Rose Recommends: June | Wordless children’s books

Hey ho! June’s almost over so it’s time to recommend ya’ll something! This particular “Rose Recommends” is a little bit different than usual because I’m recommending many books! And none of them have words!

I’m going with some of my favorite recent children’s books this time, because I’m taking a children’s lit course right now and cause why not? These posts are supposed to introduce people to books they might not know about or otherwise read, and I want to push children’s books on people, because these particular ones are totally great for adults, too, especially adults who don’t have a ton of time to read at the moment (like me!). These books are even more special because THEY HAVE NO WORDS. What? Yes sir, they have no words. Just the artists’ impeccable ability to tell a story through beautiful artwork. They will absolutely enchant you.

Journey by Aaron Becker (and sequel, Quest)

These are pretty popular right now because THEY ARE SO STINKIN’ AMAZING. They are about a girl who gets bored and draws herself into a magical world. I can’t say any more about it because spoilers, but just go read it!

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle (and sequels Flora and the Penguin and Flora and the Peacocks)

These are absolutely delightful wordless stories about a girl and her friendships with unique birds. It’s amazing what artists can do to build relationships without the use of words. These remind me of the wordless Pixar short films that I love oh so much. (Also good for young dancers and/or figure skaters!)

Blubird by Bob Staake

More birds! Whereas Molly Idle’s books above are light-hearted and silly, this book is incredibly moving and a little bit heartbreaking. It’s actually the first all-pictures book that I read, causing me to get totally hooked on them. The only colors used are black, white, blue, and grey. Like I said, it is an incredibly moving and beautiful book. You might cry.

The River by Alessandro Sanna

This one is cheating a bit because it does have some words. The chapters are separated by the 4 seasons, and the start of every chapter has a brief description (like 1 sentence) of what that season brings to the banks of the Po River in Italy. The artwork of this book is particularly stunning. Unlike the others books on this list, there isn’t really a story-line or plot. But that’s ok, because it lets your imagination fill in the blanks. It is beautiful.

Let me know if you know any more recent all-pictures children’s books I should check out!

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