Wordless picture books are a lovely way to engage children in the storytelling process. Plus, tired parents can get their kids to read their own bedtime stories! Some parents shy away from reading wordless books, but don't be afraid! If you're not a wordless book convert be sure to read my parent tips for sharing wordless books with your kids.
Wordless picture books are perfect for reading to siblings of different ages:
As a mom of two children with a 4 year age gap, I benefited greatly from wordless picture books. Both boys could participate and they fed off each other, each one noticing different aspects of the picture. I even think my younger son learned more about the books from his brother than he does from me.
Wordless picture books
Here are some of my favorite wordless picture books, but there are so many more, and a useful technique for finding more is to look for books by the same author. (Note: book covers and titles are affiliate links)
Journey by Aaron Becker. This trilogy of wordless picture books is amazingly gorgeous and is an absolute must read. Using a red crayon, a girl draws a red door on the wall of her room and enters into a parallel world where adventures with flying carpets, evil rulers, airships, and daring escapes await.
Here I Am by Patti Kim. A lovely story about an immigrant boy getting used to living in a busy American city, where the noise, food and people are all strange and new. I love the way the wordlessness of this book relates to how an immigrant might feel when he can't understand the language of his new home.
Flora and the Flamingo. Molly Idle has written an entire series about Flora, and this is the first. This story of friends learning to move in harmony is not only wordless, but a lift the flap book and completely delightful.
The Boy and the Airplane by Mark Pett. A charming book that is also a lesson in perseverance and growth mindset! When his new plane gets stuck on a building, a boy must figure out how to retrieve it.
Changes, Changes. Author Pat Hutchins (Rosie's Walk, Goodnight, Owl!) is a sentimental favorite of mine. In this winsome story, two toys find build a block house. When things start to go awry, they cleverly rebuild to keep up with the changing situation.
Where's Walrus? by Steven Savage. This tale of a walrus who escapes from a city zoo is an adventurous wordless book. In order to elude the zookeeper, walrus dons various hats until he finds the one that fits just right.
Rainstorm. Barbara Lehman is a master wordless storyteller. The Red Book was her Caldecott-winner, but I love Rainstorm, a book which reminds me of the classic hidden passage-way fantasies of childhood. It is an imaginative story about a boy who finds a magical underground tunnel that leads to a faraway island and a new group of friends.
Wonder Bear by Tao Nyeu. An oversized book that was a winner with both my 4 and 8 year old who started narrating the story to each other, I barely had to get involved! One day a girl and boy start a garden. The packet of seeds grows steadily into watermelons, but the hat they planted quickly grows into a magical vine that signals the beginning of a whimsical adventure.
A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog. Mercer Mayer's classic series about a boy, a dog and a frog is irresistible. In the first book, the pictures tell the story of a boy trying to catch a frog while he dog looks on. These books are particularly delightful for kids who like to make silly noises when reading wordless books. The books' humor will solicit all sorts of giggles and sound effects. Not to be missed.
Truck by Donald Crews. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say I read this book 38,568 times to each of my sons. That's an exact number. Crews' signature bold graphic style illustrates the cross-country journey of a truck loaded with bicycles.
Chalk. Bill Thomson's incredibly detailed and realistic illustrations are the center point of this story about a diverse group of kids who discover a bag of chalk that brings drawings to live. Kiddo gasped a knowing, "Ohhhh!" when the plot came to it's clever conclusion.
Wave. Suzy Lee has several popular wordless books under her belt. I love this one about a girl's day at the shore simply because it is so very, very, happy. You will smile.
Zoom by Istvan Banyai. Wordless picture books are particularly suited for stories that hinge on changing perspective. Such is the case with Zoom and as you might guess from the title, the action (if one might call it that) is the ever increasing distance the reader maintains from the opening image. But distance is not the only perspective that changes...
Mirror by Jeannie Baker. I love this wordless picture book which compares and contrasts the a day in the life of an Australian and a Moroccan family. Lovely and a good conversation starter.
Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith. This is such a lovely story of how important it is to notice the little details around us. While her dad is preoccupied with the "busy" things of life (cell phones, charging ahead), a young girl picks the flowers in sidewalk cracks and begins to give them away in random acts of kindness which begin to transform the lives around her.
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka. I just love the movement in Raschka's illustrations. And the story is quite emotional, as well! It's a story of one dog's love for his ball and what happens when that ball meets with misfortune.
Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day. Baby's mom leaves Carl the Rottweiler in charge when they head out. Carl may be a bit too lenient as a babysitter, but he sure is fun. This über-popular book has several sequels.
Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd. You will love this clever wordless book about a young boy who engages in indoor and outdoor activities. The story tracks over the seasons and wonderful little die cut pages allow for sweet discoveries along the way.
The Boy, The Bear, The Baron, The Bard by Gregory Rogers. In this wordless book, a boy chases a runaway soccer ball backstage only to find himself transported to the world of Shakespeare. The bard chases the boy off the stage and they embark on a chaotic journey around Elizabethan London, picking up a bear, an imprisoned baron, and leaping onto a barge inhabited by Queen Elizabeth.
Sector 7. No discussion of wordless books would be complete with a title from David Wiesner. During a trip to the Empire State Building, a mischievous cloud takes a boy up to "Sector 7," where the clouds are formed. When the clouds decide they want to become something other than amorphous blobs, the boy takes matters into his own hands. Having worked (very badly) with watercolors, I find it incredible that Wiesner uses watercolors for all his book illustrations, including 3 Caldecott award winners and 2 honor books. Amazing.
The Snowman. This classic story of a snowman who flies around the world with a boy is known to many, but it wasn't until recently that I read the entire book. My verdict: magical and yet so sad! But the kids love it and the illustrations are lovely.
Click to see these book lists you will love:
Even in Australia says
I love Suzy Lee's books but they are not a hit with my kids. However, we all love Jan Ormerod's Sunshine and its companion book, Moonlight. The first follows a girl through her getting-ready-in-the-morning rituals, as her very sleepy parents have trouble waking up. The second shows her bedtime rituals and how her parents deal with bedtime problems.
Erica says
Ormerod's books were candidates for this list! I love those, too. If I ever make a 2nd list those will be on it for sure.
Erica says
My kids liked Suzy Lee's Wave, but not Shadow, so much, although I thought Shadow was wonderful.
Janelle @ Brimful Curiosities says
We haven't looked at Rainstorm yet, but do like Barbara Lehman's books. The Secret Box is one of our favorites. Other favorite wordless books include Red Sled by Lita Judge (nearly wordless) and Pinkney's The Lion and the Mouse. Noah's Ark by Peter Spier is also pretty awesome. The most unusual wordless picture book we've seen is Yellow Umbrella. It comes with a musical CD to listen to while you turn the pages.
Erica says
Love Red Sled! Can't wait to read Red Hat this spring. I didn't include it because it does have some sounds. I thought the Lion and the Mouse was gorgeous, but my kids weren't that into it. I really wanted to read Yellow Umbrella, my library didn't have a copy.
maryanne @ mama smiles says
I am so thrilled you wrote this post! I adore wordless picture books, and most of these were new to me. Thank you!
Erica says
Yay, I love introducing people to new books!
silly eagle books says
I love this list--many are new to me--I'll have to see if our library has them. One of our favorites is called Sea of Dreams by Dennis Nolan. The artwork is incredible! 🙂
vanessa
Erica says
Yes! I love Sea of Dreams. I was going to include that one! My brain is a sieve. Sigh. It will have to wait until the next list.
Bethany @ No Twiddle Twaddle says
I really like Wave and the Carl books. My kid doesn't really like wordless books unfortunately though. Have you read Lights Out? That's another one of our favorites.
Natalie says
Strangely, daughter never liked wordless books - perhaps I suck as a storyteller 🙂
PragmaticMom says
I love wordless picture books but I have to say that I was puzzled at first how to "read" them. It does take a different mindset from the norm which is fun.
thepicturebookreview says
Wow, I've only read Wonder Bear. I'm adding these to my list now. It never ceases me how many picture books are out there to read and look through.
