Reviews for Bo the Boat

"As both a mother of a toddler and a Structured Literacy Interventionist, I am so excited about Bo the Boat! My daughter finds this story engaging as she follows Bo and Mo go on their journey from morning to evening. This book does an excellent job of fostering phonological awareness skills and can appeal to a range of younger toddler and older preschool aged children. Older toddlers and preschoolers can even learn about character feelings, sequencing, and making predictions. I am so glad this well written and beautifully illustrated book is on the shelves!" 

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Ashley Morck 

M.A.T., UVA 

C-SLI/SLDI 

"As an SLP who works with early intervention and young students, this is a wonderful book for both parents and therapists alike. The predictable patterning is excellent for young children to learn to anticipate events as well as fill in the blanks for auditory closure. The pictures are vibrant, cute and exciting and the characters in the book will appeal to young children. It is simple enough for even the youngest children, however, could certainly be expanded on by the parent or therapist through the use of WH Questions, talking about colors, various concepts, such locations, size, and other early language concepts as “wet and dry”, “bumpy and smooth”, “calm and rough” for example. This would be a great addition for any parent looking to facilitate speech for their young one. It also follows the development of sounds in the mouth, provides opportunities for natural practice and offers vocabulary and sound combinations for those early sounds." 

Michelle Bank Levy, M.Ed.,CCC-SLP

"[This book is] absolutely fabulous in so many ways! From a clinical perspective, I LOVE how seamlessly [the author] incorporated early intervention strategies into the story. Any parent who picks this up and reads it to their child will be implementing evidence-based speech and language techniques without even realizing it! The simple, relatable language paired with imaginative storytelling makes it ideal for children as young as 6–12 months up to 2–3 years old. I also love how [the author] included early phonological patterns, like rhyming, and featured early-developing speech sounds—such thoughtful touches that truly elevate this book. Overall, this is going to be such a valuable addition to any child’s bookshelf. I can’t wait to share it with my speech clients and see the joy it brings!"

Emma Fontenot, M.S. CCC-SLP

"Bo the Boat is the perfect book for little learners! The book is filled with early developing sounds and fun interjections to model to your child! I would definitely recommend this book to all parents to work on their child's language development! Clare provides readers with 'tips' and recommendations on how to support a child's speech and language throughout the book.I can't wait to read Bo's next adventure!'

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Larkin Jenkins

Speech-Language Pathologist

"Bo the Boat introduces us to a new loveable character. This book is crafted to develop and reinforce multiple speech and language skills. Clare Short has included early speech sounds in addition to sequencing, predicting, describing, and story retelling skills. Kids will enjoy discovering the secret item hidden below each flap as the pages are turned. Bo the Boat is a wonderful book, and as a speech-language pathologist I highly recommend it. " 

Heidi Lipman

Speech-Language Pathologist

“Bo’s adventure has set sail, charting a course straight into the hearts of early learners—an early intervention treasure! This is such a cute story filled with early speech sound development targets, simple repetitive vocabulary, actions, and more. I’m already thinking of activities to extend Bo’s adventure with therapy toys! I love how the author has listed out suggested activities and ways to use Bo’s book intentionally for early learning. Lookout! - This will be on the bookshelf’s of SLPs everywhere.”

C. Emily Dean, M.Ed. CCC-SLP
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