Wordless Picture Books

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka (2011, Schwartz & Wade) Caldecott Award Winner

Daisy loves her red ball, she takes it to the park, plays with it at home, and even sleeps with it on the couch.  But Daisy is saddened when her ball is popped by a bigger dog while playing at the park.  What will Daisy play with now?

Beaver is Lost by Elisha Cooper (2010, Dragonfly Books)

Oh, no—Beaver is lost!

Will he ever find his way home after being separated from his family?

Bluebird by Bob Staake (2013, Schwartz & Wade)

A lonely young boy, befriended by a tiny blue bird. Their friendship grows until the bird risks its life to protect the boy from harm.

A Boy, A Dog, and a Frog by Mercer Mayer (2003, first published 1967, Puffin Books)

A boy, his dog, and a then they find a frog.  Will they be able to catch him?

(look for more wordless titles by Mercer Mayer)

The Boy and the Airplane by Mark Pett (2013, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

A young boy, his lost airplane, and many attempts to get it back.  His last idea for retrieval takes root, leaving him waiting and waiting.  What happens when he finally gets his plane back in his hands may surprise you.

The Boys by Jeff Newman (2010, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

A quiet boy tries to conquer his shyness and find the courage to play ball with the other kids in the park, but he needs a little help, and finds it from some unexpected friends.

Chalk by Bill Thomson (2013, Two Lions)

On a rainy day, three kids find a bag of chalk at the playground.  They begin to draw and the magic begins!

Chicken and Cat by Sara Varon (2006, Scholastic Press)

Country Cat comes to the city to stay with his best friend, Chicken.  While there’s lots to do in the city, it’s missing the things Cat loves about the country.  Chicken tries everything to help Cat adjust to city life, but the big city adventures can’t make up for what Cat’s missing about the country.  Then Cat has an idea to plant a garden in an empty city lot and while the city blooms, Cat and Chicken’s friendship does too.

(look for other Chicken & Cat titles)

The Conductor by Laëtitia Devernay (2011, Chronicle Books)

An orchestra conductor and a grove of trees in perfect harmony.  The conductor brings the trees to a new kind of life, celebrating the beauty of nature.

Daisy Gets Lost by Chris Raschka (2013, Schwartz & Wade)

Daisy plays with her ball in the park, sees a squirrel and starts a chase, only to find herself lost!  Where is her owner?  Will they ever find each other?

The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee (2014, Beach Lane Books)

A young clown accidently bounces off the circus train and lands on the lonely farmer’s big, empty field.  Feeling unsure of what to do, the farmer rescues the lost little clown and takes him into his home.  The day they spent together may change the farmer and the clown forever.

Flashlight by Lizi Boyd (2014, Chronicle Books)

A boy and his flashlight discover the magic of the darkness, there’s so much to see with the help of the light’s bright beam.

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle (2013, Chronicle Books) Caldecott Honor Book

Flora and the Flamingo dance their way into an unlikely friendship.  The interactive flaps show the reader the flips, turns, and flops of their theatrical journey as friends.

Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle (2014, Chronicle Books)

Flora takes to the ice as she twirls, glides, spins, and flips into another unlikely friendship with a penguin.  More interactive flaps reveal the flips and flops of becoming friends.

Flotsam by David Wiesner (2014, Clarion Books) Caldecott Award Winner

A young boy heads to the beach to search for flotsam – anything floating that has been washed ashore.  To his surprise, he finds an unusual kind of flotsam, a barnacle-encrusted underwater camera that has much to reveal.

Follow Carl (part of the Good Dog Carl! series #9) by Alexandra Day (1998, Farrar, Straus, & Giroux (BYR)

Carl the dog is everyone’s favorite babysitter.  In this wordless book, Carl takes the children on a fun game of follow-the-leader, getting them to do some silly things!

The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett (2014, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

The shiny green bike in a store window catches the little girl’s eye. She works hard to save up enough money to buy it, only to find the bike was already sold.  Her hard work does not go unnoticed though, what happens next is an act of kindness and generosity.

Home by Jeannie Baker (2010, Greenwillow Books) 

A visual journey of how a girl and her neighbors plant grass, bushes and trees and paint over old graffiti to rescue their neighborhood street. As everything begins to bloom, their city street becomes a home.

Journey by Aaron Becker (Journey Trilogy #1) (2013, Candlewick)

A lonely girl draws a magic door with a red crayon on her bedroom wall that opens up to a great journey.  The magic red crayon leads her through a journey of adventure, danger and discovery.

Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd (2013, Chronicle Books)

Peek through the window to see what’s happening outside, peek again to see what’s happening inside.  There are surprising details to discover with every turn of the page, just take a peek!

Last Night by Hyewon Yum (2008, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (BYR)

A little girl and her bear go on a dream adventure into the forest after being sent to her room for not eating her dinner.  In their fantastic dream, the girl and her bear dance and play all night until they awake.

Readers of Where the Wild Things Are may delight in this wordless book!

The Line by Paula Bossio (2013, Kids Can Press)

A little girl comes upon a line, a special line.  With a shake, twist, or pull, the line transforms into many things.  Does this line end, and what, or who, is at the other end?

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (2009, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Caldecott Award Winner

This wordless version of Aesop’s fable explores the acts of kindness between an unlikely pair, the lion and the mouse.

Mirror by Suzy Lee (2010, Seven Footer Press)

A girl meets her reflection in the mirror.  However, the girl and her reflection may not always see eye to eye. A wordless story that reminds us that our actions have consequences.

Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner (2013, Clarion Books) Caldecott Honor Book

Mr. Wuffles isn’t interested in the regular cat toys, instead he focuses his interest on the little spaceship filled with real, tiny aliens.  As the tiny aliens escape the cat, they make some insect friends who team up with them to defeat the eager Mr. Wuffles.

