The Wordless Wonderland: Silent Books and Children's Literature

Picture books without words – silent books – are the courageous fruits of publishers, writers, and artists offering children new possibilities for reading. They bring together various art forms such as illustration, painting, comics, photography, film, literature, mime, and music, converging into the narrative language of image books. They adjust our gaze, inviting us to experience wonder and disorientation, to delve deep into free imagination, and to re-evaluate the subtle relationship with "language/words." This book attempts to write from an innovative critical perspective, conducting extensive research on picture books from multiple countries, incorporating feedback from both adult and young readers, and providing detailed and beautiful elaborations on the inspiration and reflections brought by the artwork. It serves as a practical guide for the general public in aesthetic and poetic education, and is also a rare and specialized treatise on wordless picture books in the Taiwanese publishing market and children's literature academic circle. This book, "The Wonderland of Wordless Books," is the comprehensive observation and research culmination of Trus, who has served as a consultant for the Bologna Children's Book Fair for many years. It also conveys the sense of happiness she accumulated during her observations. She is an enthusiastic guide – although compared to text-based works and picture books with words, the reading path of wordless books seems somewhat winding and unpredictable. Yet, it is like embarking on an unknown adventure and leisurely journey through a labyrinth full of various sounds, poetry, and sensibilities of this world. It is a delightful encounter with human civilization, wisdom, humor, and endless nature awaiting recognition, allowing us to calmly experience and savor the ineffable beauty of childhood.This book is divided into three parts:1. "Discourse": Explains the controversies related to the research topic of "wordless books/silent books," and develops thinking from the basic question "What do wordless books say?", further exploring "How to read wordless books" (different from reading text-based books or picture books with words), how their narrative patterns work, and "with the reader"?2. "Process": Outlines the historical context of the development of such works, the inspiration for creators, publishers, and readers, and how critics and writers have discussed them, highlighting viewpoints that are still noteworthy today.3. "Development Trajectories": Explores the core creation and aesthetics of many excellent silent literary picture books, such as surprise, transformation, serenity, emptiness, small and large, cycles, relationships, memory, bewilderment, wildness, and joy, using methods of exploring imaginative themes in children's literature. Through this, it explores how writers help readers "see" in wordless books through visual design, evoking invisible emotions, secrets, thoughts, and dreams that cannot be easily expressed in words. It also offers many tips for educators and creators on guiding young readers to read wordless books.