8 The role of talk and book chat
Talk is fundamental to reading and being a reader. It is the medium that allows you to articulate and share your thoughts, feelings and ideas about a text and listen to those of others. In homes and schools, talk is often both a precursor to reading, and a consequence of it. Through talking about texts, you think aloud, formulate views and opinions, share interests, relate new experiences to previous knowledge and refine and develop your understanding. As Britton (1970) observed, ‘reading and writing float on a sea of talk’. The influential role of dialogue in the development of children’s thinking and their literacy has been extensively documented (Littleton and Mercer, 2019).
Teachers who encourage conversations about being a reader and about the texts being read, help children construct meaning, collaborate, communicate, and expand their thinking. In addition, through such talk children gain empathy for others’ views and can connect to and bond with other readers.
In seeking to foster children’s delight and desire as readers, adults not only read to children, but consciously read with them. By encouraging children’s active involvement in the story or in searching online to satisfy their curiosity for information, adults trigger valuable informal book talk that follows the learner’s lead and helps them participate as meaning makers. They might for example anticipate what will happen, connect to their own lives, respond affectively and consider what they would do if they were in a similar situation. This approach is sometimes known as ‘dialogic shared book reading’ but is more accessibly described as ‘book chat’.
Book chat is the informal interaction that accompanies quality reading to and with children and helps to develop children’s language and comprehension, whilst at the same time nurturing a love of reading. To support teachers and parents developing book chat, The Open University worked with practising teachers to produce three short videos and additional resources based on books published by Macmillan Children’s Books. You can watch these videos in Activity 3, which are designed to support teachers and parents in developing book chat and informal interactions around a text.
Activity 3 Identifying the key principles of book chat
Timing: Allow approximately 15 minutes for this activity
Based on the age of the children you work with, watch one of the three book chat videos below.
Download this video clip.Video player: Video 1
Transcript: Video 1 Ben Harris reading One Fox by Kate Read for 5+
Welcome to Book Chat. This short film made by The Open University is designed to support you in sharing books with children. Conversationally, enjoyably, and effectively. Book Chat develops children's language, comprehension, and pleasure.
As you know, there are lots of ways to chat about books. And during this reading of One Fox by Kate Read, you'll hear our top tips. One, do involve your child. You'll probably chat before, during, and after the story. Two, it's important to pause often, so your child can look closely and respond to what they see in order to make sense of it.
Three, do wonder aloud to trigger book chat and mention things that the text reminds you of. For example, favourite food or feeling hungry. This helps children build connections. Four, showing how you feel about the naughty fox, for instance, will prompt your child's engagement too. Finally, remember to keep pleasure at the centre of the sharing. Book Chat's fun.
Hello. I'm Ben. I just made myself some breakfast. I had a boiled egg. Do you like eggs? I wonder how many eggs are left in the box. Will you help me count them? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. There are five eggs left.
#And look that white egg has still got a feather stuck to it from the hen which laid the egg. That reminds me of a story it's called One Fox. Shall we read it together now? Come on then. One Fox, a counting book thriller.
Look at that fox, seems a bit sneaky to me. Here's the author who wrote the book, Kate Read. Look at this. All these fox prints. Oh, there's the fox up to no good. I wonder what it's planning, let's find out.
One Fox. Here's the foxes' footprints coming all across the page, but where do you think it's gone? Here it is. One. One famished fox. Oh, famished. That's a good word. It shows that the fox hungry. Maybe it's looking for something to eat.
Two. Two sly eyes. What's that fox looking at? A feather. I wonder where that's come from? It looks like that feather we found on the egg. Three. Three plump hens. They are plump. It's probably because they've been eating all these worms. Would you like to eat worms for your breakfast?
Four. Four padding paws. Pad, pad, pad, pad. That fox is padding through the farmyard. What have you spotted here? Oh, well done. I haven't seen that hole in the fence there. I wonder if the fox made that hole so it could get into the farmyard.
Five. Five snug eggs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. This reminds me of when we counted eggs in the egg box. There were five eggs there too. These hens look like they're asleep. Watch out hens.
Six. Six silent steps. Here comes the fox. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. It's curled itself all the way around the hen coop with that big tail. Here's the hen coop where the hens live. How's that fox going to get in? Seven. Seven knocks at the door.
[KNOCKING]
Eight. Eight beady eyes. I can only count six eyes there, but they're looking-- Ah, 7, 8. But this doesn't look like a chicken, it's the fox. Bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop.