Owly & Wormy: Friends All Aflutter! by Andy Runton (2011, Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

Owly and Wormy decide to get a plant that will attract butterflies. But all the plant attracts are fat, green bugs…not what they were hoping for.  But, they are fun bugs in other ways, maybe even better than butterflies…

Quest by Aaron Becker (Journey Trilogy #2) (2014, Candlewick)

The sequel to Journey, the young girl and her new friend continue on their journey, this time a quest to rescue the king and his kingdom.

Re-Zoom by Istvan Banyai (1998, Puffin Books)

Re-Zoom from place to place in another book of visual deception by Istvan Banyai.  You may think you know where you are, but nothing is ever as it seems.

The Red Book by Barbara Lehman (2004, HMH Books for Young Readers) Caldecott Honor Book

A book about a book, a very special red book that takes a little girl on a magical journey from place to place.

Sea of Dreams by Dennis Nolan (2011, Roaring Brook Press)

A lone girl at the beach builds an elaborate sand castle.  As night falls, she heads for home and as a high-tide wave approaches her castle, a light comes on in one of its windows…

The Secret Box by Barbara Lehman (2011, HMH Books for Young Readers)

Who knows what you’ll find when you look in the secret box.  Find a secret box, read a secret message, and get ready for an adventure!

Shadow by Suzy Lee (2010, Chronicle Books)

With a flip of a light switch and a vivid imagination, a little girl quickly turns a dark, ordinary attic into a shadow play land that even surprises herself!

Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleischmann & Kevin Hawkes (2007, Candlewick)

A sidewalk circus that demands your close attention, a show like you’ve never before seen is about to begin!

So Many Circles, So Many Squares by Tana Hoban (1998, Greenwillow Books)

A wordless concept book about shapes in the environment.  Children will start seeing shapes everywhere after reading this book.

(Look for other wordless concept books by Tana Hoban including More, Fewer Less – Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral – All about Where – Cubes, Cones, Cylinders & Spheres)

Thunderstorm by Arthur Geisert (2013, Enchanted Lion Books)

It’s a Saturday afternoon, July 15^th at 12:15 pm and a thunderstorm strikes a family’s Midwestern farm. A continuous illustration follows the thunderstorm until it finally clears by 6:15 pm. The only text is the time displayed at the bottom of each page, as the thunderstorm wreaks havoc on the countryside.

The Tooth Fairy by Peter Collington (1995, Knopf Books for Young Readers)

Have you ever wondered what the Tooth Fairy does with all the teeth she collects?  This wordless story-board format explores the possibilities.

The Tortoise and the Hare by Jerry Pinkney (2013, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Another classic, wordless version of one of Aesop’s fable explores the virtue of perseverance and humility, slow and steady wins the race.

The Treasure Bath by Dan Andereasen (2009, Henry Holt & Co. (BYR)

A little boy makes a fun mess baking with his mom. As the goodies bake, it’s time for a bath, a treasure bath, an exploration of the sea beneath the bubbles.

The Tree House by Marije Tolman, Ronald Tolman (2010, Lemniscaat USA)

A polar bear takes a ride on a whale to a tree that rises out of the water, a tree that holds a tree house high above the sea.  Polar bear is joined by brown bear and the two of them find the treehouse to be the perfect spot to read a book. Soon the bears are joined by more and more animals, making the tree house a true place of wonder and delight.

Tuesday by David Wiesner (2011, HMH Books for Young Readers) Caldecott Award Winner

It’s Tuesday night and the frogs take flight. Hopping on their lily pads, the frogs travel about the town while the people sleep soundly.

The Umbrella by Ingrid & Dieter Schubert (2010, Lemniscaat USA)

It’s a windy autumn day when dog and cat find a red umbrella leaning against a tree. Dog takes hold of the handle and quickly gets swept away. Up into the air dog goes, on a fantastic journey around the world.

Un-Brella by Scott E. Franson (2007, Roaring Brook Press)

A little girl and her magical umbrella can change the weather!  When she opens her umbrella on a snowy day, the sun shines from inside the umbrella and spring flowers thaw the frozen ground below! What would you do with this magical umbrella?

Unspoken: A Story of the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole (2012, Scholastic Press)

A young girl discovers a runaway slave hiding in her family’s barn.  Her conscious weighs on her now as she is faced with the decision of whether to reveal the hide-away or keep a big secret that would save a life.

Wave by Suzy Lee (2008, Chronicle Books)

The story of a little girl’s day at the beach, where the waves and her imagination meet.

Welcome to the Zoo by Alison Jay (1998, Dial Books)

Welcome to the zoo where readers will meet many animals including hippos, monkeys, birds, penguins & fish, bears and more.  But they’ll find more than animals.  The last spread invites readers to go back and read again for a search-and-find of funny details throughout the book.

Where’s Walrus? by Stephan Savage (2011, Scholastic Press)

Walrus is bored with his life at the zoo, so he escapes for greater adventures!  With the zookeeper chasing after him, Walrus cleverly disguises himself, but will his firefighter, dancer, or business man disguises do the trick?

Wonder Bear by Tao Nyeu (2008, Dial Books)

A big flowering vine grows tall after two children plant a mysterious seed.  But the magic doesn’t stop there, from the vine emerges a big white bear, a Wonder bear who can do wondrous things with his magical top hat.

Zoom by Istvan Banyai (1995, Puffin Books)

Zoom from place to place in this book of visual deception.  You’re on a farm, but really in a toy shop, while actually on a cruise ship, but wait, it’s really a city bus. Discover the world through what feels like a visual maze, it’s all in your perception.