Baker's Dozen Selections: Wordless Books

After examining the cover illustration, adults and children can notice that the first pages show a gift arriving for a new baby. Consider together whether that might be the bear and baby from the book’s cover. If so, the child has probably loved this bear since infancy.

When reading this book with younger children, adults can point to each picture and use simple words to describe what’s happening.  This POINT AND TELL technique will help children’s vocabulary grow.  Children may want to “read” along with adults and label or describe some of the pictures themselves.  Simply pointing and saying one word is a good start to becoming a reader. 

Older children will be eager to examine the pictures more closely and answer questions about what’s happening in them (e.g. “Oh! Oh!  What do you think the Mommy is saying now?”)   Help children relate the story to how they feel about their own favorite toys.

Because the book is wordless, adults may want to narrate what is happening in each picture and ask their child for their contributions. For some families a folding ruler may be something that is familiar to the adult but new to the child. Adults can take this opportunity to describe the different uses for a tool like this. Replicas of folding rulers can be made using poster board and paper fasteners. Discuss ways children could use these replicas when taking them home. After reading the story, families can spend time looking at the different tools on the inside of the front and back cover.

Before sharing this story with a child, families may want to preview the book and think of some questions that they want to ask their child when reading. Questions like “What did the children find?” and “How do you think they felt when the dinosaur came to life?” will help spark children’s storytelling. Families can set the stage for children by asking them to think about times they have drawn with chalk outside. In what ways can chalk drawings be erased? It might be a good idea to talk with children about the ending of the story, too. For example, families can ask children what they think will happen next. These questions can help to fill the pages of a wordless picture book with a LOT of interesting conversation!

Explain to families that a wordless picture book allows a child the opportunity to practice language and comprehension. They must interpret the story by looking closely at the pictures—the scenery, the action, and the expressions of feelings in the characters. Taking turns on every other page allows the children to hear and understand the adult's interpretation and also have a chance to do their own thinking. Family members can ask children questions – such as "Why do you think she feels that way?" or "Why does she look happy?" – to help them further express their thoughts. Share with families how to repeat and expand upon the child's use of language. For example, the child says, "Doggie scared," and the adult says, "Yes, the little doggie looks scared." 

When reading a wordless book with children, adults can choose to provide narrative on some pages, and they can also choose to offer a few moments of quiet for children to observe and interpret what they see. Children can take the lead in turning pages so that adults can follow their pace and pose questions when something causes their child to pause. Adults can point out the different ways that people in the story are demonstrating kindness, and connect the story to their child’s daily routine. Thinking about your child’s day, were there ways that someone provided a simple act of kindness for them? Was there an opportunity where they provided kindness to another?

Wordless books provide a wonderful opportunity for readers to create a story in their own words. This builds vocabulary as well as creativity and imagination. Encourage adults to use the cover and title of the book as a guide to make their own predictions about the story and to practice this same strategy before reading with children. Assure adults that there is no right or wrong way to read a wordless book; in fact, the beauty of a wordless book is that the story is different upon each re-read. Children can take turns being the reader, too, and adults can support their reading by expanding on their ideas and helping them notice specifics in the pictures. This interaction will allow adults to see the book through the eyes of their children, as their children build stories around the detailed and meaningful illustrations.

Because this is a wordless book, remind parents that it is important to page through this story at least twice, once to observe the pictures and then to tell the story in detail. It would be fun to give the characters in this story a name and perhaps find words to describe their personalities. This would build vocabulary and help develop an understanding of character. Try turn-taking, asking the child to “read” alternate pages to read/tell the story. This is an example of delayed gratification as the girl saves throughout the year to buy the bicycle. Discuss ways to encourage your child to save up for something special or for special events.

Talk with families about the importance of visual literacy. Model reading the pictures in The Lion and the Mouse aloud. Share other wordless books with families that they can practice reading together.

Encourage adults to spend some time with the book, observing the illustrations and recognizing the freedom for both adults and children to tell the story in their own words. Point out that the end pages at the front and back of the book provide a hint to the story. Adults can take time to compare the apartments inside the front cover with those inside the back cover, and can prompt their child to do the same. When looking at the illustrations, adults can consider and guess what might draw their child’s eye based on their child’s specific interests. When enjoying a wordless book, adults can provide some of the narrative by labeling and describing what they see, and also let children tell the story by asking open-ended questions.

The beauty of a wordless book is that readers can tell the story in their own words. In this particular story, there is much to talk about. Adults may want to preview the book before reading it with children to consider what types of prompts and questions they wish to use when reading. For example, adults may ask questions such as: What does the little girl see while walking? In what places does she find flowers? What do you think she will do with the flowers she is collecting? As the little girl encounters a bird that has died, a man sleeping on a park bench, and a friendly dog out for a walk, adults can say, “I wonder what the little girl is thinking,” or “What do you think the little girl is thinking about?” This allows children to express their thoughts and also helps adults gain insight into how the children are interpreting the events in the story. In this way, the book becomes a foundation for important conversations that help children make sense of the world around them.