I always really appreciate your recommendations.
Erica says
I know, I feel overwhelmed by the choices. And I usually have about 20 more books I want to put on any given list I make.
Jennifer says
These are great! a couple I don't yet know. My fave is FLOTSAM by David Weisner. 🙂
Erica MomandKiddo says
Yes, I love Flotsam, too!
Amy @ Sunlit Pages says
This is such a wonderful list! I'm so glad you included "Chalk." It is one of our very favorites. And I can't wait to check out "Flora and the Flamingo" and "The Boy and the Airplane." They both look so cute!
Erica MomandKiddo says
I'd known about Chalk since its release, but I finally got around to reading it, and I'm so glad I did.
Katie @ Youth Literature Reviews says
Erica, would you believe I guessed that this was one of yours when I saw it on the Kid Lit Blog Hop? Your book lists are the best! I've only read about half of these, but the ones I know I love. My all-time favorite wordless picture book that isn't listed here is Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola. 🙂
Thanks for sharing with us at the Kid Lit Blog Hop!
Erica MomandKiddo says
I've never read Pancakes for Breakfast, though I know so many people who love it. I need to get on that!
Penny says
I love wordless picture books but I haven't seen any of these one. Yippee! I need to buy some. Chalk and Bee and Bird look really good. I'd love to read The Snowman just because you said it was sad. You don't see many sad books these days and they are great for encouraging discussions with little ones.
Lindsay says
Wow what a great list. I am only familiar with a few of them. I used to "read" Zoom to my high school students as an introduction to perspective and point of view. Wordless books can relate to children and adults of any age. I need to check out the other ones on the list.
Renee C. says
Great list Erica. I must admit that we haven't tackled very many wordless books in our household. My kids have never been too interested in them. Of course that could just be my own failing in presenting the books to them appropriately. If you check out Link #3 in the Kid Lit Blog Hop this past week, you'll see Flood - another powerful wordless book. Thanks for linking in the Hop. 🙂
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks for the heads up! I'll check it out.
Pauline @ LessonsLearntJournal.com says
What a beautiful preview and great list! I'll be featuring your post as part of my Kids Books: Stories, Poems & Activities roundup from the Weekly Kids' Co-op. Thanks for sharing. xoxo P
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thank, Pauline. I really appreciate it!
Flora says
I actually really love the book Tuesday. My little one copies the facial expressions of the frogs. So cute!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Yes, I love Tuesday, too. It's so clever! The only reason I didn't put it on the list was because it does have a few words, although it certainly has the feeling of a wordless book since the story is told almost entirely through the illustrations.
Michelle says
Great list! A few of our favorites are Journey, Inside Outside, Pancakes for Breakfast and Wave (which you mentioned). Another good one is Thunderstorm. 🙂
http://averyandaugustine.squarespace.com/blog/2014/3/7/thunderstorm.html
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks for the suggestion!
Maria Gianferrari says
My new favorite book: Marla Frazee's The Farmer and the Clown!! My vote for the Caldecott 🙂 It's sweet, funny and oh, so poignant--you'll laugh and cry.
I also love Journey as well as Raul Colon's Draw, Jerry Pinkney's The Lion and the Mouse and The Tortoise and the Hare.
Erica MomandKiddo says
I haven't read the Frazee book yet, thanks for the suggestion! I love Journey, too! I think it came out after I made this list but it's definitely one of our favorites!
Elisabeth says
As a speech/language pathologist, I use wordless books all the time to elicit oral narrative language, sequencing, vocabulary, as well as inferential thinking skills. Love this list!! Another favorite of mine is "Pancakes for Breakfast".
Erica MomandKiddo says
That's a great one, too!
Sharlene Habermeyer says
Love these titles! Some I haven't heard of. But, have you heard of the classical wordless book, "The Silver Pony" by Lynd Ward? It's amazing--one that my children loved. He also wrote "The Biggest Bear," --another classic, but not wordless.
Erica says
Thanks for the recommendation!