Yes! They do!
When children read a wordless book...
- they can exercise their vocabulary by using their own words to tell the story
- they can develop their understanding of narrative structure
- they can increase their visual literacy skills
Here are a few wordless picture books to try:
There are actually two little foxes in this book. One is a beloved old stuffed fox that belongs to a little girl. The other is a living fox who steals the stuffed fox from the girl. Author Stephanie Graegin uses different color palettes to take the reader from everyday life to a magical realm.
A child is rushed through a big city, but she takes time here and there to gather flowers. What will she do with her sidewalk flowers?
The concept of this book is so original. There are three different stories, each with its own hero (Bird, Cat, and Dog). The stories run parallel on each page, and when the heroes encounter each other the reader gets different perspectives on the same event.
No list of wordless books is complete without this gem, winner of the 2010 Caldecott Medal. It's a gorgeous, wordless retelling of the Aesop's fable.
To find more wordless books, search the KCLS catalog for "Stories without words, opens a new window."
