A Boy, A Dog, and a Frog

written & illus by Mercer Mayer, (Dial Books for Young Readers, 1967), 32p, Ages 2-6

Spying a frog on a lily pad in a pond, a young boy and his dog race down a hill with a net to capture it, trip over a log, and end up in the pond. Once again the boy tries but misses and nets the dog instead. Giving up, the wet boy and dog trudge home for a bath, but the lonely frog follows and joins in the playful bathtub fun. This charming story, by the master of the wordless picture book genre, continues to delight children of every generation, along with several more stories about the adventurous boy, dog, and their friend frog.

South

written/illus. by Patrick McDonnell, (Little, Brown and Co., 2008), 48p, Ages 3-6

As a yellow flock of birds take flight from a tree, a lone leaf flitters down and wakes a sleeping bird on the ground. Realizing that his flock has flown south for the winter, he begins to cry. Mooch happens along and takes compassion on him. Together, paw and wing, they begin a journey down streets, through crowded cities, across fields, and past forests, until they hear twittering from a utility wire. With a thank you and hug, the little lost bird joins his flock. This wordless story of compassion and friendship will tug at hearts for sure.

The Surprise

written/illus. by Sylvia van Ommen, (Front Street/Lemniscaat Books, 2007), 32p, Age 4+

In this fine addition to wordless children's books, a sheep prepares a special gift for her friend, giraffe. The story opens with Sheep weighing and measuring her wool. In humorous sequences, Sheep rides her cherry red motor scooter into town, purchases red dye, colors her wool, shaves it off, and returns to town with the wool for a pink poodle to turn into yarn. With determination, Sheep knits her special gift, wraps it, and returns to town to present a beautiful red sweater to Giraffe. Sometimes gifts are extra special because of the love and care that went into them.

Fly, Little Bird

written/illus. by Tina Burke, (Kane/Miller Books, 2006), 32p, Ages 4-7

In an almost wordless story, a little girl and her dog discover a baby bird that fell from its nest. They take him home, feed him, read to him, and make him a member of their family. One morning they discover that their little bird flew through an open window and joined a beautiful flock of parrots. This charming, almost wordless book from Australia illustrates the art of caring for others.

Sea of Dreams

written/illus. by Dennis Nolan, (Roaring Book Press, 2011), 40p, Ages 3-7

On a lonely beach with a seagull for company, a small girl builds an amazing sandcastle. She leaves as the sun begins to set and the tide rushes in. When a light appears in the sandcastle's tower window, the stranded inhabitants escape in a boat and navigate huge waves on their dangerous journey to safety. After mermaids rescue one of the children from an overboard accident, the small family finally arrives at a rocky outcropping not far from the shore. The following day the child returns to build another sandcastle, and the story begins again. The marvelous, engaging illustrations make this modern, wordless fairy tale one to be remembered for a long time.

The Lion and the Mouse

illus. by Jerry Pinkney, (Little Brown & Co., 2009), 40p, Ages 3-6

In a nearly wordless interpretation of the popular Aesop's fable, Jerry Pinkney's marvelous rendition takes place in Africa. An adventurous mouse escapes the claws of a hungry owl, only to accidentally disturb a sleeping lion. Trapped in his paws, mouse is graciously freed to live another day. When she later comes upon the lion, caught in a hunter's trap, she remembers the lion's kindness and nibbles through his ropes. The little mouse returns home with a piece of rope for her babies to chew. Endpapers show the mouse and her babies resting on the lion's back for a family outing. Artist's Note explains his concern and reverence for animal life. "It seemed fitting, then, to stage this fable in the African Serengeti of Tanzania and Kenya, with its wide horizon and abundant wildlife so awesome yet fragile—not unlike the two sides of each of the heroes starring in this great tale for all times." As always, Jerry Pinkney's illustrations are delightful.

