Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Viewfinder By Christine D.U. Chung and Salwa Majoka Toronto, ON: Tundra Books, 2024. Comics. A lonely young space traveler leaves home in search of a distant planet. When she finally lands on the planet, which looks a lot like Earth, she finds an abandoned civilization. Discovering a time capsule buried at an elementary school, the space traveler uncovers a toy stereoscope that has pictures of the last days on earth and clues to what caused humans to leave Earth behind. As she wanders through the planet she encounters abandoned but familiar places like a museum, a library, and a train station all overtaken with bioluminescent fungi; and slowly animals covered in fungi appear as well. Finally arriving at a child's former treehouse, our traveler views space through a telescope and decides it is time for them to return home. This wordless graphic novel is beautifully illustrated and offers poignant ruminations on a post-apocalyptic world. Somewhat melancholy, this book considers a pop...

You know those picture books that make you go, "Wow, how did they illustrate that?" Whether they're done with cut paper, pen, Photoshop, or paint - some picture books always stand out in my mind for their illustrations as much as they do for their stories. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite pretty picture books of 2023. In the Night Garden By Carin Berger New York: Holiday House, 2023. Picture Book. These gorgeous collage-style illustrations create a beautiful bedtime story about how the world changes after dark. You'll meet a slew of lovely creatures in the night such as fireflies, foxes, and of course a cat. The advanced vocabulary in this book means that you might have to explain some words if reading it to young children (assuming that they don't know what words like "intoxicating" mean.) However, the text is sparse enough and the illustrations are so eye catching that even young children will remain enthralled through the story. Th...

The illustrations in picture books are powerful. They can either back up the text of a story or they can be the text of the story. Here are five new picture books that are wordless—or nearly wordless. They only tell the story through their illustrations. They are perfect for kids who like finding more meaning through the illustrations. They are books that often take longer to read than picture books with words. They are powerful. Enjoy!  Corner By Zo-O  Berkley, CA: Owlkids Books, 2023. Picture Book.  Crow finds themselves in a corner. Crow gets bored. Crow decides to do something—adding a bed and decorations to the corner to make it homier. Still, Crow is bored. Then crow decides to see if there is more that can be done. This is a great story full of imagination and the power of action.  Field Trip to Volcano Island By John Hare  New York: Holiday House, 2022. Picture Book  A class field trip lands on Volcano Island. One particular student gets left behind...

Until about 2017, I didn't realize how wonderful a book with no words could be. But then I came across Aaron Becker's Journey . It was then that I discovered the rich stories that can be told through just pictures. For those of you who also enjoy wordless books, or those of you who are willing to give it a shot; here are some recent wordless picture books you may not be familiar with and should check out! A Day For Sandcastles By JonArno Lawson Candlewick Press, 2022. Picture Book. Siblings spend the day building sandcastles on the beach, but with the moving tide it proves to be more work than expected. Every Little Kindness By Marta Bartolj Chronicle Books, 2021. Picture Book. This book shows how one act of kindness can create a domino effect and help everyone around you. The Depth of the Lake and the Height of the Sky By Jihyun Kim Floris Books, 2022. Picture Book. Celebrate nature as this boy and his dog explore the world around them! Rat Fair By Leah Kessler Pow!, 2021. Pic...

  The Midnight Fair   By Gideon Sterer  Illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio  Candlewick Press, 2020.  In this wordless picture book readers will see that a fair is being set up and there are more than just people who are interested in what is going on. As the people leave the fair at night and the ticket counter is closed, a plethora of forest animals come and sneak into the fair. While there they play carnival games, ride roller coasters, and eat sugary treats. Young readers will delight in finding details in the lush illustrations—from what animals might ride the carousel to what the wolf is going to do with his carnival prize of a fish in a bag. This is a great book for all kiddos who love the excitement of a traveling fair and has a love of animals who might enjoy the fair as much as any kid.

Hike By Pete Oswald Candlewick Press, 2020. Picture Book. Oswald has brought a brilliant edition to the wordless picture book genre. In this story a father and child go on a hike. The adventure starts in the wee hours of the morning as the father wakes the child up and they get in a SUV/Jeep type of vehicle and head out on their adventure. The various spreads have different sizes of illustrations—from multi-paneled illustrations to help the story move along to double-page pictures that showcase the grand beauty of both nature and the relationship between parent and child. This glorious adventure celebrating family, nature, and spending time together is one that should not be missed! Bonus in that details of safety are included (such as wearing seat belts while driving and wearing helmets while scrambling over rocks) for those safety-conscious parents.

