16 Amazing Wordless Picture Books

It seems only fitting that wordless picture books receive the briefest of introductions. I didn’t really “get” wordless picture books when my kids were very young and learning to read. I thought that words WERE necessary to tell a story. And that the point of words in a picture book is to teach kids to read.  But now I am among the converted. Wordless picture books teach kids to use their imaginations.

Some of these amazing illustrator storytellers simply don’t need words at all to tell a fantastical story. David Weisner comes to mind immediately. For other wordless books, we have had fun putting words to the pictures, sometimes even writing in the book to preserve my child’s story.

One thing that doesn’t surprise me: this format wins Caldecotts big time!

How about you? What is your favorite wordless picture book and how do you use them? Please leave a comment to win A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka.  You can win extra chances by Pinning onto Pinterest, Liking my Facebook page, suggesting to Stumble Upon, and Tweeting. Leave a comment for each thing that you do. It’s easy if you use the social media buttons at the bottom of the post.

p.s. Imagination Soup has a great post on Wordless Picture Books with literacy activities.

16 Amazing Wordless Picture Books

10. Tuesday by David Weisner

A Caldecott classic celebrating twenty years in print.

David Wiesner received the 1991 Caldecott Medal for Tuesday. In the years that followed, he went on to receive two more Caldecotts, and Tuesday went on to sell half a million copies in the United States and to be published in a dozen foreign countries. The whimsical account of a Tuesday when frogs were airborne on their lily pads will continue to enchant readers of all ages.

This was our first David Weisner picture book and boy did it blow us away. His imagination is unparalleled and his artistic skills are truly amazing. If he wins another Caldecott, he will have set the record for the most wins ever in the history of the award. I thought his last book deserved to win, Art and Max, but I think the bar is higher when you’ve won so many times. The ending to Tuesday makes you want more, much more. Perhaps this is why we have such a large David Weisner collection at home!

9. Chalk by Bill Thomson

A rainy day. Three kids in a park. A dinosaur spring rider. A bag of chalk. The kids begin to draw. . . and then . . . magic! The children draw the sun, butterflies, and a dinosaur that amazingly come to life. Children will never feel the same about the playground after they experience this astounding wordless picture book and the power of the imagination. Bill Thomson embraced traditional painting techniques and meticulously painted each illustration by hand, using acrylic paint and colored pencils.

8. Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathman

“Good night, Gorilla,” says the zookeeper. But mischievous Gorilla isn’t quite ready to go to sleep. He’d rather follow the zookeeper on his rounds and let all of the other animals out of their cages. Little night owls can sneak along with Gorilla and see who gets the last laugh in this riotous goodnight romp. Practically wordless yet full of expressive art and hilarious, adorable detail, this book is sure to become a beloved part of children’s own bedtime rituals. “In a book economical in text and simple in illustrations, the many amusing, small details, as well as the tranquil tome of the story, make this an outstanding picture book.” —The Horn Book

Nearly wordless, but too precious to leave out! Did you spot the red balloon and the banana on every page? The hidden things are hard to find! Simply a delightful book that every toddler should own.

7. Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Mitsumasa Anno

“Superbly demonstrating the conception of factorials in mathematics, the text and pictures combine to present a lesson in a palatable form as well as the pleasure of looking at pictures that only Mitsumasa Anno could invent.” — Publishers Weekly 

Anno’s picture book has a sophistication that adults can appreciate. It was on a reading list for my oldest a few years ago, so I checked it out of the library. I like how it illustrates a mathematical concept in a visual way.

6.  The Red Book by Barbara Lehman

This book is about a book. A magical red book without any words. When you turn the pages you’ll experience a new kind of adventure through the power of story.

In illustrations of rare detail and surprise, The Red Book crosses oceans and continents to deliver one girl into a new world of possibility, where a friend she’s never met is waiting. And as with the best of books, at the conclusion of the story, the journey is not over.

There is magic in this teleporting Red Book that reminds me of Flotsam.

