Reading a Wordless Picture Book

The wonderful world of wordless books

Have you ever picked up a wordless picture book and sat there unsure of what to do with it? How to share it with your child? The illustrations may be mesmerizing, but with few words or no words at all, how does the story come to life? That is where you come in!

Tips for reading wordless picture books:

• Model thinking aloud while reading. As you read, talk about what you are thinking when something catches your attention and invite your child to do the same. This simple act is an example of metacognition or thinking about your thinking. It is one way to build a child’s background knowledge and sharpen their reading comprehension skills.
• Describe what you see on each page – and ask questions. “Wow, look at that fox in the corner! What do you think it just did?” or “Where is the lion? That’s right! Why do you think it has that goofy grin on its face?”
• Use seek-and-find questions. Questions like these lead to your child improving their observation skills, kind of like your own version of the game I Spy.
• Write your own version of the story with your child. Wordless picture books are open enough that different interpretations are encouraged. Ask your child to dream with you about what has happened in the story – and how they would make it different in their own version.
• Encourage imagination through “what ifs.” Children and caregivers alike can use their imagination to the fullest extent by imagining “what ifs” on every page. What if it started to rain at the midnight fair? What would the woodland creatures do then?

What makes wordless books magic?

Wordless picture books are a natural opportunity to engage in more conversations with our children beyond just reading a nice story together.

These books naturally invite the exploration of storytelling and world building as readers draw inferences from what they observe. Wordless picture books help us slow down, put more effort into looking at the illustrations, and ignite our imaginations.

My favorite wordless picture books – and how to read them

The beautiful thing about wordless picture books is there is no right or wrong way to tell the story. Here are a few of my favorite wordless picture books and how you can “read” them successfully.

The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer shows readers the fun that woodland creatures have when all the humans have gone to bed and the fair has been locked up for the night. The illustrations are magical, and the scenes vary from silly to delightful to thoughtful.

A fun idea for you and your child is to vary the reading experience by getting out a magnifying glass and skimming the pages. Seeing the illustrations with an enlarged point of view, you’ll probably notice something new that you might’ve missed before.

Field Trip to Volcano Island by John Hare takes readers on an adventure that is unexpectedly sweet! The story hits a fork in the road by following one student who is accidentally left behind, and an unexpected friendship begins to unfold. This book is filled with emotion without having to read a single word.

You can ask your child about what they think the characters are feeling or about the actions of characters and how those actions affect others around them. Including these in the reading experience can help your child pay attention to visual clues that foreshadow what could happen next.

The Balcony by Melissa Castrillón is a story that beckons readers to explore the topic of change and what we find important to us. The main character experiences change when she moves from her former home to a new one in a big city. At first, she feels uneasy about everything, but then she plants a new seed in a flowerpot with one word on the page – hope.

As the plant changes and grows, so does the girl as she adapts to her new surroundings. Also, as new friendships begin to bloom, the main character and her family feel positive about what this big change has brought to their lives.

One Little Bag by Henry Cole is a beautiful story that gently takes the hand of readers through the journey that one brown paper bag takes. We’re shown how even the little things in life can help us feel connected with one another. The paper bag’s journey spans generations and navigates through some crucial life moments, like falling in love and starting a family.

The only colors that are highlighted are the brown paper bag itself and the red hearts drawn on it. Throughout the story, ask your child what they notice about the bag and its significance to each moment that is shared with readers.

I hope reading these titles with your child will both strengthen your bond and foster a greater love of reading! You can find these titles and more at tccl.bibliocommons.com. Happy reading!