Television And Wordless Picture Books

A picture book should be some place on the reading list of every class at every grade level. In sharing an occasional picture book, you would have given teens a chance at what they missed in primary years. Reading picture books as adults brings a perspective that was missing earlier when they were younger.
-Jim Trelease, The Read Aloud Handbook

Does your child love to pore over the antics of Mr Bean, Charlie Chaplin or even The Three Stooges? If yes, your child might be a visual learner. If he likes to imitate their antics, he might be a kinaesthetic learner, too.

Think about it, Charlie Chaplin and Mr. Bean are wordless on TV. In the rare moments that Mr Bean talks, it is generally only a few mumbled words. Despite this, their characters are very rich in stories. Their range of emotions from callousness to high sentiment are brought alive the moment they donned their signature jackets. Their characters are not defined by their dialogues but by the pictures they create through their funny antics.

What then does this tell us about reading? The illustrations found in books can also paint a thousand words. Picture books can be your child’s gateway to good books. In fact, they are probably the best way to get your child started on good books.

For older children, you might want to try out comic books.

Capitalise on this discovery and start introducing wordless picture books.

A wordless picture book can bridge the reading divide. For those who are reading well, it enhances the imagination and develops their critical thinking skills. Those who are struggling can find this format safer because there is no threat of words on the page. This then becomes a springboard for more reading.
So what’s a wordless picture book? WBP are books that contain illustrations but no text. For a list of really good picture books and ideas for putting them to good use, visit www.geniuschilddevelopment.com. nn