5. Wonder Bear by Tao Nyeu

Two kids plant mysterious seeds (all that’s pictured on the envelope is a blue top hat), and up grows a remarkable flowering vine, out of which emerges an even more remarkable big white bear. On his head is the top hat?a hat that allows him to work all kinds of magic that day. He pulls monkey after monkey from the hat, blows bubbles in amazing shapes, and transforms flowers into spectacular floating sea creatures.

The two kids are wide-eyed with wonder, and you will be too. This is a dazzling debut?a vibrant, welcoming, strikingly original picture book.

4. Wave by Suzy Lee

In this evocative wordless book, internationally acclaimed artist Suzy Lee tells the story of a little girl’s day at the beach. Stunning in their simplicity, Lee’s illustrations, in just two shades of watercolor, create a vibrant story full of joy and laughter.

New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book 2008

If there was ever a zen-like wordless picture book, this would be it.

This is the story PickyKidPix wrote when she was around 5:

Wave by Suzy Lee and PickyKidPix

There was a little girl who was at the beach.

She did not like the water.

She tried to scare the water away.

Then she sat down and stared at the water. Soon a wave came to her.

Then she got soaked and she was very mad at the water.

She said, “I like the water,” and she walked towards the water and …

She splashed in the water.

She liked it so much.

But, another wave came and she ran away.

She ran away so quickly.

She stuck her tongue out.

And she got soaked.

She found a starfish and a seashell.

She liked them so much she kept them.

She felt the water.

She said goodbye to the water and she went home.

The End

3. A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

Here’s a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it.  Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy’s anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring.  Raschka’s signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special.

There is a child-like simplicity to this wordless picture book. Daisy and the other dogs are depicted with great expression and movement but the humans are shown only from the waist down and in a watercolor stick figure-like way. This is clearly a story about a dog and her ball.

2. The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pickney

1. Flotsam by David Weisner

More Great Wordless Picture Books

The Boy and the Elephant by Freya Blackwood

A lonely boy finds respite and friendship among a grove of mature trees wedged between row houses in his city. One tree, in particular, resembles an elephant (don’t ask me how it just does). When the lot is sold, he leaves his room late in the night and leads the trees to safety. This gorgeous wordless picture book is a gentle magical realism journey that reminds the reader how loss of habitat endangers animals in the wild. [wordless picture book, ages 4 and up]

The Last Zookeeper by Aaron Becker

Aaron Becker retells the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark in a futuristic setting. In this story, NOA is a robot who finds animals in an abandoned zoo and not only cares for them but, when a new storm threatens them, finds a new home for them by building a ship and setting sail far away where another robot-like NOA assists them via a hot air balloon to access an island at the end of a rainbow. [wordless picture book, ages 5 and up]

The Mango Tree: La Mata De Mango by Edel Rodriguez

This is the true story of Cuban American author and illustrator Edel Rodriguez whose family was forced to immigrate from Cuba to the United States. He sets the story in the mango tree of his youth where he shared many happy memories with his best friend. In this story, a storm separates the friends, leading one boy out to sea where he lands on a new island that also has mango trees. It’s a story that assures the reader that memories and friendships endure. [wordless picture book, ages 4 and up]

Zero Local Next Stop: Kindness by Ethan Murrow and Vita Murrow

A subway car is the unlikely setting for a passenger to spread kindness through art. But it starts with a drawing of a cartoon bird in appreciation of the subway car driver. The driver saves these drawings on the wall of the subway car. A young girl notices these drawings and it gives her an idea. She is a cut-paper artist and her art takes the bird idea to a new level. When tensions rise on the subway, her art gifts bring people together. Ethan and Vita Murrow live in Boston as I do, and while I don’t recognize this subway station, I love that our city is portrayed in these graphite drawings highlighted with yellow details that deftly capture the diversity and spirit of our city. [wordless picture book, ages 4 and up]

Dandelion’s Dream by Yoko Tanaka

What if a dandelion flower blooms into a real lion who goes off on an adventure worthy of dandelion fluff? In this gorgeous adventure, Yoko Tanaka shows the reader a magical world full of adventure as the lion traverses cross country in wondrous amazement of what it finds. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

3 Amazing Wordless Diversity Picture Books

2 Wordless Picture Books GIVEAWAYS and How to Read Them

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