10 wordless books

Leaping from his dad’s banana-shaped sidecar, monkey leaves his dad stuck in traffic, and hops over the many bizarre and unusual vehicles that make up this book. There are so many things to spot and talk about in this wordless book; children will love pointing out all the quirky things going on. Look out for Carrot King fast-food truck, serving carrot burgers, carrot fries and even a carrot drink, and the bull on the run from the police, with all his loot on his horns. All while monkey gets caught up in the chaos – will he ever get back to his dad and make it home?

When a bumblebee flies into the open window of a bookish girl's apartment, an unexpected, but delightful friendship is born. The girl and the bee play, eat, and grow together. But when bee longs to return to work in her natural habitat, their real journey begins. The tale told in this wordless book has a dreamlike quality. The rich illustrations, presented through a blend of storyboards and full-page spreads give structure to a wonderful celebration of ecology, and the role even the youngest children can play in conservation.

When a little girl uses a red crayon to draw a door on her bedroom wall, she finds that it opens into a magical, fantasy world of adventure. The girl can control things to a certain extent by what she draws – when she needs a boat a quick sketch produces one, and when she needs to fly, she draws a flying carpet. With pages full of impressive detail, this wordless book is both enchanting and imaginative, and makes the reader feel as though anything is possible.

When a curious boy takes the film from a washed up underwater camera to be developed, he can't hide his astonishment at the secret world documented within the camera. Photographs reveal surreal underwater scenes, with mysterious clockwork fish, alien life forms and a pretty amazing pufferfish hot air balloon! Wiesner's stunning watercolour illustrations are vivid and intricate, with new details for children to spot with every read. This really is a masterclass in how wordless picture books have the power to tell a thousand different stories, and prompt infinite conversations, without saying a single word.

Some wordless picture books stand out above others because of their visual narrative - this is certainly the case in this classic tale of a rejected clown who demonstrates resilience and perseverance in the pursuit of happiness. You can't help but fall in love with Blake's playful, little character, whose facial expressions and energy on the page help bring his story to life. Watching the narrative unfold is like watching a silent movie; there are emotional ups and downs, snatches of slapstick humour and even moments of peril​ to keep readers on their toes! A wonderfully clever and fun story to share with little ones.

This story is set on Tuesday, where the sun has started setting and people are spending their peaceful evenings at home. However, this isn’t just any Tuesday, because something unusual is happening - all the frogs are flying through the air on floating lily pads! This picture book invites readers to come to use their imaginations. Together, you can decide what you think will happen next, and, more importantly, why do you think the frogs are floating?

As a girl walks through town with her father, she enjoys noticing all the flowers that grow - even the dandelions poking through the gaps in the concrete or blooms in the walls of buildings. As she walks, she gives the flowers away to the people she meets, bringing more and more colour into the black-and-white illustrations. Footpath Flowers is excellent for prompting conversations around feelings. How do readers think the little girl is feeling? What about the people she gifts the flowers to?

As darkness falls and all the children go home for the night, the woodland animals slowly creep out of the forest and descend on the fair. They ride the carousel, eat candy floss and swing on the pirate ship. Each scene is quietly magical and briming with detail for little ones to spot.

A little girl paddles in the sea, sometimes jumping in the waves and sometimes running away across the sand to just out of reach of the water. This beautiful book celebrates the joy of the seaside and the thrill of playing in the water. With no words, and in just two colours its simplicity captures a joyful moment in time and gives the reader space to feel this too.

Chicken has been kidnapped! Bear, Hare and Hen set off to save their friend – but what they find astonishes them in the best way. A gorgeous book about reimagining expectations, with a compelling storyline and expressive illustrations.