There are great picture books where the words and drawings work so well together that they stir up something in you or make you and your little ones laugh out loud. But I must let you in on a secret: wordless picture books can do the same or more! I’ve really seen the benefits of these books on my children at every stage of their progression from non-readers to fully literate and our family love including these as part of our reading.

So let’s briefly cover them: why do we love wordless picture books?

1. They spark the children’s imagination because the kids are the story tellers alongside the illustrators. It is so exciting for them to be in the driving seat for a change!

2. They are great for active reading- parents and kids can point things out together, make sounds, make believe conversations and even act out the plot!

3. Children get to focus on the art and observe all the amazing details the illustrator has included.

4. They are great for new or reluctant readers- younger siblings who may not be able to read yet feel very much included as they can join in and participate fully with the story telling. For older reluctant readers, they can enjoy a book and build positive literary experiences without the stress of reading words.

5. There can be multiple interpretations of the story- it’s fun to go back to the book and come up with something new or different!

6. As a bilingual family, we enjoy reading wordless picture books in different languages. I try to encourage my son- can you tell me the story in Mandarin this time?

7. Wordless picture books can even work with your schedule- you decide how long or short to make the story!

Here are 3 of our favorites:

(note all available for reservation from the HK library if you are based here)

1. Journey by Aaron Becker- cheating a little bit here as it’s actually a trilogy, with the second and third books being Quest and Return. A magical journey through a portal- how cool!

Journey trilogy

2. Draw by Raul Colon- a mini safari with lots of different animals

Draw