Booklist: Wordless Picturebooks
More and more teachers are discovering that wordless picture books can inspire incredible literacy work across the whole primary age range. Books that tell stories through pictures alone can help to develop visual literacy, expand the imagination, start discussions about interpretation and give children space to add their own written narratives. Here are some of the best wordless picturebooks for primary school children.
In this stunning picture book, which is wordless except for the odd animal sound, Aesop’s famous fable gets a reworking in an African Serengeti setting. The pictures tells the story of a ferocious lion who is freed from a hunter’s trap by a little mouse, whom the lion had spared from being eaten once before. This is a book that will have children of all ages hooked through its timeless themes of friendship and kindness as well as its incredibly vivid artwork bringing deep human emotions into the world of nature.
Award-winning author David Wiesner has the incredible ability to draw the reader into a world where the strangest and most magical of events take place as if they are completely normal. On this particular Tuesday, a small group of frogs take flight from their lily pads and go on a whimsical adventure that will invite children to let their imaginations run free and complete the fantasy by deciding what unlikely events will occur next Tuesday.
The intensely detailed illustrations guide the reader through the story of three children who discover some enchanted chalk on a rainy day. Whatever they draw magically comes to life and the children are filled with delight at their creations, until one of the boys draws a Tyrannosaurus Rex and the children need to figure out a way to escape the dilemma they now face. This book lends itself well to drama and story-making, particular if you provide a few chalks and a clear playground!
A very topical migrant story told through textless images. When a man leaves his family to search for a better life for them far away, he finds himself in a strange city with all sorts of unfamiliar people, bizarre animals and floating objects. Nothing is familiar, and owning only a suitcase and a little bit of money, the immigrant must navigate his way through his sense of deep displacement and find a way of connecting with the people he meets. This compelling book captures the brave act of leaving everything behind and searching for a future in another world.
Three children find a time capsule and as they look through its contents they find a secret underground path to another world called Seahorse Pier. There are lots of details in the distinctive illustrations and the concept of this book is great for inspiring new story plots.
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