A Story Without Words
As a writer, words are a source of joy, and they are a necessity in my life! But being a photographer has taught me to also see stories within images. Needless to say, wordless books bring a new sense of delight to my reading repertoire.
Books without words create beautiful opportunities for storytelling. They can be a powerful confidence booster to a struggling child learning to read. They allow for creativity in expression both in the making of the book as well as the telling of the story. For older kids, allow them to explore writing using wordless books as their inspiration. They can create new characters, try out literary elements, use descriptive settings, etc. to increase their writing skills.
Engaging the reader with skills such as critical thinking, imaginative play, and sequential order of events are just a few things offered with a book free from written words. It invites a reader to co-author a story with their own emotions! The best thing of all is that wordless books are perfect for any age…the perfect prompt to practice the art of storytelling!
As you reading or listening to someone read a wordless story to you, encourage questions about the character, the setting, the senses, the theme or meaning behind the story, the conflict or problem, resolution (if there is one) and why the reader chose their particular plot. No two wordless books will be read with the same story. That is the pure joy of it…there is no right or wrong way to share the story. Enjoy the journey!
A collection of some favorites are listed below! Check them out and start sharing your own interpretive storytelling with those you love most! As The Story Starter, I am a HUGE fan of wordless books! Let me know which of these special books make your favorite list. Oh, and I’d LOVE to hear your story version to your favorite!
The Flower Man by Mark Ludy
Found by Jeff Newman and Larry Day
One Little Bag by Henry Cole
Hike by Pete Oswald
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli
Another by Christian Robinson
Waltz of the Snowflakes by Elly Mackay
Bee & Me by Alison Jay
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Float by Daniel Miyares
The Hero of Little Street by Gregory Rogers
Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson
Changes, Changes by Pat Hutchins
The Little Paintbrush by Bjorn Rorvick
Fly by Mark Teague
Chalk by Bill Thomson
Journey by Aaron Becker
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Wave by Suzy Lee
Door by Jihyeon Lee
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Why by Nikolai Popov
Draw the Line by Kathyrn Otoshi
Window by Jeannie Baker
Carl Goes Shopping by Alexander Day
Sector 7 by David Weisner
Alphabet City by Stephen Johnson
Flashlight by Liz Boyd
Owl, Bat, Bat, Owl by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann