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Wordless picture books are learning tools for children of all ages. You can appreciate the visual story, sequence, infer, imagine, predict, learn story structure (beginning, middle, end,) consider theme, learn vocabulary (English Language Learners, too!) or use to inspire writing.
I’ve found several amazing books that have just been published recently you’re going to love.
Bee and Bird, written and illustrated by Craig Frazier
A journey captured in vivid colors. Watch on YouTube.
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
When a bigger dog accidentally ruins Daisy’s favorite ball, she feels such loss and sadness. We are reminded in this hopeful ending that sadness doesn’t last forever.
The Conductor by Laetitia Devernay
The Conductor climbs to the tallest tree in the forest of verdant circle-topped trees, raises his baton, and begins the concert. The tree leaves become leafy birds who soar off to fly, filling the skies with patterns and shapes in white, green, and creme. When the trees are empty, he bows. He climbs down and the bird-leaves begin to return to the trees while the man plants a seed that will grow into a new tree. Exquisite.
The Umbrella by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert
The red umbrella carries a small scottie dog from his leaf-blown street to the African savanna, the waves of the ocean, deep below the sea, a monkey-filled jungle, icy polar regions, and finally back home to his street. He prances off, leaving a black cat to investigate the red umbrella . . .
No Dogs Allowed by Linda Ashman and Kristin Sorra
What a gorgeous book with a very clear sequence and turn of events. I really love this book, and if you love animals, so will you. Plus, Linda Ashman is a fellow Denverite!! The owner, Alberto, of a fancy bistro turns away a young customer and his dog and replaces his Welcome sign with a NO Dogs Allowed sign. More customers with animals of every kind – cat, kangaroos, elephant – arrive and are turned away. The customers and their animals all congregate at the plaza fountain and lemonade stand. Alberto changes his ways by serving everyone cupcakes, welcoming them all back, and renaming his restaurant, All Critters Bistro.
Literacy Activities With Wordless Picture Books
- Child “reads” the story to you using the pictures to say what’s happening.
- Write the story on sticky notes – talk about the sequence of events. Mix up and reorder.
- Write your own wordless picture book.
- Talk about the pictures – use this to build vocabulary, model making connections, notice the illustrator’s techniques.
- Imagine what sounds and dialogue would be happening in the storyl
- Predict what will happen next.
- Talk about plot elements, beginning, middle, and end.
- Act out the story.
- Older Kids: Look at the illustrations throughout the book. Notice the color choices. Does that have any significance? What emotion do you feel when you see all the illustrations? What connections to the story do you have? How do your connections help you infer the overall message of the story? What, in your opinion, is that message (or theme)?
More Wordless Picture Books
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
The Red Book by Barbara Lehman
Tuesday by Daivid Wiesner
Zoom by Istvan Banyal
A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog by Mercer Mayer
Owly & Wormy, Friends All Aflutter by Andy Runton
Flotsam by David Wiesner
Snowman by Raymond Briggs
Wave by Suzy Lee
Shadow by Suzy Lee
Truck by Donald Crews
Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola
No! by David McPhail
Hug by Jez Alborough
Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day
All in a Day by Mitsumasa Anno
Chalk by Bill Thompson
Jack Wants a Snack by Pat Schories
The Adventures of Polo by Regis Faller
Rollercoaster by Marla Frazee
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* top image is royalty free from Grandma’s Graphics
Melissa Taylor is a mom and educator from Denver who is passionate about playful learning. Thanks for visiting the site!
25 Comments
These look fantastic. I’m especially interested in learning more about The Conductor. Thanks for the longer list of wordless books, too. I am just starting to “read” more of them. I really like Wave (by Suzy Lee), which you’ve listed. Oh..and Tuba Lesssons by T.C. Bartlett and Monique Felix
Great list! I have always loved Snowman, Tuesday and Good Dog, Carl! I’ll have to check a few of the others you’ve listed.
Here’s another: Yellow Umbrella is unique in that it comes with a cd of tracks composed to enhance the reader’s experience with the book. It’s earned quite a few awards as well.
http://tinyurl.com/yellowumbrellaKM
What a terrific list, Melissa (and thanks for including mine)! I just reserved The Conductor from the library — it looks fabulous — and recently read the very clever Bee & Bird. When my son was young, we loved John Goodall’s wordless books, especially those featuring Naughty Nancy. They’re hilarious!
thanks for stopping by, Linda! I’m a big fan!!
