15 of the Best Wordless Picture Books to Love

Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman

Museums: filled with mysterious, magical art, and curiosities? Or secrets? And what might happen if a boy suddenly became part of one of the mind-bending exhibits?

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

A gorgeous wordless story for winter. The pictures depict a tale of a little boy who goes to check on his snowman one night.

When he sees his snowman outside in the cold, he decides to invite him in. What happens next is a magical adventure you and your child will adore.

Flashlight by Lizi Boyd

Inside a tent it’s cozy. But what is going on outside? Is it dark? Is it scary? Not if you have your trusty flashlight! Told solely through images and using a spare yet dramatic palette, artist Lizi Boyd has crafted a masterful exploration of night, nature, and art.

Chalk by Bill Thompson

Three children discover a magical bag of chalk on a rainy day. I love the illustrations in this pick from wordless books. I think the ability to tell an entire story through the illustrations alone is amazing,

Journey  by Aaron Becker (A Wordless Trilogy)

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 world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free.

Sector 7 by David Weisner

Only the person who gave us Tuesday could have devised this fantastic Caldecott Honor-winning tale, which begins with a school trip to the Empire State Building.

A boy makes friends with a mischievous little cloud, who whisks him away to the Cloud Dispatch Center for Sector 7 (the region that includes New York City). The clouds are bored with their everyday shapes, so the boy obligingly starts to sketch some new ones.

This is one of the wordless picture books that is appropriate for older kids as well because of the complexity of the plot. Wiesner makes of some of the best wordless picture books- I have loved all of his books.

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad

When a farm girl discovers a runaway slave hiding in the barn, she is at once startled and frightened.  But the stranger’s fearful eyes weigh upon her conscience, and she must make a difficult choice.

Will she have the courage to help him? Unspoken gifts of humanity unite the girl and the runaway as they each face a journey: one following the North Star, the other following her heart. This is one of the wordless picture books we think is appropriate for older children because of the powerful story it tells. While this is a book with no words, the story is not diminished in any way!

I Walk with Vanessa by Karascoët

This is a powerful wordless picture book that tells the story of one girl who inspires a community to stand up to bullying.

It is inspired by real events and explores the feelings of helplessness and anger that arise in the wake of seeing a classmate treated badly. It shows how a single act of kindness can lead to an entire community joining in to help. This is another one of the wordless picture books that has a powerful message and it is perfect for older children.

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

The first of the super girly books! This book pictures only and depicts the story of Flora, a little ballerina, learning to mimic the moves of a flamingo.

There are flaps and exquisite details to explore and if your little one can’t get enough of Flora, her adventures continue in books where she dances with penguins, peacocks, ostriches, and chicks!

Frog Goes to Dinner by Mercer Meyer

A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog is the first book in this series and also helped to create the wordless picture book genre.

This hilarious story is laugh-out-loud funny. The boy wants to bring his frog out for dinner and when the frog hides in Boy’s pocket, chaos ensues. This book with no words will have you laughing out loud.

Goodnight Gorilla

It’s bedtime at the zoo, and all the animals are going to sleep. Or are they? Who’s that short, furry guy with the keys in his hand and the mischievous grin?

We follow the wonderfully oblivious zookeeper as he says goodnight to the animals in the zoo in the pick from our wordless picture books.

Flotsam by David Wiesner

A bright, science-minded boy goes to the beach equipped to collect and examine flotsam–anything floating that has been washed ashore.

When he discovers an old underwater camera and gets the pictures developed, he is shocked by what he finds. David Wiesner is one of my favorite writers of wordless picture books ever.

Ball by Mary Sullivan

A dog with a ball is one of the most relentlessly hopeful creatures on Earth. After his best little-girl pal leaves for school, this dog hits up yoga mom, baby, and even the angry cat for a quick throw.

No luck. Forced to go solo, the dog begins a hilarious one-sided game of fetch until naptime’s wild, ball-centric dream sequence. The pictures speak a thousand words in this pick from wordless picture books.

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

The Caldecott Award-winning and New York Times bestselling fable of compassion and kindness retold by acclaimed artist Jerry Pinkney.

In award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney’s wordless adaptation of one of Aesop’s most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted.

The Only Child by Guojing

A little girl—lost and alone—follows a mysterious stag deep into the woods, and, like Alice down the rabbit hole, she finds herself in a strange and wondrous world. But… home and family are very far away. How will she get back there?