Stories without Words

Wordless picture books are books that have little or no text. It is the pictures that tell the story. What is so appealing about books without words? They ask readers to use their imagination to create a narrative. These books are not just for nonreaders, but for all ages to enjoy.

Children, who enjoy the inventions of Rube Goldberg, will like Arthur Geisert's book Hogwash. The illustrations depict enormous and complicated contraptions as Mama pig tries to get her little piglets clean.

In 2010, Jerry Pinkney won the Caldecott Award for his wordless picture book The Lion and the Mouse. Based on the fable by Aseop, Pinkney's visually stunning illustrations invite young listeners to make up their own story.

The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, the Bard, by Australian artist Gregory Rogers, finds a boy playing among the warehouses of London kicks a soccer ball into an abandoned theater. There he finds an enchanted cape that transports him back in time right onto the stage of one of William Shakespeare's plays. In Midsummer Knight, a swashbuckling tale, a bear is rescued by a fairy, lands in an enchanted wood and agrees to return the favor by leading the battle against a usurper who has imprisoned the king and queen, along with their loyal subjects, in the dungeon of their castle.

Don’t forget the classic wordless picture book, Mercer Mayer's A Boy, a Dog and a Frog tells of a boy's unsuccessful attempts at capturing a frog.

Andy Runton brings his beloved characters Owly and Wormy to a younger audience in Friends All Aflutter! Good friends Owly and Wormy are disappointed when their new plant attracts fat, green, bug-like things, instead of butterflies, until a metamorphosis occurs.

To search for more wordless picture books, search under the subject: Stories Without Words. Then, after a busy day curl up as a family and take turns enjoying the storytelling.

Warning: Be prepared for lots of laughter!