Selkie By Josephine Birch Starfish Bay Children's Books, 2019. Picture Book. Soft colors and gentle illustrations grace the pages of this wordless picture book about a fisherman who falls overboard and explores the underwater world with a friendly seal. Their journey through the depths of the ocean is magical, giving the young man a new view of the world, and a new friend. Although he doesn't stay with the seal, it can be assumed that he is forever changed by his exploration of a world previously unfamiliar. Birch's story without words is calming, both because of the sweet story, and because of the limited ocean-themed color palette. Readers won't know exactly what happened under the water, because of the lack of text, but the emotions of the story shine through in the simplicity of the illustrations.

Spencer's New Pet By Jessie Sima Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2019. Picture book. The age-old story of a boy and his dog is repeated in this new picture book -- except this time around, one of them is a balloon. With incredible attention to detail, silent films from the 1920s provide the inspiration for the black, white, and red illustrations in this mostly wordless story. The vintage-film concept is well-served by the dramatics of a story that follows a bright red balloon dog through a dangerous day - culminating in an explosive and satisfying surprise. Believe me when I say this book will have readers young and old eager for a second read.

Another By Christian Robinson Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2019. Picture Book. A girl (in a nightgown with a red planet on it) and her cat (with a red collar) are awoken by another cat (who looks just like the other cat only this one has a blue collar) that comes through a hole in the wall. The blue-collared cat takes the red-collard cat’s toy mouse so the girl and her cat go through the hole into “another” place looking for the toy. In this other world things are topsy-turvy. Gravity is different directions, there are pairs of kids (or “another” kid similar to each of them), and it is a place that looks interesting and fun. Eventually the girl finds her “other” (a girl in a nightgown with a blue planet on it) with her blue-collared cat and the red toy mouse. This wordless book tests the limits of imagination by allowing readers to determine just exactly what is happening, how things are parallel to the “real” world, and just what the title “Another” means. Robinson has cr...

I Walk with Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness By Kerascoet Schwartz and Wade Books, 2018. Picture Book. When a young girl witnesses the new girl at school getting bullied, she decides to befriend Vanessa and walk to school with her. This wordless picture book allows the child to interpret the bullying, making it relatable. Endnotes include discussion questions about dealing with bullying vocabulary words that parents can use to discuss the book with their child. Great companion book to Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller.

Blue Rider By Geraldo Valerio Groundwood Books, 2018. Picture book. A little girl living in a drab and boring world discovers a book that transports her to a world filled with bright colors and abstract line and shape. Even after she finishes the book, the city around her is left changed for the better by this sudden explosion of art. This wordless picture book is a vibrant representation of the importance of art. It shows, through collage illustrations, that art can transform every day into something incredible. Fans of Art History, like myself, will love this gentle introduction to Der Blaue Reiter (a German Expressionist art movement from the turn of the 19th century) - but even those without a background in art will find something to enjoy in this vivid picture book.

The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His ABC’s (the Hard Way)  Patrick McDonnell Little, Brown and Company, 2017. Picture Book. This book is amazing! Really! It is a wordless picture book that tells a story through the alphabet. So a little red cat runs out of the house and comes upon an alligator (with an “Aa” printed on the page above the alligator). Turn the page and you find that the cat keeps running (the alligator chases) as a “Bb” bear and a “Cc” chicken also join in pursuit. Various animals and events or objects are inserted at appropriate times (i.e. when the “Dd” dragon blows “Ff” fire the animals all put on “Gg” glasses). The illustrations are what make this book (and provide all the humor due to the hilarious expressions on the animals). This would be a perfect introduction to any young reader who likes to elaborate on a story (or tell the story themselves without the grownups getting in the way) and is learning the alphabet.

Spot, the Cat By Henry Cole Little Simon, 2016. Picture Book. When Spot the cat follows a bird outside the apartment window, he goes on an adventure exploring the city. When his owner realizes that he is missing, the young boy sets out to find him. The detailed black and white illustrations encourage the reader to spot the cat and the boy who is always just missing him in the city landscape. Though wordless, this book has so many interesting pictures that children can tell their own story of the cat's adventure with the characters he runs into and can point out other things they find along the way.