Nine. Nine Nine flying feathers. Look out hens, you've lost your eggs. 10, 10 sharp teeth. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 7, 8, 9, 10. Where have the chickens gone? I hope they've not been eaten. Quick let's see. Oh, my goodness. There's more hens now. Look at them all. How many do you think there are? 100. 100 angry hens. And can you see where that pesky fox has got to? Yes, there it is running away in the distance.
And now we're back to one. One frightened fox. Whose gone so fast. The tail is the only thing we can see. Wow. And look at all the hens' footprints. 100 hens' footprints. What do you notice here? Yes, they do look very different to the foxes' footprints at the start, don't they?
And look at them all there, sitting on their nests, happy again. And I'm glad to see. On this page, it says, no hens or foxes were harmed in the making of this book. They're all safe even the fox.
That was One Fox by Kate Read.
Video 1 Ben Harris reading One Fox by Kate Read for 5+
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Download this video clip.Video player: Video 2
Transcript: Video 2 Richard Charlesworth reading A House that Once Was by Julia Fogliano for 7+
Welcome to Book Chat. This short film made by The Open University is designed to support you in sharing books with children, conversationally, enjoyably, and effectively. As you'll know, there are lots of ways to chat about books. And during this reading of A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano and Lane Smith, you'll hear our top tips.
One. Do involve your child. You'll probably chat before, during, and after the story. Two, pause often and let your child ponder over the pages. They might notice a bird who appears on several, for instance.
Three. Do wonder aloud to trigger Book Chat. Phrases like I wonder if, help as you explore and make connections to your lives. Four. Sharing how you feel as you read encourages your child to do the same. Perhaps they'll empathise with the kids in the story. Finally, remember to keep pleasure at the centre of the sharing. Book Chat is fun.
Hi. My name is Richard. And this is a book called A House That Once Was. And what I like about this front cover is that the house is surrounded by nature. If you have a park or garden, do you like to read? Let's explore the book together.
Oh, look. A bird sitting on top of some of the books. I wonder if he'll appear in this story. Keep your eye out for him as we read along.
'A house that once' was written by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Lane Smith.
'Deep in the woods is a house, just a house that once was but now isn't a home. At the top of a hill sits the house that is leaning, a house that once wasn't but now it is peeling. A house that was once painted blue.'
What's that you've noticed above the roof? The bluebird? He's busy flying. I think maybe he's flying back to his own home. What do you think?
'Tiptoe creep up the path. Up the path that is hiding. A path at once welcomed. A path that is winding. A path that's now covered in weeds.'
Look at the young boy and girl, staring intently down the garden path. Look all the weeds, the bugs, the insects, all around them. Oh, there's that bird again. I wonder if he lives in this house?
'At the front of the house, the house that is waiting. There's a door that's not really open, but barely. A door that is closed but not quite. A door that is stuck between coming and going. A door that was once painted white.'
Look at the flakes of paint and the cracks in the door. Would you go into this house?
'Off to the side, there's a window that's watching. A window that once opened wide. A window that now has no window at all. A window that says climb inside.'
There's that young girl helping the boy through. A spider webs and cracked panes. Should they both be going in there?
'Inside the house it is silent, but creaking. We're whispering mostly, but not really speaking, we whisper. Though no one would mind if we didn't. There's someone who once was is someone who isn't. The someone who once was is gone.'
Look at what they've left behind. Can you spot some clues as to who lived in this house before?
He found some broken records. A pet bowl, some toys. Perhaps this person liked to travel. Oh, look. A mouse poking its head for a portrait. I wonder if the photo in the frame is of the owner of the house. What do you think?
'Who was this someone who ate beans for dinner, who sat by this fire, who looked in this mirror? Who was this someone whose books have been waiting, whose bed is still made, whose pictures are fading?'
They're discovering bits about this person's house, aren't they? Do you think they'll find any more clues?
'Who was this someone who walked down this hallway, who cooked in this kitchen, who napped in this chair? Who was this someone who left without packing, someone who's gone but is still everywhere?'
Look at all the ingredients they've left. Some mustard. I love a bit of mustard on a sandwich with some ham and cheese. Do you? I wonder what that girl is looking at.
'Was it a man with a big beard and glasses, who'd look out the window and dream of the sea? Or a woman who painted all day in the garden, portraits of squirrels while sipping iced tea?'
Do you remember when we went to a garden like that? It looked like the perfect place to paint, so calm and relaxing.
'Was there a cat who would sleep by the fire or a girl who would twirl to her records and sing? A boy who built planes and dreamt nightly of flying, a baby, a cowboy, a queen, or a king?
