Wordless/Almost Wordless Picture Books

Updated September 7, 2024
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Have you seen my duckling?
Tafuri, Nancy
Paper Book
In this classic and bestselling Caldecott Honor winner, a mother duck loses her duckling--and finds it, with the help of sharp-eyed young readers.  "As fresh as spring."--The Horn Book "Children will return to this one again and again . . . a reassuring story of youthful...
Field trip to the moon
Hare, John, (Children's book illustrator)
Paper Book
It's field trip day, and students are excited to travel on their yellow spaceship bus from their space station to the moon in this wordless picture book. An ALA Notable Children's Book A Golden Duck Notable Picture Book Climb aboard the spaceship bus for a...
I walk with Vanessa
Kerascoët
Paper Book
This simple yet powerful picture book--from a New York Times bestselling husband-and-wife team--tells the story of one girl who inspires a community to stand up to bullying. The perfect back-to-school read for every kid, family and classroom! Don't miss the companion book,...
I got it!
Wiesner, David
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...
The opposites
Félix, Monique.
Paper Book
Do you want to be my friend?
Carle, Eric
Paper Book
A classic friendship story from the beloved Eric Carle, creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This board book edition is the perfect fit for little hands. This is a simple and nearly wordless picture book for children to explore in a variety of ways. Shared with little ones, the bright...
Owly & Wormy, friends all aflutter!
Runton, Andy.
Paper Book
Owly and Wormy want some butterflies. But when they come home from the nursery with a plant that will attract some fluttering friends, all that show up are fat, green bug things. Bug things are NOT butterflies! But, they are nice and fun and good at sleep outs under the stars and always up for a...
Door
Yi, Chi-hy?n (Illustrator)
Paper Book
A New York Times Editors' Choice Book! "This remarkable wordless picture book bursts with buoyant energy as a boy finds the key to a long-unopened door and makes his way from drabness to a joyful, magical land." --The New York Times Book Review What's...
Professional crocodile
Zoboli, Giovanna
Paper Book
Mr. Crocodile loves his job. Every morning he gets up with an alarm. He brushes his teeth. He chooses the right tie to match his outfit, eats a quick slice of toast, and heads off to work on a crowded train. But what exactly is his job? The answer may surprise you! Readers will want to pore over...
Near, far
Borando, Silvia
Paper Book
From up close and far away, things can look so different. Can you guess what animals you're looking at as they zoom in, then zoom back out? No words are needed in this striking and colorful exploration of animal shapes. Bold graphic forms create a playful exercise in visual...
Skunk on a string
Lam, Thao
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 farmer and the clown
Frazee, Marla
Paper Book
Whimsical and touching images tell the story of an unexpected friendship and the revelations it inspires in this moving, wordless picture book from two-time Caldecott Honor medalist Marla Frazee. A baby clown is separated from his family when he accidentally bounces off their...
Flashlight
Boyd, Lizi
Paper Book
Named an NPR Best Book of the Year and Junior Library Guild Selection, this wordless storybook with stunning illustrations aims to lighten the fear of the dark and the noises that come with it. "Flashlight allows readers to experience the...
The chicken thief
Rodriguez, Béatrice.
Paper Book
In this wordless story that is both funny and sweet, a fox steals a hen away from her home. Bear, rabbit, and rooster give chase, but in a twist on the usual children's story, this fox is not a villain. Rather, he tenderly holds hen as he runs into the night. A funny and life-affirming...
Wonder bear
Nyeu, Tao
Paper Book
Two kids plant mysterious seeds (all that's pictured on the envelope is a blue top hat), and up grows a remarkable flowering vine, out of which emerges an even more remarkable big white bear. On his head is the top hat'a hat that allows him to work all kinds of magic that day. He pulls monkey after...
Draw the line
Otoshi, Kathryn
Paper Book
Draw the Line is a powerful picture book about forgiveness from Kathryn Otoshi, author of the bestselling book One. When two boys draw their own lines and realize they can connect them together--magic happens! But a misstep causes their lines...
The carpenter
Barros, Bruna
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...
Return
Becker, Aaron
Paper Book
Welcome the much-anticipated finale of Caldecott Honoree Aaron Becker's wordless trilogy--a spectacular, emotionally satisfying story that brings its adventurer home. Failing to get the attention of her busy father, a lonely girl turns back to a fantastic world for friendship and...
Pool
Lee, JiHyeon.
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!...
Journey
Becker, Aaron
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...
