Before we learn to read words, we learn to read through images, colors and context. As early as age one, children start making these associations as they make sense of what they see. As they grow, understanding and being able to judge what they see becomes critical to survival.

The illustrations we find in picture books and graphic novels communicate in ways words can’t, which explains their role in libraries and classrooms across the country. For example, graphic novels use visual instances divided into panels to denote a sequence that narrates a situation and story, and they don’t rely on the use of written words to communicate meaning. As a matter of fact, stories without words are common and quite exciting. They invite the reader to deduce from what they see, discover what is not in plain script, and fill the silence with their own emotional playlist.

Check out our catalog for stories without words and explore a new experience of narration, imagination and wonder!