August 10 for 10 Picture Book Post: My Top Ten Favorite Wordless Picture Books that Require a Second or Third Read


Today is August 10th and  Mandy Robek from Enjoy and Embrace Learning and Cathy Mere from Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community are hosting the August's Picture Book 10 for 10 event.

I am celebrating this year by sharing my top ten wordless picture books that require a second and maybe even a third read.  Each of these books are beautifully illustrated and complex in a unique way that invite readers in to have a closer look.  What I love about wordless picture books is that you can often use them with any grade level.  Wordless picture books can inspire a reader's imagination or encourage a child to write in a way he has never written before or allow a child to find her own storytelling voice.  

Here are the 10 I can't live without and think need to be in everyone's libraries.  I have listed the books in no particular order. Enjoy!


The Umbrella by Ingrid Schubert; Dieter Schubert (Lemniscaat, 2011)


The Boy and the Airplane by Mark Pett (Simon & Schuster, 2013)


Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole (Scholastic, 2012)


The Hero of Little Street by Gregory Rogers (Roaring Brook, 2012)


Zoom by Istvan Banyai (Puffin, 1998)


The Conductor by Laetitia Devernay (Chronicle Books, 2011)


Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman (Houghton Mifflin Books, 2007)


The Chicken Thief by Béatrice Rodriguez (Gecko Press, 2009)


Shadow by Suzy Lee (Chronicle Books, 2010)


The Secret Box by Barbara Lehman (Houghton Mifflin Books, 2011)

My Picture Book 10 for 10


This is the 3rd year that Cathy from Reflect & Refine: Building a Learning Community and Mandy from Enjoy and Embrace Learning are hosting the Picture Book 10 for 10 event (#pb10for10 ) on August 10, 2012.  I have no idea how I missed this the past two years considering my love for picture books.  However, I am joining in this year. 

Here is my list of 10 picture books for the 10 for 10 event...

The titles that I can read from memory because I read them so many times when I was first teaching preschool and kindergarten:


Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom; Illustrated by Bruce Degen


Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, John Archambault; Illustrated by Lois Ehlert


The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams; Illustrated by Megan Lloyd


Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.; Illustrated by Eric Carle

The book that reminds me of who I would love to become when I "grow" up...


Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

The non-Halloween book that can also be read at Halloween or as a bedtime story...


Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi; Illustrated by Gris Grimly

The book that celebrates unique personality traits and is a great read aloud...

Effie by Beverly Allinson; Illustrated by Beverly Reid

The picture books that should have been Caldecott Winners....


Chalk by Bill Thomson


Stars by Mary Lyn Ray; Illustrated by Marla Frazee


The first children's book I ever got signed...


Tomie dePaola's Favorite Nursery Tales by Tomie dePaola

If you are interested in seeing my top 10 picture books of 2012 at the half-way mark, click here.

Don't forget to check out the hashtag #pb10for10 to catch the tweets about other bloggers who are joining in on this event.  Also follow @cathymere and @mandyrobek to also track down tweets about all these great books.

And stop by and leave a comment with some of your favorite titles.