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8 Wonderfully Wordless Picture Books

by Janssen Bradshaw

Photo credit: kohei_hara, E+ Collection/Getty Images

It took me years to embrace wordless picture books. As a voracious reader, I tended to focus more on the text than the art, and struggled to get into books that didn’t include any words.

But as a librarian and now as a parent, I’ve really come to love and appreciate them.

They’re perfect for reluctant readers who can enjoy a book and build positive literary experiences without the stress of reading words. They also give children a chance to focus on the art and observe all the amazing details the illustrator has included. They’re great for active reading — you can point things out together, make sounds, and act out the plot. And they work with your schedule; you decide how long or short to make the story.

These are eight of my favorite wordless picture books.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2021.