Winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal and Shadowers Choice Awards for Illustration.

Aaron Becker’s silent picture book, The Tree and the River, is a visual meditation on the passage of time and the resilience of nature. The cover sets the tone: a tranquil scene of deer drinking from a river, buildings reflected in its surface under a pink evening sky.

As the pages unfold, the landscape transforms. People settle the land farming, and playing children climb the tree and swim in the river amid lush pastoral hues of green, blue, and purple. Barges glide along the water, and walls begin to shape its banks. But as technology and urbanisation take hold, the river fades and the tree loses its vibrancy. The palette shifts to sombre blues, browns, reds, and purples, reflecting a world overtaken by development. Two-page spreads emphasize the loss of skyline and natural space, with the tree and river - once central - now diminished.

Yet, amid the devastation, hope emerges. An acorn falls from the tree, and a new sapling begins to grow. The landscape gradually returns to green, and a rainbow arcs across the sky, symbolizing renewal and resilience.

This wordless narrative speaks volumes through its illustrations, making it reflective and poignant for readers aged 6 and up. Becker’s artwork invites conversation on environmental change, human impact, and the enduring power of nature.

📚 Recommended for ages 6 to older.

Walker Books 2023

ISBN 978 1 5295 1676 0

Caldecott Honor 2005

What a great design for a book! A girl, wearing special attire, runs across a red, glossy cover. A silver medal on the corner of this book signifies it won a Caldecott Honor. White letters display the book's title on the spine.

In this silent picture book, a girl finds a red book in the snow on her walk to school. She opens the book in geography class and sees a boy walking on a beach on a different continent. The boy picks up the book and, in a twist, sees her world. Imagination lets the girl travel to see her new friend. The story restarts when you believe it's over!

The book's illustrations, styled like comic panels on white, will attract young readers. The adventure grows with the red book appearing on various pages.  This book is a wordless story filled with travel, cultures, and surprises.

📚 Recommended for ages 3- 6

Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.

ISBN 97806 18 428588

Footpath Flowers (also known as Sidewalk Flowers) is a masterclass in quiet storytelling. In this wordless picture book by poet Jon Arno Lawson and illustrator Sydney Smith, a little girl gathers wildflowers along a city walk with her father—and with each step, she gives them away. To a bird, a dog, a stranger, her mother. Each gesture is small, unspoken, and full of quiet tenderness.

The father, on his phone, is oblivious to his surroundings, but the child notices everything. A dead bird. A man on a bench. A dog waiting alone. Her compassion unfolds without fanfare, her actions speaking more powerfully than words ever could.

Sydney Smith’s illustrations elevate the narrative to something extraordinary. At first, the city is rendered in a near-monochrome wash. Only the girl’s red coat and the flowers she collects are in colour—a visual cue to her presence, her sensitivity, her growing impact. Gradually, other colours begin to bloom: in market stalls, clothes, bottles in a shop window. The world brightens as the story progresses, subtly echoing the girl’s quiet influence on her environment.

The book never names the child, and there is no text to guide the reader making the story more powerful. Lawson has said the story was inspired by his own daughter’s unprompted kindness: “She wasn’t doing it for praise, she was just doing it.” That authenticity shines through in every frame.

Endpapers adorned with birds and blossoms bookend the story, reminding us of nature around us. This is a picture book that lingers in the mind, inviting reflection with every turn of the page. It’s ideal for discussion, encouraging emotional awareness, and visual storytelling, or simply being absorbed in silence.

📚 Recommended for ages 4–9

Walker Books 1916 (orig.pub 2015)

ISBN 978 1 4063 6567 2

Mitsumasa Anno, the renowned Japanese author and illustrator, takes readers on a quiet yet deeply engaging journey across Europe in this beautifully crafted wordless picture book. Inspired by his fascination with the continent, Anno’s Journey unfolds through a series of intricate watercolour landscapes that celebrate art, architecture, daily life, and folklore.

Each double-page spread is a world in itself—villages bustle, markets bloom, children play, and tiny stories unfold in every corner. From a prisoner’s daring escape to an artist painting en plein air, these scenes invite the reader to slow down, observe, and interpret. Anno’s illustrations are gentle and precise, with buildings, streets, and countryside drawn to scale, offering both a visual feast and a subtle geography lesson.

Children will love hunting for the recurring motif of the artist on horseback—a game of visual hide-and-seek that sharpens attention and rewards curiosity. Adults, meanwhile, may spot tributes to European art and literature: a nod to the French Impressionists, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza at the windmill, or even The Enormous Turnip, tucked among the scenes.

A reflective note by Anno at the end of the book offers insight into his inspirations and intent—it’s so rich with context, one might wish it appeared at the front to guide the journey from the outset. And while I couldn’t quite find Beethoven in the window, perhaps a younger reader’s eyes might succeed where mine didn’t.

This is a book to wander through slowly, returning again and again to discover new details. It is wordless, yet it speaks volumes. For older children, teens, or even adults, it can spark storytelling, quiet contemplation, or thoughtful discussion. Its potential in therapy and educational settings is notable, particularly in supporting visual literacy and imaginative exploration.

📚 Recommended for ages 6 to adult

Paperstar. The Putnam & Grosset Group. 1977.

ISBN 978 0 698 11433 3