When someone starts talking to you about the importance of wordless picture books for kids, your first instinct might be a really solid umm... what the hell? Lazy much? Like you couldn't even throw 25 words down to go with these illustrations? What's the point?
Fortunately, you'd be wrong.
One major benefit is that these books make literature approachable to kids who are struggling readers. For a child with dysgraphia or dyslexia, or who is just a bit behind the crowd, books can quickly feel like torture devices deliberately keeping the good parts just out of reach.
Another is that removing the printed words actually results in a wider range of vocabulary being used while "reading." Studies show that what we verbalize in direct conversation to our kids has the largest impact on their retained vocabulary, and dialogues offer more rich vocabulary when they are inspired by wordless books.
Because dialogue is the goal, wordless books provide a great way for kids to take a turn narrating without the risk of "being wrong." They can add whatever level of detail they want to, taking control of the story by focusing on the minor or major aspects of the illustrations that interest them the most.
In my opinion, children's illustrations are some of the most beautiful forms of art, and for a publisher to move forward on a wordless book is sometimes a gamble. It tells you that the illustrations are inherently gorgeous and that they are structured in a way that tells a coherent story.
If you have multiple children at home, this is also a great way to let each child personalize the experience and avoid children complaining that they are sick of a book. The story is different every time, so a child that doesn't love repetition gets to have a unique experience with each read. It makes me think of the way a book is static, but a script performed live each night is dynamic with the nuisance and language varying slightly every time.
Happy Reading!
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