A wordless picture book instilled with wonder and curiosity as readers embark on a subway ride in an alien world.
Visual Narratives
Visual Narratives encompasses “silent” and “wordless” books.
Window
An imaginative visual narrative of the sights a young girl takes in as she walks home from school in the city. As she walks she wonders what might be going on behind the scenes of the windows she passes by on the way home. Her imagination knows no bounds as she envisions everything from a whale in a bathtub, vampires playing badminton, and even an indoor jungle! Finally readers venture through a window to find the girl at home in her own room, where the toys that surround her look strikingly familiar.
Corner
A crow finds itself alone in an empty corner in this (almost wordless) picture book. With only thoughts for company, the crow begins to pass the time by filling the empty space with furnishings and hobbies. But even after all the decorating, which includes a growing plant and wall-to-ceiling art, there is still something missing. Finally, the crow adds a window and discovers the need to connect with the world outside. The need for friendship.
The Depth Of The Lake And The Height Of The Sky
Without a word, The Depth of the Lake and the Height of the Sky tells the heartfelt and uplifting story of a child’s independent discovery of the natural world. Kim Jihyun cleverly captures excitement, wonder and joy in intricate illustrations using a deceptively simple color palate. This is a beautiful wordless story about allowing ourselves to be present in the moment and see the world afresh.
Why?: A Timeless Story Told Without Words
Frog is enjoying a peaceful afternoon with a flower he’s picked, when a jealous mouse decides he’d like it for himself. Mouse takes it by force, but frog has reinforcements. Before long the confrontation escalates into a full-scale war. At the end of it will anyone remember why they fought so fiercely?
Love: The Mastiff
A loyal Australian hunting dog finds himself alone in the outback when his master is bitten by a poisonous snake. He must venture across the dangerous outback to find his way home alone.
Isla To Island
Marisol loves her colorful island home. Cuba is vibrant with flowers and food and people…but things are changing. The home Marisol loves is no longer safe, and then it’s no longer her home at all. Her parents are sending her to the United States. Alone.
Nothing about Marisol’s new life in cold, gray Brooklyn feels like home, not the language, school, or even her foster parents. But Marisol starts to realize that home isn’t always a place. And finding her way can be as simple as staying true to herself.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XIV, Issue 4.
Every Little Kindness
When one act of kindness sparks another, anything is possible As a girl searches for her lost dog, a simple act of generosity ripples into a wave of good deeds. In the course of a single day, each considerate action weaves lives together and transforms a neighborhood for the better.
This wordless story, told in beautiful illustrations reminiscent of a graphic novel, demonstrates how every little kindness, shared from person to person, can turn a collection of strangers into a community, and–even though we might not always see it–make the world a more vibrant and compassionate place to be.
The Wanderer
As with Shaun Tan’s The Arrival, it gives us collective goosebumps to introduce the singular talent and imagination of Peter Van den Ende to North America. Without a word, and with Escher-like precision, Van den Ende presents one little paper boat’s journey across the ocean, past reefs and between icebergs, through schools of fish, swaying water plants, and terrifying sea monsters. The little boat is all alone, and while its aloneness gives it the chance to wonder at the fairy-tale world above and below the waves uninterrupted, that also means it must save itself when it storms. And so it does. We hope that readers young and old will find the strength and inspiration that we did in this quietly powerful story about growing, learning, and life’s ups and downs.
Picture This…
In this first word book for the very young, the simple format and primitive-style paintings invite children to participate. Watchful readers will note that each turn of a page reveals a new perspective on what has come before–and what’s to follow. The effect invites imaginative storytelling. Full color.