A Word on Wordless Books

Last October my new series of children's books, How Artists See, Jr., was published by Abbeville Family (a division of Abbeville Press). When my publisher approached me to do a prequel to my How Artist See series and asked me to select the theme-based images and write a note to parents and teachers, I thought, "What, no text? But I'm a writer, I've just gotta write." Well, actually, no.

Wordless books are "pure" picture books (Hillman, 1995). Using images to tell a story, wordless books are excellent resources for pre- and emergent readers, English-language learners, and students with language-based learning disabilities. "Wordless books can be a powerful tool in helping to develop a child's language ability: an important pre-reading skill. Children of any age can actively participate in the reading process by looking closely at the details of the illustrations and telling the story of what they see. This provides many language opportunities for labeling and identifying the details in a story. And it helps in developing a child's creativity and imagination (University of CA Cooperative Extension website)." Jalongo, et al (2002) posit that "Wordless picture books connect visual literacy (learning to interpret images), cultural literacy (learning the characteristics and expectations of social groups) and literacy with print (learning to read and write language).1" Wordless books also support oral language learning by encouraging story telling, description, and dialogue. They are excellent tools to stimulate creative writing (http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=130) and promote critical thinking (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4064/is_200310/ai_n9274272/?tag=content;col1) 2. Wordless books are also useful evaluative resources for informal language assessment. (See Jalongo, et al for assessment strategies using wordless books).

After the How Artists See, Jr. books came out, I brought a set into my graduate class at Fordham University. Many of my classmates, teachers of primary level students, flipped over the books, reeling off ideas on how they envisioned using them to support instruction. Below are a list of sites I've found on wordless books, all of which provide useful information about the topic. Also, please check out the TeacherTube interview of me discussing How Artists See, Jr. (http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=83023&title=Colleen_Carroll_on_How_Artists_See_Jr&vpkey

List of Wordless Books: http://library.loganutah.org/books/children/wordless.cfm

ESL Connections: http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/wordless_books.php

About How Artists See, Jr.: http://www.abbeville.com/bookpage.asp?isbn=9780789209726 and
http://www.abbeville.com/bookpage.asp?isbn=9780789210500

More Thoughts on Wordless Books:
http://evasbookaddiction.blogspot.com/2008/11/reading-wordless-books.html

http://wellreadchild.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-read-book-without-words-out-loud.html

References

1. Jalongo, Mary Renck, Dragich, D., Conrad, N.K., and Zhang, A. (2002). Using Wordless Picture Books to Support Emergent Literacy. Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 29, No. 3, Spring. 2. Smith, Gail G. (2003). Stimulating Critical Thinking with Wordless Books. Ohio Reading Teacher, Fall 2003-Spring 2004.

Introduction

What is literacy? Not too long ago the answer was easy: being able to read and write to a degree that one could access meaning (reading) and communicate ideas and information (writing) made one literate. Since the proliferation of the Internet, and more specifically web 2.0, any traditional notion of what it means and what is required to be a literate person has been thrown for a very big loop. This blog site seeks to explore and share what is happening in the world of literacy education, examine how the traditional strands of reading, writing, speaking, and listening are intersecting, overlapping, and converging with the "new literacies" (visual, digital, critical, and media), challenge and expand pre-Internet definitions of literacy, and somehow piece together an ever growing quilt of ideas of what it means to be literate in the 21st century.

This spring I will graduate with a Masters Degree from Fordham University's Advanced Literacy and Learning Program. My fellow students, professors, and I have had the luxury to debate many issues in this education hotbed. I entered the program with the end goal of becoming a reading teacher, yet I have gained so much more. More knowledge, yes, but also the belief that being academically, socially, and politically literate is more crucial than ever.

I invite anyone who is interested in this subject to join in the conversation and continue the dialogue.

To see my work as a children's book author, please visit my website here.