Chalk (Bill Thomson)

 

I used this during summer school for writing stories. It is a wordless book, similar to the story of Harold and the Purple Crayon or Bad Day at Riverbend. Beautiful illustrations! 

Goodreads says:

Three children discover a magical bag of chalk on a rainy day

Red Hat (Lita Judge)

 

Books like this make me want to make a better effort to gather up some ideas about how to teach with wordless books.

Goodreads says:

A series of exuberant read-aloud sound effects perfectly capture the whimsy and joy of a springtime frolic in this companion to Red Sled. In this almost wordless springtime picture book, an adorable crew of baby animals borrows a familiar-looking red hat (last seen on the head of Red Sled’s unsuspecting protagonist) and embarks on a joy-filled escapade—until all that is left is a long piece of red string! Their playful romp is gorgeously depicted in bold watercolor and complemented by humorous expressions and pitch-perfect sound effects. With a timeless tone and classic characters, Red Hat promises to be an instant favorite.

One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey (Henry Cole)

 

Great way to introduce a recycling unit!

Goodreads says:

A wordless book that starts from a tall tree growing in the forest -
to the checkout counter at the grocery store -
one brown bag finds its way into the hands of a young boy on the eve of his first day of school.

And so begins the journey of one brown bag that is used
and re-used
and re-used again.

In a three-generation family, the bag is transporter of objects and keeper of memories. And when Grandfather comes to the end of his life, the family finds a meaningful new way for the battered, but much-loved brown bag to continue its journey in the circle of life.

The Great Zapfino (Mac Barnett)

 

I love it when my students start to realize styles of an author. When I said we had read other Mac Barnet books and asked if they could recall, it made them excited about this one. They were confused as to whether the circus was a dream? Or was jumping out of the window a flash back? We never could really decide.

This book is mostly wordless. Zapfino never says anything. I had the students volunteer to tell the story on each page that was wordless. The things they notice are amazing. Not giving Zapfino any dialogue or text made it more relatable for the students, I think. They could be Zapfino.

This could make for a great discussion about how we need to face our fears eventually. 

My students are always taken by black and white illustrations and ask why the author made it look like that. Usually what they ask is why did he make it so old? 

Goodreads says:

From two Caldecott Honor–winning creators comes a sweet and inspiring picture book about a runaway circus performer who learns to face his fears and follow his heart.

When The Great Zapfino climbs to the top of the circus platform, all eyes are on him, waiting for his incredible leap. But Zapfino is afraid of heights! He can’t take the pressure and flees, boards a plane, and runs away to start a new life.

In the city, Zapfino starts work as an elevator operator in a tall building but soon learns you can never really outrun your fears. When disaster strikes, can Zapfino find the strength to be great?

Dude! (Aaron Reynolds and Dan Santat)

 

Dream Team: Aaron Reynolds and Dan Santat!

Only Aaron Reynolds (of Creepy Carrots fame) and Dan Santat could pull off a book with one word. It's on every page and it makes sense. 

Goodreads says:

Aaron Reynolds, the author of Nerdy Birdy and Creepy Carrots! teams up with Dan Santat, the Caldecott–winning illustrator behind The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend to create the hilarious, gnarly summer adventure picture book, Dude!

Dude! You have to read this book.

It's totally about this platypus and this beaver who are friends. They want to go surfing but dude, there's this shark who's in the ocean, too.

But don't worry. This shark approaches and you'll never guess what happens.

Lift (Minh Le and Dan Santas)

 

Every kid will relate to Iris. Who doesn't love pushing the elevator buttons?!

This story doesn't have a lot of words...but the pictures tell a lot! 

One great thing that came out of this is one of my students made a comment that she is really being a rock brain (we are doing Superflex and have learned about the villain, Rock Brain). He was right! 

We loved how the girl lets her brother join in the adventure at the end. Good connections made to Magic Treehouse

Minh Le is amazing. I loved Drawn Together and I don't think I've ever come across a book Dan Santas is involved with that I didn't like. 

Goodreads says:
When Iris's elevator button-pushing is disrupted by a new member of the family, she's pretty put out.
That is, until the sudden appearance of a mysterious new button opens up entire realms of possibility, places where she can escape and explore on her own.
This is a story that will lift your spirits and expand your imagination, by the award-winning creators of Drawn Together.

A Stone for Sasha (Aaron Becker)

It's very good for me...and my students to read wordless books. It makes me slow down and really think about what is happening in the story. I really love reading books like this with my class and allowing them to discuss and figure out the story as we go. The illustrations in this story are beautiful and thought provoking. Goodreads says: A girl grieves the loss of her dog in an achingly beautiful wordless epic from the Caldecott Honor–winning creator of Journey. This year’s summer vacation will be very different for a young girl and her family without Sascha, the beloved family dog, along for the ride. But a wistful walk along the beach to gather cool, polished stones becomes a brilliant turning point in the girl’s grief. There, at the edge of a vast ocean beneath an infinite sky, she uncovers, alongside the reader, a profound and joyous truth. In his first picture book following the conclusion of his best-selling Journey trilogy, Aaron Becker achieves a tremendous feat, connecting the private, personal loss of one child to a cycle spanning millennia — and delivering a stunningly layered tale that demands to be pored over again and again.

