Features in children's counting books that lead dyads to both count and label sets during shared book reading

This study examined how book features influence talk during shared book reading. We used data from a study in which parent-child dyads (n = 157; child's M-age = 43.99 months; 88 girls, 69 boys; 91.72% of parents self-reported as white) were randomly assigned to read two number books. The focus was comparison talk (i.e., talk in which dyads count a set and also label its total), as this type of talk has been shown to promote children's understanding of cardinality. Replicating previous findings, dyads produced relatively low levels of comparison talk. However, book features influenced the talk. Books containing a greater number of numerical representations (e.g., number word, numeral, and non-symbolic set) and a greater word count elicited more comparison talk.

Automated summary

This study investigated the impact of book features on talk during shared book reading. The data was collected from parent-child dyads (n = 157; child's M-age = 43.99 months; 88 girls, 69 boys; 91.72% of parents self-reported as white) who were randomly assigned to read two number books. The focus was on comparison talk, which involves counting a set and labeling its total. The findings replicated previous research, showing that dyads engaged in relatively low levels of comparison talk. However, book features such as numerical representations and word count influenced the amount of comparison talk produced.