Art & Max Max wants to be an artist like Arthur, but his first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind trip through various media, with unexpected consequences. Flotsom The story of what happens when a camera becomes a piece of flotsam. June 29, 1999 While her third-grade classmates are sprouting seeds in paper cups, Holly has a more ambitious, innovative science project in mind. Mr. Wuffles! Mr. Wuffles ignores all his cat toys but one, which turns out to be a spaceship piloted by small green aliens. When Mr. Wuffles plays rough with the little ship, the aliens must venture into the cat's territory to make emergency repairs. Sector 7 While on a school trip to the Empire State Building, a boy is taken by a friendly cloud to visit Sector 7, where he discovers how clouds are shaped and channeled throughout the country. The Three Pigs The three pigs escape the wolf by going into another world where they meet the cat and the fiddle, the cow that jump...

Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner Clarion Books, 2013. Picture Book. Mr. Wuffles is a very pampered and bored cat who refuses to play with any of the many toys that his loving owner has so desperately lavished on him. Then Mr. Wuffles discovers a small UFO hidden among all the masses of rejected objects. This toy is different--it is fascinating--and it has real itty bitty aliens hiding out inside of it. To the aliens, Mr. Wuffles is a BIG problem! How can they sneak around and fix their broken ship without being noticed when a large and curious cat is stalking them at every turn? Read this book to find out.

Float  By Daniel Miyares Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2015. Picture Book. In this simple yet beautiful wordless picture book a young boy takes his paper boat out to play in the rainy weather. As the heavy storm gradually clears up the boy experiences the joy of jumping in puddles and racing his boat down the street. However, when the boat floats down a sewer drain the boy is left feeling devastated. After a depressing walk home, the boy dries off, warms up and gets ready for his next adventure.  In this Caldecott contender, Miyares creates an engaging story that is full of emotion by using stunning illustrations filled with grays and blacks that bring the stormy day to life. The boy in the bright yellow rain coat, whose feelings are unmistakable, invites the reader to share in his ups and downs. Young children who are not yet experienced readers will love the wordless format which is used seamlessly to construct an extraordinary book centered on an or...

The Only Child By Guojing Schwartz & Wade Books, 2015. Graphic Novel. This critically acclaimed debut from Guojing is a wordless graphic novel that is simply wonderful and moving. After getting lost, a nameless little girl follows a stag on a fantastic adventure as she tries to find her way to her grandma’s house. As she meets new friends and challenges in the clouds, the reader feels and relates to the emotions that the little girl is experiencing. With gorgeous and expressive charcoal grey illustrations that span the 100-page book, this story quietly captivates the reader. Its wordless format will assure that it will quickly become a favorite for all ages, from young children to adults. The Only Child is definitely a stand-out among other books of its kind.

Moletown by Torben Kuhlmann NorthSouth, 2015. Picture Book. A single mole builds his house underneath a beautiful meadow and foolishly believes that he is alone. Soon after settling in, he is joined by more moles who wish to expand his simple home. Once other moles join in, one mole's house becomes a village, then a town, and finally a humongous industrial city. After some time, all that is left of the mole's original meadow is a tiny patch of grass. Moletown explores the rise and fall of a civilization, though it isn't as dour as that description implies. The book shows how our society adapts and changes as populations increase, and how simple things like electricity can change the way we live. Amazingly, this book tells its story with almost no words -- only using text to introduce and conclude. The rest is an illustrated journey into this mole empire, and Kuhlmann luxuriates in the smoke and gears of his city. The book rewards close inspection, as details are eve...

Love Volume 1: The Tiger By Frederic Brremaud and Federico Bertolucci Magnetic Press, 2015. Graphic Novel, 74 p. Experience the day in the life of a tiger as it hunts for its next meal through the jungle. The story unfolds clearly and engagingly with each panel in this completely wordless graphic novel. The lush and beautiful illustrations take the reader into a realistic depiction of nature’s circle of life through the eyes of a large predator. This story of survival includes some nature violence rendering it a good fit for children in grades 5-6. Be sure to check out Volume 2 as well which follows the day in the life of a fox.

The Boy and the Book By David Michael Slater Illustrated by Bob Kolar Charlesbridge, 2015. Picture Book. When the boy enters, the library books try to take cover, knowing that his enthusiasm for books will leave them needing repair. But his favorite book can’t escape and he stomps on it, tears its pages, and throws it around. On his next visit to the library, however, the boy finally learns to value the book housing the story he loves, and the book joyful goes home with the boy knowing he will be taken care. This wordless picture book is a great way to introduce children to the proper care of books and how they can be enjoyed—carefully.