan (Binny Talib)

Jehan and the Quest for the Lost Dog by Rosanne Hawke

Meerkat Choir by Nicki Greenberg (Nicki Greenberg)

Molly the Pirate by Lorraine Teece (Paul Seden)

My Super Special Granny by Jedidah Morley (Karen Erasmus)

Nanna’s Button Tin by Dianne Wolfer (Heather Potter)

Ollie’s Treasure by Lynn Jenkins (Kirrili Lonegran)

The 91-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths (Terry Denton)

The Brown Dog by Gina Inverarity (Greg Holfeld)

The Duke of Hinklewinkle by John Phillips (John Phillips)

The Flying Optometrist by Joanne Anderton (Karen Erasmus)

The Pink Hat by Andrew Joyner (Andrew Joyner)

The World’s Worst Pirate by Michelle Worthington (Katrin Dreiling)

Through the Gate by Sally Fawcett (Sally Fawcett)

Eight to 10 Years

Alfred’s War by Rachel Bin Salleh (Samantha Fry)

How to Bee by Bren MacDibble

Maybe by Morris Gleitzman

Missing by Sue Whiting

Polly & Buster: The Wayward Witch and the Feelings Monster by Sally Pippin (Sally Pippin)

The Beast of Hushing Wood by Gabrielle Wang

The Boy and the Spy by Felice Areana

The Fall by Tristan Bancks

The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome by Katrina Nannestad

The Grand, Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler by Lisa Shanahan

The Secrets We Share by Nova Weetman

The Shop at Hoopers Bend by Emily Rodda

Whimsy and Woe by Rebecca McRitchie (Sonia Kretschmar)

Indigenous Children

Benny Bungarra’s Big Bush Clean-Up by Sally Morgan (Amberlin Kwaymullina)

Fun in the Water by The Playgroup Mob led by artist Patrice Mahoney (Casey Aboriginal Gathering Place Playgroup)

Mrs White and the Red Desert by Josie Wowolla Boyle (Maggie Prewett)

Our Race for Reconciliation by Anita Heiss

Patty Hits the Court: Game Day! Book 1 by Patty Mills and Jared Thomas (Nahum Ziersch)

Shapes of Australia by Bronwyn Bancroft (Bronwyn Bancroft)

Sorry Day by Coral Vass (Dub Leffler)

The Rabbit-Hole Golf Course by Ella Mulvey (Karen Briggs)