I’ll check out John Goodall’s books, thanks for the suggestion.
[...] Wordless Picture Books to Love [...]
Hocus Pocus is a wordless graphic novel…cute for young kids. The David Weisner ones are so amazing! My mother in law gave Wave to my middle daughter. She made up words to the story and we wrote them in and then my mother in law translated it into Japanese to help expose her to that language.
I have to say that I am always personally amazed how well a wordless picture book tells a story. The pictures have to work extra hard but it’s totally amazing for kids to be the storyteller so to speak.
A few others:
Most of the books by Anno
Wonder Bear by Tao Nyeu
The Wonder of Maps
Flotsam is one of my kids’ very favorite books. Thanks for this list. LOL, I’ve been working on this same topic for a post but didn’t even find 10 wordless books.
Wonderful – thank you, Melissa! Wordless books are such a unique resource – thanks for sharing specific titles as well as suggestions for how to use them with young kids. I’m definitely passing this along!
Another juicy topic Melissa! I’m happy to get new titles to explore! I would like to build on your suggestion to use wordless books with English Language Learners. They’re also great for native English speakers who need support with extending their well of oral language (the root of literacy) They are excellent texts for vocabulary and language development: from key words to longer natural language phrases and idiomatic expressions that fluent speakers take for granted! Books that appear simple are often goldmines for word play and ‘fancy expressions’ with fluent speakers and readers of all ages.
[...] Wordless Picture Books to Love [...]
Melissa, cannot thank you enough for this fabulous list. After a beautiful day playing on the beach and in the water, I thought Wave would be the perfect way to finish the day. My sweet 4 year old daughter dove right into the illustrations and her story unfolded with fun dramatization!
On one page, she imagined the wave was a mermaid’s tail splashing in the ocean. Just love children’s imaginations! Looking forward to digging into some more of your suggestions
Let me know what you think. You’re most welcome, Kelly.
I love wordless picture books, I remember “reading” them when I was younger and I have looked for them for my kids’ but even the librarian couldn’t find any for me. Thank you for the list!
that is surprising – well, glad to help! Let me know which ones you like best!
I have another title to add to your list.
It’s a book by that legendary, british illustrator and author, Quentin Blake.
The book is ‘Clown’ by Quentin Blake. And yes, there are no words.
Enjoy,
ROLFE
that is a great book, I adore his illustrations! Thanks for mentioning it.
Just realized I never commented to let you know how awesome I think this list is! I shared in on our Facebook page and would love you to link it up at our Best of October linky today if you have a sec. I think a lot of my readers with preschoolers would appreciate it! http://toddlerapproved.blogspot.com/2011/10/best-of-october-link-up.html
thanks so much – I’ll head over and link up!
Thanks for linking this up.
I shared it again over on our blog today since we featured your blog on our Sunday Blog Share. You are fabulous and I love your blog.
ahh, thanks – you made my day!!
I love your list.. so many good books for our kids to read and to be read to. We always read to our kids from a very early age, and now they are doing the same for their children. A great way to encourage learning and sharing time together.
[...] this compiled list as created by the Library of Illinois. There is another compilation created by Imagination Soup and a wikispace devoted to ‘stories without words’ by Lm_Net where school librarians [...]
[...] is not a comprehensive list, just a few of my favorites. View more wordless picture books on this list updated November [...]
Hi! I’m a mother of two, but also a children’s book writer/illustrator. My very first book, published in 2007, is a wordless book. I love those. And I also love your blog. Check out my book, if you can find it. It’s called La mer (The sea), originally published at La Pasteque.
Here is the amazon link for the english version (!) to be published soon: http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Marianne-Dubuc/dp/8889854855/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326937371&sr=8-2-fkmr1
You can see a few images from my website here: http://mariannedubuc.com/Livres-Lamer.html or here, on my blog: http://www.mariannedubuc.blogspot.com/2011/07/la-mer-bis.html
Have a nice day!
[...] Wordless Picture Books to Love [...]
[...] readers! Melissa always has terrific book suggestions. How about taking an idea from one of her book suggestions and create some art? More specifically, move and create with Big [...]