Why Read Wordless Picture Books: 3 Reasons They’re Worth It

We’ve recently found some wonderful wordless picture books and I can honestly say that Mom and Dad have been enjoying them just as much – if not more – than our boys are. They are just so clever and imaginative! It’s incredible to me how “well-written” they can be – yet without the use of a single word. The plots are intriguing and the pictures are beautiful and the details are striking.

I think children love these books not only for the above reasons, but most importantly because even the littlest ones can “read” the story independently. No (real) reading required! We currently have two little boys who are not reading yet so this is a big bonus. This also makes these books a good choice for times when they need to read quietly on their own – we’ve used them during rest time, on a road trip, or during a church service.

Despite the lack of letters and words and language, there is still a lot of learning happening when a child “reads” a wordless book. For example:

– The child must decipher the plot. This is no easy task! They must look at all the characters: at their facial expressions, at their actions, at the setting, at all objects in the picture – and then piece together these clues to create the story line. They must look at the scale of the pictures – it could be a pile of small pictures on the page (like a comic book, this often shows faster action in the story line) or it might be one large picture covering both pages (this slows the story line and encourages the reader to pause and examine). Often, we (as the parents) will help them to put together the clues on the first read-through of a new book. We might ask leading questions (“Why does the girl look so sad? What is that dog doing here?”) or we might explain part of a picture that is confusing for them.

– The child is exposed to detailed, expansive, quality art work. Many of these books are simply gorgeous – and any time a child carefully studies art, he can’t help but be influenced by it, whether he knows it or not.

– The child is encouraged to be creative and imaginative. Because there are no words, we must decide for ourselves exactly how the story plays out. Some parts are obvious, but some may be less so, or may have multiple interpretations. Is the boy afraid here, or worried, or simply uncertain? If you ask your child, they may have a different response than you expected, and they may have good reason for it! Children often notice details in the stories that have escaped us adults. Also, exposure to imaginative or fantastical story lines encourages children to be creative in their own imaginary play and the stories they dream up.

Don’t discount this genre of children’s literature just because there’s no actual language on the pages! Here’s a list of some of our favorite authors & books.

Wordless Picture Books We Love

– David Weisner: he’s written many and they’re all wonderful. Our two favorites are Flotsam and Mr. Wuffles.

– Aaron Becker: has a lovely trilogy that begins with Journey.

– Peggy Rathmann: Goodnight Gorilla and 10 Minutes Till Bedtime are (almost) wordless and so fun! Our boys love reading them over and over.

– Fly! by Mark Teague

– La La La by Kate DiCamillo

– The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (all of his other books are wonderful too)

– Little Fox in the Forest by Stephanie Graegin

– Snowman’s Story by Will Hillenbrand

– A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog by Mercer Mayer (plus the others in the series)

– Hike by Pete Oswald

Enjoy! And let me know if you find more to add to this list!

Originally written November 8 2019