Wordless Books?

I am in a mixed married. I am a visual learner partnered with a kinesthetic learner. While this has at times produced some entertaining situations, I must say it has produced one awesome kid. She gets all kinds of great experiences; busting up concrete in the backyard with rock hammer and reading feminist graphic novels all in the same day. While her dad is her favorite let’s-figure-out-how-this-works buddy, when she wants to quietly immerse herself in books, I am her go-to girl. With a bachelor’s in acting (no joke), I have a pleasant reading voice and use it in a variety of ways to make the story interesting. At bedtime stories, I rock.

Which is why stories without print have always flummoxed me. While I find them very interesting and usually beautifully illustrated, what the heck am I supposed to do as the reader to a four year-old? In general, I have stayed away from choosing wordless books for our child. My partner, however, greatly enjoys them and usually picks out a few on their excursions to the library. Lately, I have been more comfortable choosing wordless books for us to read together and realize there is a lot for me to do as her reader-we read the pictures, discuss the story, ask questions and try to devise answers. I have been so focused on reading words to her, I begin to fear I may have neglected her other literacies.

A lovely list of some wordless books for all ages. I would highly recommend The Arrival by Shaun Tan. The story of an immigrant trying to find his way in a strange land while desperately missing his family, it could be a perfect companion book for a unit on immigration at any grade level. I grabbed it in my school library while I was waiting to meet with an insurance agent. I was immediately enthralled.