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speech and language teaching concepts for Klyde The Kraken Wants a Friend in speech therapy
Frequent Speech Sounds:

/kl/ initial
/kr/ initial
Themes:

pirate
friendship
making new friends
Book Details:
Diverse Characters: N/A
Age Recommendation: Early Childhood, Elementary
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Klyde The Kraken Wants a Friend

By Brooke Hartman

Klyde the kraken loves nothing more than a good hug, but whenever he tries to hug the animals in the ocean, they all swim away. Then one day, the colossal creature’s monstrous embrace takes down a pirate ship and the shipwrecked buccaneers surprise Klyde and the reader with a valuable lesson of emotional literacy: While many friends love to hug, some prefer other ways to greet their mateys.

This quirky pirate-themed book can be used in speech therapy to discuss the theme of friendship and how difficult it can be to make friends. It is also great for discussing character analysis and problem solving when it comes to social interactions. This book is also great for targeting rhyming, alliterations and noticing illustrations. Discover more of the speech and language teaching concepts for using Klyde The Kraken Wants a Friend in speech therapy below: 

Key Teaching Concepts

Narrative Structure:

complete episode
Narrative Concepts:

theme/message
vocabulary​
problem solving
sequencing​
character analysis
inferencing​
illustration study​
figurative language​
social/emotional​
text features​
phonological awareness 
Sequencing:

order of attempts to make friends with animals and lastly the pirate crew
Vocabulary:

kraken, terror, tentacles, mug, pretend, intentions, hope, rarely, avast me hearty, wriggle, glee, polite, scurry, jostle, floundered, crew, loot, shrug, cease, curtsey, brave, embrace
Character Analysis:

Klyde doesn’t give up trying to make friends when things don’t go as planned. He is hopeful and learns to state his intentions and gets what he is wanting all along at the end!
Social/Emotional:

Klyde learns how to make a friend by telling them exactly what he wants (a hug).
How do you make friends?
What ways can we show someone we care besides giving hugs?
Do you use different greetings based on levels of friendship? (i.e. acquaintance, friend, best friend, family, etc.)
Figurative Language:

similes (teeth long as oars, big as a whale)
onomatopoeias 
Text Features:

speech bubbles
ellipses
dashes
moving text
enlarged text for emphasis
capitals
Phonological Awareness:

rhyming
alliteration
Inferencing:

What do the pirates think about krakens?
What about the other animals?
Do you think they will be friends with him? Why or why not?
Why don’t the animals like his hugs?
Why does he think the ship will be his friend?
What do the pirates think about him when he smiles big and wide?
Why are they smiling?
How does the girl feel when she gets her hug?
What about the kraken?
Problem Solving:

Klyde tries to give the animals a hug to show them he wants to be friends but doesn’t realize that his hug is just a bit too tight. When he finally finds a ship big enough to hug, the pirates worry they are going to get eaten and try to survive. Klyde pulls them out of the water and simply explains that he wants a hug. Once they realize he isn’t going to hurt them, a brave girl steps out for a hug and Klyde learns how to ask for what you want and that the others may have different ways of showing affection.

If you are interested in seeing other pirate books to use in therapy, then check out the Themed Key Teaching Points Book List for a printable copy.