Chalk

written/illus. by Bill Thompson, (Marshall Cavendish Children, 2010), 40p, Ages 4-8

One rainy day three children come across a magical bag of chalk hanging from a dinosaur ride at the playground. The first child draws a sun and the clouds part to reveal a sunny day. The second child draws Monarch butterflies, which emerge from the pavement and fly away. However, when the third child draws a Tyrannosaurus Rex, it comes to life and their game quickly changes to a dangerous one. Fortunately, they run for shelter and devise a way to dissolve the dinosaur by drawing rain. This fun, colorful, and animated wordless story will delight children and adults with its creativity.

Lights Out

written/illus. by Arthur Geisert, (Houghton Mifflin, 2005), 32p, Ages 4-8

In an almost wordless picture book, little piglet devises a way to prolong turning his light out at eight o'clock. Piglet invents a series of contraptions that run up to the roof, down the walls, through the yard, and into the basement, eventually turning his light off in the bedroom. Children as well as adults will love the detailed etchings of household items that are rigged to trigger reactions with other items before the room goes dark.

The Umbrella

by Ingrid/Dieter Schubert, (Lemniscaat, 2004), 36p, Ages 3-7

In a wordless tale of adventurous travel, a small black terrier discovers an umbrella on a windy evening, picks it up, and is carried over cloud-shaped animals, across the African plains, over an ocean, through a jungle where native spears pierce the umbrella, and onto a snowy Artic mountain. The terrier uses the umbrella to slide down the mountain and into the wind, which blows them home to a waiting cat, who eyes the umbrella with relish. Encountering hungry alligators, elephants, pelicans, and sea creatures, a very bedraggled little pooch experiences a once-in-a-lifetime journey around the world.

The Yellow Baloon

written & illus. by Charlotte Dematons, (Front Street Books, 2004), 32p, Ages 4-8

Originally published in the Netherlands, each page in this oversized wordless book shows a yellow balloon sailing in the world somewhere, followed by a small blue car. There is no story but the discovery of new and reappearing images from different time periods on each page is very appealing to children.

You Can't Take A Baloon Into the Metropolitan Museum

written by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman, illus. by Robin Preiss Glasser, (Dial Books for Young Readers, 1998), 32p, Ages 4-8

A young girl and her grandmother visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, but the rules state that her balloon must stay outside. When a bird flies away with the balloon, a conscientious guard chases it through many famous sites in New York City. The balloon creates havoc to skaters, dog walkers, and a wedding. Meanwhile, the child and grandmother are looking at museum pieces that echo the chaos outside.

Clown

written/illus. by Quentin Blake, (Henry Holt & Co., 1996), 32p, Ages 4-8

Quentin Blake presents an eloquent story of a small rag doll and his friends that have been thrown into the trash. Clown escapes the trash bin, dusts himself off, and searches for help to rescue his discarded friends. His search has it ups and downs, but eventually he finds a young girl and her family, who are in need of a little love themselves. Themes of friendship, compassion, loyalty, and appreciation make this story a unique read-aloud for the young and young at heart.

Flotsam

written/illus. by David Wiesner, (Clarion Books, 2006), 40p, Ages 5-8

David Wiesner has again created a unique and fascinating wordless story that tells of a young boy, who finds an old barnacle-crusted "Melville Underwater Camera" on the beach. Little does the boy realize what marvelous wonders it contains, until the developed pictures reveal portraits of its previous owners down through the years with astonishing sea creatures (mechanical wind-up fish, gigantic walking starfish with islands on their backs, a hot-air balloon puffer fish, etc.) This is a visual delight for all the members of the family.

Hogwash

written/illus. by Arthur Geisert, (Houghton Mifflin Co., 2008), 32p, Ages 4-8

In another captivating and enormously fun wordless picture book, piggies (nearly a hundred) have a great time rolling in huge mud baths and wallowing in giant paint vats before their moms march them to a gigantic machine that lathers, scrubs, rinses, and dries the piglets clean. Who knew that in a village of pigs such complicated contraptions could be designed for the sole purpose of cleaning pig children? A swishing wooden bathing vat cleans the piggies; a bowl-type sieve acts as a shower for rinsing off; and a drying apparatus, similar to a clothesline, completes the process. The elaborate drawings will have children pouring over every detail for a long time.