Picture books are a wonderful resource to get children engaged with reading but did you know wordless picture books could do just the same? With an emphasis on illustration and imagination, children are encouraged to come up with words on their own, page by page, which helps to develop a child’s comprehension skills and build confidence around the activity of reading. As a bonus, wordless picture books typically contain beautiful artwork as they rely on illustrations to convey the story. That’s good news for the kiddos and their grownup! To get started, check out these 10 wonderful wordless picture books below.
Journey by Aaron Becker
Freeing herself from everyday boredom, a young girl uses the power of imagination to draw herself into a new world where she finds curiosity, adventure, and friendship.
This is a great story about imagination with a very cute ending. You can find the rest of this series here.
Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli
Follow Crocodile throughout his morning as he gets ready for work, travels on the train, stops at the shop, and finally arrives at his unexpected job.
The illustrations in Professional Crocodile are beautiful and give an extremely fun and personal look at neighborhood life.
Flotsam by David Wiesner
Finding a camera on the beach, a young boy discovers a curious underwater world through its pictures.
This wonderfully creative book reimagines creatures of the ocean and touches on the ideas of time and tradition. If you enjoy this story be sure to check out Wiesner’s other wordless picture book, Tuesday.
Spot & Dot by Henry Cole
When a dog named Spot goes missing, two kids and a cat named Dot run through town searching for him.
Spot & Dot is illustrated completely in black and white cross-hatching making it unique and gorgeous! It’s a fun book as the reader tries to find Spot and Dot in the intricate illustrations of each page. If you enjoy this story, be sure to check out the first in its series, Spot the Cat.
Chalk by Bill Thomson
Three children stumble upon a bag of magical chalk that allows everything they draw to come to life! But what happens when one of them draw something ferocious?
Chalk intrigues readers with realistic illustrations and fun perspectives, then ends with a clever twist! If you enjoy this book, be sure to check out another Bill Thomson story, Fossil.
Shadow by Suzy Lee
A girl discovers that shadows can turn everyday objects like a vacuum, into an elephant or wolf.
With an interesting format and clever illustrations, Shadow illuminates the imagination and helps children have fun with something as common as a shadow. Suzy Lee also has several more wordless picture books worth checking out, such as Wave and Lines.
Flashlight by Lizi Boyd
A child explores the nighttime woods to find there is a whole other world that comes to life in the dark.
Flashlight is an entertaining book for kids to learn about the concept of darkness and nocturnal animals.
Float by Daniel Miyares
When a boy makes a paper boat but then the rain washes it away, he doesn’t let disappointment keep him from creating something new!
Float is a great book about trying again and growing from your obstacles.
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
A young swimmer and a friendly flamingo try a variety of graceful poses and learn that everything is better with a friend.
Flora and the Flamingo is created with beautifully soft illustrations and playful flips to make the story interactive and fun for every reader. There is more to this wonderful series as well!
Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage
As a master of disguise, Walrus makes his way around town while he hides from his zookeeper.
Where’s Walrus? is sure to bring laughs as readers find clever Walrus in a variety of disguises from store mannequin to fountain statue. If you enjoyed this book, also try its sequel, Where’s Walrus?: and Penguin?