'Why did they leave here and where were they going? Did they run off and not say goodbye? Were they shipwrecked and now live on an island wearing coconut clothes with a pineapple tie? Or maybe they took off and headed to Paris, where they paint by the river and eat lots of cheese.
'What if they're lost and they're wondering lonely? Maybe they can't find their set of house keys. And maybe the house is still waiting there for them. Waiting to hear their key turn in the door. Waiting for voices to bounce down the hallway. Waiting for someone to come sweep the floor. Perhaps that boy is thinking about what the house was like. Look at the trees, cracking for the house, poking through the roof.
'Or maybe it loves to just sit and remember stories of someone who we'll never know. And maybe it likes it out there in the forest, with the trees coming in where the roof used to go.'
Oh, did you notice a small family of birds? I wonder if this is their home now. Where's that girl going with a pot of beans?
'So back through the window, we climb as we wonder. Back down the path that is tangled with thorn. Back to a house where our dinner is waiting. Back to a home that is cosy and warm.'
It's very different to their house they've just been in. Oh, look. There's that can of beans, filled with some bright colorful flowers. They look very familiar. Don't you think?
'Deep in the woods is a house, just a house that once was but now isn't a home.'
Look at the bird and its family. I wonder if the house that once was is a home again for them. I hope so.
Video 2 Richard Charlesworth reading A House that Once Was by Julia Fogliano for 7+
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Download this video clip.Video player: Video 3
Transcript: Video 3 Professor Teresa Cremin reading The Same Inside Poems about Empathy and Friendship, by Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow and Roger Stevens for 9+
Welcome to Book Chat. This short film, made by The Open University, is designed to support you in sharing books with children, conversationally, enjoyably, and effectively. Book Chat develops children's language, their comprehension, and their pleasure in reading. As you know, there are lots of ways to chat about books. And during this reading of some poems from a collection called The Same Inside, you'll hear our top tips.
One, do involve your child. You'll probably chat before and after reading each poem. Such chat helps us make sense of what we're reading. Two, sometimes you want to pause to let your child think about the meaning or messages in the poem. After all, there's never just one.
Three, do share what you're thinking about too, and wonder aloud about the poem, as this will trigger more chat and help you make connections to your lives. Four, saying how a poem or a specific line makes you feel will encourage your child to respond too. And finally, remember to keep pleasure at the centre of the sharing. Book chat's fun.
Hello, I'm Teresa. Reading novels to older children is really valuable, but actually children love poetry. And sharing the rhythm, and the beat, and the pattern with them can be great fun. And a book chat around poetry might just take five minutes, but will keep you both thinking for a while afterwards. So I'm going to read a few poems from this collection, The Same Inside.
This poetry book's called The Same Inside, Poems about Empathy and Friendship. So let's choose some, shall we? The Same Inside. Oh, more apples, some cut in half. It seems the poets are Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow, and Roger Stevens. I wonder why they call their collection The Same Inside? Insides and outsides of apples on the page. Let's find out more.
I always like poetry anthologies because you get lots of choices and it makes it more interesting. Loads of poems here. I like the sound of "I Don't Care Blues" and "Differences of Opinion." We all have those, don't we? Even with friends, we like different ways of seeing things and different perspectives on the world.
Oh, two more pages of poems to choose from. What are you drawn to? Maybe "My Sister's a Rainbow"? Oh, that makes her sound lovely. I wonder what the poem tells us about her? Or "I'm Sorry," or "Refugee"? Oh look, at the end there's information about the poets, 77 to 81.
Well, let's look at that later and read one of the poems now. Why don't we start with the title poem, OK? Page one, then, I think. Here we go.
"The Same Inside," by Liz Brownlee.
Red perfumed apples and crunchy crisp green, used straight from the tree or in a tasty cuisine, like honey nut charoset and pies with ice cream. Yum, apple pie.
In Fujis from Co-ops and Cox's from Spar, or Java apples from far Zanzibar, look inside any apple, and there is a star. Hm, I like apples. And I suppose the star shape is kind of, well, like the star shape here, right, the core, inside. Whereas the shiny bit of the apples is on the outside, yeah. Your favorite are Golden Delicious, aren't they?
But Liz seems to write about Fujis and Cox's, and Java apples and Zanzibar. That's in Africa, miles away. There's one called Pink Lady too, but they're very expensive. I don't know about Fujis or Javas, but I suppose maybe they're a different size or another colour, so kind of different on the outside.
