By FPL_Staff
Why go wordless?
When reading to my young children, one of my favorite things to do was take a backseat and let the kids tell the stories. At 3 years old, my daughter loved to “read” The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. She created dialogue and voices for the characters and acted out intense scenes. She was empowered to do this because The Lion and the Mouse has no text. The story is told completely in pictures.
Though it seems counter-intuitive, text is not necessary for the development of important early literacy skills. As my daughter told me the story of The Lion and the Mouse she developed a plot with a beginning, middle, and end. She learned elements of sequential story telling. Her story became more nuanced as she observed new details in the illustrations. As her vocabulary increased, she used new words in her storytelling.
All while I relaxed and listened to the story.
There are some truly beautiful and exciting wordless picture books in the Frisco Public Library. Share them with your children to:
- Increase vocabulary and observation skills
- Foster independence and confidence
- Encourage an understanding of plot elements, cause and effect, and conflict resolution
- Empower children to tell their own stories through pictures
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