Once upon a time, about oh…5 years ago, I did back to back Brainstorms on my favorite wordless picture books and wordless graphic novels. It’s been a while since 2016 so I think it is time for more great wordless books that have come out in the past 5 years, or at least come to my attention and our library shelves within that time. Wordless books are wonderful for many educational reasons (I listed several in those previous Brainstorms). And they are usually amazing works of art too. I also like how wordless books are more likely to be published in multiple countries (they only have to translate the cover and publication info), so they can introduce you to creators from other countries you might not otherwise be exposed to. If you are looking for a feast for the eyes and a workout for the brain, hunt down some of these titles. I have a lot of titles to share with you, so I’m going to split this into two weeks. I'm including summaries here; click on the book titles to see my full review and more info about each one.
Andrew the Seeker (Game for Adventure) by Lee Nordling, ill. by Scott Roberts
Andrew spots the monster he has drawn outside his window and sets out with his adventuring hat and a net to catch the creature. But the monster plays one serious game of hide-n-seek. Will Andrew ever catch it?
Target Readers:
Graphic Novel Fans, Humor Fans, Hide-n-Seek Fans, Lower Grade Readers
Before After by Anne-Margot Ramstein & Matthias Arégui
A series of pictures that display a before and after. It may be something that will change in a matter of seconds, like fireworks before they explode and their display in the sky. Or it could be something that will take many days or decades, like a cow in a field becoming a painting of a cow in a field, a well-kept house becoming a broken down relic, or an acorn and a mighty oak. From seasons to productions, they have one thing in common, one thing came before the other. This creative pair also has another wordless book Inside Outside.
Target Readers:
Puzzle Lovers (some spreads take puzzling to figure out), Kids Learning about Sequence Concepts, Those Looking for Books by French Creators, Picture Book Readers
Door by JiHyeon Lee
A boy finds a key with a colorful bug beside it. In a world without color, the bug is captivating and the boy follows it to a door that the key opens. He suddenly finds himself in a world bursting with color and new creatures and languages. Afraid at first, he eventually finds friendship in this world, even if the languages are foreign and creatures he meets look strange.
Target Readers:
Cross-Cultural Explorers, Fantasy Fans, Adventure Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Those Looking for Books by Korean Creators, Portal World Story Fans, Picture Book Readers
The Farmer and the Monkey (The Farmer Books, #2) by Marla Frazee
The Farmer, who is obviously missing his little clown friend (met in the first wordless book in this series, The Farmer and the Clown), finds himself caring for a new visitor who has an overabundance of energy. The illustrations in this are hilarious, and for those who enjoy the Farmer's adventures in kindness, there's a 3rd Farmer book slated to come out in April 2021.
Target Readers:
Kindness Story Fans, Humor Fans, Monkey Lovers, Picture Book Readers
Flora and the Peacocks (Flora series) by Molly Idle
Flora is trying to dance with some peacocks, but the peacocks get jealous whenever Flora pays attention to just one of them. Soon, no one is having fun, but eventually they work things out. Strategic flaps help tell the story.
Flora has other wordless book adventures with flamingos, penguins, chicks, and an ostrich book with just a couple words.
Target Readers:
Social Skills Story Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Lift-the-Flap Fans, Bird Lovers, Dance Lovers, Picture Book Readers
Fly! by Mark Teague
Mama Bird thinks it is time for Baby Bird to learn how to fly so they can go South. Baby Bird isn't so sure about flying, but he does have other methods of transportation in mind. Can Mama Bird convince Baby Bird to try flying? It is amazing how much of a humorous conversation Teague conveys with just illustrations.
Target Readers:
Humor Fans, Bird Lovers, Those Looking for Stories about Trying New (Maybe Scary) Things, Picture Book Readers
I Walk with Vanessa: a Story about a Simple Act of Kindness by Kerascoët
A wordless story about a girl who witnesses another girl being bullied and comes up with a great idea of how to help, by walking with her to school. There's an adult discussion guide in the back of the book.
Target Readers:
Kindness Story Fans, Anti-bullying Story Fans, Inspirational Story Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Those Looking for Books by French Creators, Picture Book Readers
Imagine! by Raúl Colón
A boy goes to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and has an amazing day in the city when characters from several paintings come to life. He's then inspired to create some artwork of his own. Make sure you read the author's note in the back of this one!
Target Readers:
Art Lovers & Studiers, Fantasy Fans, Those Looking for a Picture Book Tour of New York City, Picture Book Readers
Letters to a Prisoner by Jacques Goldstyn
A man peacefully protesting is unjustly arrested and thrown into prison by the opposition. The guards snatch away any letters he gets, but when word of his plight gets out, a flood of letters helps him get out of prison. The author’s note says that this is written in honor of Amensty International’s Write for Rights that helps get encouraging letters to people unjustly imprisoned around the world.
Target Readers:
Human Rights Story Fans, Symbolism Studiers, Fantasy Fans, Graphic Novel Fans, Middle Grade Readers
The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His ABCs (the Hard Way) by Patrick McDonnell
Little Red Cat ends up on quite the chase after accidentally upsetting an alligator, a bear, a chicken, and a dragon. Their chase takes them all over the place, with each page highlighting something or an action that starts with the letter of the alphabet displayed. There's a guide for what each item or action was in the back of the book for those who like to check. This one is just begging to be a creative writing prompt.
Target Readers:
Humor Fans, Animal Lovers, Alphabet Book Fans, Picture Book Readers
Looking Down by Steve Jenkins
If you were an astronaut in space and zoomed in on one spot on Earth, what could you see? This book provides one possible perspective, with each page a little more zoomed in on one spot on Earth.
Target Readers:
Curious Readers, Kids Studying Perspective, Nonfiction Fans, Picture Book Readers
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