I Walk With Vanessa (Kerascoet)

It's perfect that this is a wordless book because it will really facilitate a great discussion, I'm sure. The illustrations are super cute.

Reread June 2022: I don't read wordless books very often with my grade 3 class. This one was a great one for that. My students were thoughtful about what the story was and the little details they noticed. 

Goodreads says:

Inspired by real events and told only in pictures, this is an empowering picture book from a New York Times bestselling husband-and-wife team about one girl who inspires a community to stand up to bullying.


This simple yet powerful picture book tells the story of an elementary school girl named Vanessa who is bullied and a fellow student who witnesses the act and is at first unsure of how to help. I Walk with Vanessa explores the feelings of helplessness and anger that arise in the wake of seeing a classmate treated badly, and shows how a single act of kindness can lead to an entire community joining in to help. With themes of acceptance, kindness, and strength in numbers, this timeless and profound feel-good story will resonate with readers young and old.

A Stone for Sascha

It's very good for me to read wordless books. It makes me slow down and really think about what is happening in the story. I really love reading books like this with my class and allowing them to discuss and figure out the story as we go.

The illustrations in this story are beautiful and thought provoking.

Goodreads says:

A girl grieves the loss of her dog in an achingly beautiful wordless epic from the Caldecott Honor–winning creator of Journey.

This year’s summer vacation will be very different for a young girl and her family without Sascha, the beloved family dog, along for the ride. But a wistful walk along the beach to gather cool, polished stones becomes a brilliant turning point in the girl’s grief. There, at the edge of a vast ocean beneath an infinite sky, she uncovers, alongside the reader, a profound and joyous truth. In his first picture book following the conclusion of his best-selling Journey trilogy, Aaron Becker achieves a tremendous feat, connecting the private, personal loss of one child to a cycle spanning millennia — and delivering a stunningly layered tale that demands to be pored over again and again.

Flora and the Peacocks (Molly Idle)

I haven't read a wordless book to my class before though. As I started showing the pictures, they were puzzled. Why aren't there any words? Then one said: Hey! We read The Book With No Pictures and it was good. Now we have a book with no words! Soon they settled down and just watched as the story unfolded before them.

Flora does a dance of sorts with the peacocks. When she dances with one the other feels sad. They continue on in this little dance until the peacocks seem to break her fan and she is sad. They make it up to her though. On the last page the page folds out into beautiful peacock tails. My class literally gasped when I opened it up.

I read on Goodreads that there are more Flora books. I definitely need to check them out!

Goodreads summary:

The darling, dancing Flora is back, and this time she's found two new friends: a pair of peacocks! But amidst the fanning feathers and mirrored movements, Flora realizes that the push and pull between three friends can be a delicate dance. Will this trio find a way to get back in step? In the third book featuring Flora and her feathered friends, Molly Idle's gorgeous art combines with clever flaps to reveal that no matter the challenges, true friends will always find a way to dance, leap, and soar—together.

Sidewalk Flowers (Jon Arno Lawson)

Love the book. I'm not really sure how to share wordless books very well in a classroom setting though. Could take pictures and show it on the smart board, I suppose. It would be interesting to give copies to groups of kids and have them discuss what lessons we learn from this story and then compare it to what other groups discover. It would be interesting to do it as well with adults, actually!

I think this story is about noticing the little beautiful things that are around us as well as sharing those beauties with others along the way. At first I thought perhaps the dad was ignoring her and not noticing these things, but he has his own things he is noticing as well as people he is interacting with.


Goodreads summary:

In this wordless picture book, a little girl collects wildflowers while her distracted father pays her little attention. Each flower becomes a gift, and whether the gift is noticed or ignored, both giver and recipient are transformed by their encounter. "Written" by award-winning poet JonArno Lawson and brought to life by illustrator Sydney Smith, Sidewalk Flowers is an ode to the importance of small things, small people, and small gestures.

Flashlight (Lizi Boyd)

I took a speed reading course. It changed my reading - not for the better. I tend to rush through books. I have grown to love wordless books because they make me stop and really look and think about what is happening.



This book did that. The boy is camping and ventures out with his flashlight. Scary!! However, soon fun and interesting discoveries are made and an interaction with a silly racoon make it even more interactive.

Goodreads Summary
Inside a tent it's cozy. But what is going on outside? Is it dark? Is it scary? Not if you have your trusty flashlight! Told solely through images and using a spare yet dramatic palette, artist Lizi Boyd has crafted a masterful exploration of night, nature, and art. Both lyrical and humorous, this visual poem—like the flashlight beam itself—reveals that there is magic in the darkness. We just have to look for it.