Wordless Picture Books

Children's picture books that let the illustrations do the talking.
Updated September 19, 2022
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Imagine!
Raul Colon
Paper Book
An ALA Notable Book A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids A Bookpage Best Book "This fine book provides not only exposure to art...but also an example of a boy--a boy of color, a boy in America--with a passion for fine art." --The New York...
Inside Outside
Anne-Margot Ramstein
Paper Book
From the creators of Before After comes another striking book of opposites, this time exploring the concepts of within and without with bright, bold graphics. Safe inside its shell, a baby bird prepares to brave the world. A spelunker descends into a wide and glittering...
Journey
Aaron Becker
Paper Book
A 2014 Caldecott Honor Book Follow a girl on an elaborate flight of fancy in a wondrously illustrated, wordless picture book about self-determination -- and unexpected friendship. A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a...
The Lion & the Mouse
Jerry Pinkney
Paper Book
Winner of the Caldecott Medal This New York Times bestselling and award-winning fable of compassion and kindness, as reimagined by legendary artist Jerry Pinkney, is an essential addition to any bookshelf of children's classics.
One Yellow Ribbon
Marthe Jocelyn
Paper Book
One yellow ribbon unties itself from a child's hair and transforms into a winter scarf, a farmer's field and a lion's mane, among many other magical things, in this delightful board book by celebrated paper artist Marthe Jocelyn. Jocelyn's paper collages in this wordless search-and-find...
Once Upon a Banana
Jennifer Armstrong
Paper Book
Such a little banana causing such a big pile of trouble! How could it be? First the grocer, then the painter, next the bicycle messenger, and then -- oh, no -- not the baby in the carriage! An entire town turned upside down, all by a banana peel! Caldecott Medal-winning artist David...
Little Fox in the Forest
Stephanie Graegin
Paper Book
Fans of Aaron Becker's Caldecott Honor winner Journey will love this utterly enchanting wordless picture book in which two friends follow a young fox deep into the woods and discover a wondrous and magical world. When a young girl brings her beloved stuffed fox to the...
Pancakes for Breakfast
Tomie dePaola
Paper Book
Tomie dePaola's classic wordless picture book is just as fun as a serving of pancakes for breakfast! Missing ingredients and mischievous pets create one humorous complication after another for a little old lady determined to make pancakes for breakfast. Fans of such favorites...
Sidewalk Flowers
JonArno Lawson
Paper Book
Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustrated Book A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year In this wordless picture book, a little girl collects wildflowers while her distracted father pays her little attention. Each flower becomes...
Pool
Ji Hyeon Lee
Paper Book
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year A NPR.org Best Book of the Year Gold Medal Winner - Society of Illustrators' Original Art Show, 2015 What happens when two shy children meet at a very crowded pool? Dive in to find out!...
Wallpaper
Thao Lam
Paper Book
New from the creator of Skunk on a Stringcomes Wallpaper, a wordless picture book in Thao Lam's signature paper collage style. It tells the story of a young girl whose family moves into a new house. Outside, she can hear other kids playing, but she's too shy to say hello. So she picks...
Where's Walrus?
Stephen Savage
Paper Book
A happy-go-lucky Walrus escapes the zoo in search of adventure in this wordless instant classic.Bored with life at the zoo, an adventurous walrus escapes to the outside world. With the zookeeper in hot pursuit, Walrus cleverly tries on all sorts of hats to disguise himself. Will a yellow hardhat...
Flora and the Flamingo
Molly Idle
Paper Book
In this magical Caldecott Honor-winning picture book, Flora and her graceful flamingo friend wordlessly explore the trials and joys of friendship through an elaborate synchronized dance. Every little ballerina dreams of her turn as a dancing diva....
Wolf in the Snow
Matthew Cordell
Paper Book
Winner of the 2018 Caldecott Medal A girl is lost in a snowstorm. A wolf cub is lost, too. How will they find their way home? Paintings rich with feeling tell this satisfying story of friendship and trust. Wolf in the Snow is a book set on a wintry...
I Got It!
David Wiesner
Paper Book
Three-time Caldecott winner and bestseller David Wiesner works his visual magic in this near-wordless account of the most suspenseful, nerve-wracking few seconds in a baseball game. David Wiesner brings his trademark artistry and rich imagination to the iconic American...
Blue Rider
Geraldo Valério
Paper Book
"[A] dazzling vision of the way art transcends the everyday." -- Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW On a gray and crowded city sidewalk, a child discovers a book. That evening, the child begins to read and is immediately carried beyond the repetitive sameness of an urban skyscape...
The Carpenter
Bruna Barros
Paper Book
A book to read with your eyes and your heart . . . "A young boy abandons his beloved electronics when an old-fashioned yellow-jointed tape measure causes his imagination to run wild, inThe Carpenter, a wordless expression of the simple joys found in exploration and...
Float
Daniel Miyares
Paper Book
A boy's small paper boat--and his large imagination--fill the pages of this wordless picture book, a modern-day classic from the creator of Pardon Me! that includes endpaper instructions for building a boat of your own. A little boy takes a boat made of newspaper out for a...
Another
Christian Robinson
Paper Book
An NPR Favorite Book of 2019 A New York Times Best Children's Book of 2019 An NYPL Best Book of 2019 A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2019 A School Library Journal Best Picture Book of 2019 A BookPage...
Aquarium
Cynthia Alonso
Paper Book
A girl ventures to the water's edge, dreaming of a new friend. And, just like that, a beguiling red fish leaps into her life. But is friendship a sea these two can navigate together? From debut Argentinian author-illustrator Cynthia Alonso comes a wordless picture book about the timeless beauty of...
Skunk on a String
Thao Lam
Paper Book
The highly anticipated wordless picture book from debut author and collage artist Thao Lam "Wordless... colorful... hilarious."Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW In Skunk on a String, we meet a skunk who has been tied to the tail of a balloon. Try as he...
The Typewriter
Bill Thomson
Paper Book
Using just nine words, the award-winning creator of Chalk takes readers on another unforgettable journey. When three children discover a typewriter on a carousel, they are transported on an adventure of their own creation--complete with a giant beach ball and a threatening crab. Stunning,...
Fish
Liam Francis Walsh
Paper Book
A boy and his dog embark on a fishing journey. Their first catch of the day: a big fat letter F. Their second? A slippery I. After an epic journey beneath the lake's surface, they find what they came for-- a FISH, along with some unanticipated menace from a few other letters.

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