Quest
Becker, Aaron
Paper Book
Aaron Becker, creator of Journey, a Caldecott Honor book, presents the next chapter in his stunning wordless fantasy. A king emerges from a hidden door in a city park, startling two children sheltering from the rain. No sooner does he push a map and some strange objects...
Bluebird
Staake, Bob
Paper Book
In his most beautiful and moving work to date, Bob Staake explores the universal themes of loneliness, bullying, and the importance of friendship. In this emotional picture book, readers will be captivated as they follow the journey of a bluebird as he develops a friendship with a young boy and...
The secret box
Lehman, Barbara.
Paper Book
Times change. Cities may grow large. Summers may come and go. And people might grow old, but the one thing that always remains the same is the desire for adventure. Barbara Lehman takes readers on a timeless trip to a world of secret messages...
Where's Walrus?
Savage, Stephen
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...
Flotsam
Wiesner, David
Paper Book
In this extraordinary Caldecott Medal winner and New York Times bestseller by David Wiesner, a beach day is the springboard to a wildly imaginative exploration of fantastical mysteries of the deep--and of human connections through time. A young boy comes to the beach eager to...
Sector 7
Wiesner, David.
Paper Book
The Caldecott Honor-winning adventure of a young boy and a mischievous cloud in a funny, touching story about art, friendship, and the weather by three-time Caldecott Medalist David Wiesner. Only the person who gave us Tuesday could have devised this fantastic Caldecott...
The snowman
Briggs, Raymond.
Paper Book
Illus. in full color. A wordless story. The pictures have "the hazy softness of air in snow. A little boy rushes out into the wintry day to build a snowman, which comes alive in his dreams that night. The experience is one that neither he nor young 'readers' will ever regret or forget."--(starred)...
Owl bat bat owl
Fitzpatrick, Marie-Louise
Paper Book
Can two very different families find their space in the world together? A wonderful wordless picture book offers stylish art, humor, and charm. A mother owl and her three little owlets live happily on their branch. That is, until the bat family moves in. The newfound neighbors...
Flora and the peacocks
Idle, Molly Schaar
Paper Book
The darling, dancing Flora is back, and this time she's found two new friends: a pair of peacocks! But amidst the fanning feathers and mirrored movements, Flora realizes that the push and pull between three friends can be a delicate dance. Will this trio find a way to get back in step? In the third...
Float
Miyares, Daniel
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...
The snow rabbit
Garoche, Camille
Paper Book
The Snow Rabbit is about two sisters, a wintery walk into the forest, love, and an enchanted rabbitTwo sisters look longingly through their window at the snowy sky. One goes out and sculpts a little rabbit, but when she brings it back inside to her wheelchair-bound sister, it begins to melt....
Flora and the penguin
Idle, Molly Schaar
Paper Book
Having mastered ballet in Flora and the Flamingo, Flora takes to the ice and forms an unexpected friendship with a penguin. Twirling, leaping, spinning, and gliding, on skates and flippers, the duo mirror each other's graceful dance above and below the ice. But when Flora gives the penguin...
Flora and the flamingo
Idle, Molly Schaar.
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....
The boy and the airplane
Pett, Mark.
Paper Book
When a little boy's prized toy airplane lands on a rooftop, he makes several rescue attempts before devising an unexpected solution. Rendered in sepia tones and exemplifying a touching message, this wordless story is gracefully open to interpretation, containing a seed of wisdom for...
Daisy gets lost
Raschka, Christopher.
Paper Book
"A must for Daisy fans everywhere," declares School Library Journal in a starred review. With the same emotional intensity that he brought to his New York Times bestselling, New York Times Best Illustrated, and Caldecott Medal-winning picture book ...
A ball for Daisy
Raschka, Christopher.
Paper Book
Winner of the 2012 Randolph Caldecott Medal This New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Best Illustrated Book relates a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it. Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish...
The red book
Lehman, Barbara.
Paper Book
This Caldecott Honor-winning book about a book is a delightful, wordless tale about the power of stories, perfect for fans of Brendan Wenzel and David Weisner. A red book is lying in the snow in the city. When you open it, you find a new kind of adventure. You will be...
Every little kindness
Bartolj, Marta
Paper Book
An Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Honor Winner Follow the trail of good deeds in this beautiful wordless picture book to learn how small acts of kindness can make all the difference! When one act of kindness sparks another, anything is...
Wolf in the snow
Cordell, Matthew
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...

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