Shall I read it again as it's only short? OK. "The Same Inside," by Liz Brownlee. Red perfumed apples and crunchy crisp green, used straight from the tree or in a tasty cuisine, like honey nut charoset and pies with ice cream. In Fujis from Co-op and Cox's from Spar or Java apples from far Zanzibar, look inside any apple and there is a star.
I wonder if she's talking about apples only or maybe apples are all the same inside, we're all the same inside.
Anyhow, let's read another. What do you like the sound of? "Prayer," "Get on the Team of Life"? "Listening to Nan," what about that one?
OK, right, you want "Get on the Team (of Life)." That's page 62. Let's find it. Here we go. Oh, look, at the bottom of the pages they've got little apples with the page numbers in. I wonder if they put those in there, like, for just decoration or whether they're hinting at something.
Anyway, "Get on the Team (of Life)" by Matt Goodfellow.
We need leaders, and readers, and help-those-in-needers to join in together and get on the team. Wavers, and savers, and those who amaze us to join in together and get on the team. Healers, believers, and keeping-it-realers to join in together and get on the team.
Did you want to join in with me, actually? It's a kind of chorus, that italic bit down the bottom of the verse. Join in together and get on the team, that bit. OK.
We need carers and sharers and hands-in-the-airers to join in together and get on the team. Grinners, and winners, and want-to-beginners to join in together and get on the team. Frienders, and menders, and stay-till-the-enders, to join in together and get on the team. Dreamers, and schemers, and all-in-betweeners. So what are you waiting for? Get on the team.
Great job, that. "Team of Life," I like it. I like that grinners and winners line too. It reminds me of that time when you got that goal in Medway. You were grinning like a Cheshire cat. What line reminds you of someone? Anyone come to mind?
Yeah, I remember her too. I like the way he changes the last two lines. It's like, maybe he's sort of saying, I don't know, we're all humans on the team of life, so don't hang back. So what are you waiting for, get on the team.
Yeah, how else could we do that? OK, I'll follow you then. So what are you waiting for, waiting for, waiting for, get on the team. Can make it kind of like a rap or another beat. We could do that throughout.
So last one. Should we go for one of Roger Stevens'? Here's one, "Being Sad," OK? "Being Sad," by Roger Stevens.
When I'm meeting Milly in the park and Milly doesn't show, when I ask my best friend for a crisp my best friend says no. When I bite into a juicy plum and the middle's gone bad, yuck, even writing down this poem is making me feel sad.
So I'll try and think of good things, maybe that will cheer me up. When we won the rounders tournament and I went to collect the cup. When we climbed the hill in Wales, and the cloud shadows swept by. When Granny came to tea and she made us apple pie.
When I wrote to my favourite writer and she wrote me back a letter. It helps to think of good things. Already I feel better.
Yeah, it's called "Being Sad," but in fact he's gone cheery, from sad memories on one side of the page to happy on the other. He knows how to cheer himself up. What's the part of it that you like best? A line, maybe.
Yeah, I like that too. Sunshine and clouds often show us that, don't they? Oh look, there's apples again, bottom of the page. I wonder if the poets who put this collection together were thinking about us humans as apples. Not like a kind of bag of Golden Delicious, but a more mixed bag, different kind of apples on the outside, but somehow similar, same inside?
Maybe at the core, the heart of the apple, we are the same in lots of ways. Anyway, I need to get tea now. But thinking of apples, maybe we can make an apple pie on the weekend, if you like. Oh, all right, apple crumble and custard it is.
Video 3 Professor Teresa Cremin reading The Same Inside Poems about Empathy and Friendship, by Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow and Roger Stevens for 9+
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Note down the five core messages offered by the Book Chat team. Which do you think is the most important for successful informal dialogic talk about texts?
Comment
The Book Chat team identifies the following as the five top tips to help you build conversations about books with children:
- Invite your child to get involved
- Watch and listen carefully to follow their interests
- Wonder and connect to your lives
- Share your emotional responses
- Keep it light and enjoyable.
The value of such informal conversation is not always fully appreciated as it may appear unstructured and iterative, based on the child’s interests and direction, but book chat helps develop children’s language, comprehension and pleasure. It encourages readers to actively construct their own meanings and make personal sense of texts. In this way it underscores the pleasure to be found in reading and serves as a model for children’s conversations about texts with their peers. Increasing children’s informal social engagement in what they are reading contributes to reciprocal Reading for Pleasure.
Optional resource
If you would like to find out more about book chat, you can look at these resources in your own time.
- A guide to book chat [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
- A book chat poster
Informal book chat and spontaneous book conversations help to build connections between readers. These are critical to create reader relationships, something you will read about in the next section.