This list highlights the creative work of illustrators and artists who tell stories without words. To view more titles you can do a subject search in InfoSoup for Stories Without Words.
Contributed by staff of the Waupaca Area Public Library, 11/2008
Wave(2008)A wordless picture book that shows a little girl's first experiences at the beach, as she goes from being afraid of the roaring waves to playing on the shore while gulls soar overhead
Hogwash(2008)Illustrations without words depict the enormous and complicated contraption that Mama Pig uses to get her little piglets clean.
South(2008)Mooch the cat helps a lonely bird find its flock, which has flown south for the winter.
Robot Dreams(2007)The enduring friendship between a dog and a robot is portrayed in this wordless graphic novel.
Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug(2007)A wordless picture book about a persistent terrier who spends a day following a bug through his neighborhood
Un-Brella(2007)In this wordless book, a little girl uses her magic umbrella to give her the weather she wants, regardless of what the conditions really are outside.
Rainstorm(2007)In this wordless picture book, a boy finds a mysterious key which leads him on an adventure one rainy day.
The Adventures of Polo(2006)Polo the dog sets out from his home and enjoys many adventures, including sailing his boat on top of a whale, roasting hot dogs over a volcano, and taking a ride in a spaceship built from a mushroom.
Museum Trip(2006)In this wordless picture book, a boy imagines himself inside some of the exhibits when he goes on a field trip to a museum.
The Arrival(2006)In this wordless graphic novel, a man leaves his homeland and sets off for a new country, where he must build a new life for himself and his family.
Jack and the Night Visitors(2006)A spaceship lands on Jack's roof one night and a host of tiny robotlike visitors climb into the window and make themselves at home.
Floatsam(2006)The story of what happens when a camera becomes a piece of flotsam.
Lights Out(2005)Told by his parents that his light must be out at eight o'clock, a young piglet who is afraid of the dark devises an ingenious solution to the problem.
Owly(2005)A series "about the adventures of a gentle owl named Owly who resolves to do good and make friends in his world with the help of his good companions, the clever worm, Wormy, and Scampy, the gluttonous but good hearted chipmunk."Wikipedia
Alphabet House(2005)Nancy Elizabeth Wallace has done it again with her adorable three dimensional artwork created with cut paper, scissors, and a glue stick. She invites children to enter an alphabet house and join a family of bunnies as they look for familiar objects starting with the letters A to Z. If they miss anything, an easy to follow answer key is provided at the back. An almost wordless text makes Alphabet House a great introduction to visual literacy, and the paper quilts on the endpapers add another colorful way to look at the alphabet.
Mister O(2004)Goofy silent one-page gags crammed with little frames showing Mister O, a round doodle of a man desperately trying to get across that darn chasm and never quite making it. This will keep you in stiches for pages
The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, the Bard(2004)A boy playing among the warehouses of London kicks a soccer ball into an abandoned theater. There he finds an enchanted cape that transports him back in time right onto the stage of one of William Shakespeare's plays! A comic romp through Shakespeare's London featuring an intrepid little boy, a friendly bear, and-in the role of dastardly villain-the Bard himself.
Sidewalk Circus(2004)A young girl watches as the activities across the street from her bus stop become a circus.
The Red Book(2004)A book about a book, a magical red book, without any words, and the friendship that develops around it.
Home(2004)A wordless picture book that observes the changes in a neighborhood from before a girl is born until she is an adult, as it first decays and then is renewed by the efforts of the residents.
Good Night, Garden Gnome(2001)Depicts a gnome at work and play in his garden.
Silent Night(2001)Santa tries to deliver presents on Christmas Eve, but he is hindered by a very vocal dog who will not stop barking, woofing, and yapping.
Sector 7(1999)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.
Follow Carl!(1998)Carl is back in his ninth adventure! Children barking at a squirrel in a tree? Carrying sticks in their mouths? Begging for food? Who could be responsible for such silly shenanigans except everybody's favorite baby-sitter, Carl, who takes a group of neighborhood children on a lively game of Follow the LeaderSydetic Solutions
You Can’t Take a Balloon Into the Metropolitan Museum(1998)In this wordless story, a young girl and her grandmother view works inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while the balloon she has been forced to leave outside floats around New York City causing a series of mishaps that mirror scenes in the museum's artworks.
Zoom(1998)A wordless picture book presents a series of scenes, each one from farther away, showing, for example, a girl playing with toys which is actually a picture on a magazine cover, which is part of a sign on a bus, and so on.
Tuba Lessons(1997)While walking through the woods on his way to his tuba lesson, a boy becomes sidetracked by all the animals that want to hear him play.
Why?(1996)A frog, peacefully sitting in a meadow, is suddenly attacked by an umbrella-wielding mouse in a confrontation that quickly turns into full-scale war.
re-zoom(1995)A wordless picture book presents a series of scenes, each one from farther away, showing, for example, a boat which becomes the image on a magazine, which is held in a hand, which belongs to a boy, and so on.
Good Night, Gorilla(1994)An unobservant zookeeper is followed home by all the animals he thinks he has left behind in the zoo.
Time Flies(1994)A wordless tale in which a bird flying around the dinosaur exhibit in a museum has an unsettling experience when it finds itself back in the time of living dinosaurs.
Hot on the Scent(1992)Following an enticing smell, a mouse braves many dangers to reach his destination.
Carl's afternoon in the park(1991)Carl the rottweiler, in charge of a baby and a puppy, takes advantage of Mom's absence to lead them on a wild romp through the park.
Tuesday(1991)Frogs rise on their lily pads, float through the air, and explore the nearby houses while their inhabitants sleep.
Junglewalk(1988)A little boy falls asleep after reading a book about animals in a jungle, and then he meets them all in his dream.
The Christmas Gift(1988)When a little mouse's treasured Christmas gift is broken, Grandpa consoles her with a toy train from his own childhood.
New Baby(1988)The youngest mouse in a large family discovers excitement and frustration when a new baby arrives.
Do Not Disturb(1987)The movements and actions of a family camping in the woods cause the forest creatures to also move, scurry, and make noise.
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick(1984)Presents a series of loosely related drawings each accompanied by a title and a caption which the reader may use to make up his or her own story.
Ben’s Dream(1982)On a terrifically rainy day, Ben has a dream in which he and his house float by the monuments of the world, half submerged in flood water.
The Snowman(1978)When his snowman comes to life, a little boy invites him home and in return is taken on a flight high above the countryside.
Pancakes for Breakfast(1978)A little old lady's attempts to have pancakes for breakfast are hindered by a scarcity of supplies and the participation of her pets.
Do You Want To Be My Friend?(1971)"Do you want to be my friend?" asks a little mouse of a horse, a peacock, an alligator, and others, as it searches everywhere for a friend.