The silent books They are illustrated books without words, except the title, editorial information and perhaps some within the illustrations. They tell a story through images and allow you to connect with anyone else even if you don't speak the same language. Are ideal for those who do not yet know how to read or have different levels of reading or intellectual knowledge. The best thing is that age is not an important factor in seeing or understanding them either.
Their main advantage is that they expand the possibilities of interpretation of a story at the same time that they propose to their users that they themselves construct it in their own way or give it their own meaning. That stimulates creative, observation and concentration skills, especially in the little ones. We take a look at a selection of 8 titles that may be of interest.
Silent books — Selection of titles
The magical world of stereograms
I'm sure many remember the magic eye, which was a big phenomenon in the mid-90s. Well, this one recovers its wake and has another one with animals. This is a book made up of autostereograms, better known as stereograms, or optical illusions that allow you to distinguish a scene in 3 dimensions from an image. They do not need any device to see it, such as glasses, but it is a matter of patience and concentration. Stereograms are often used as orthopedic rehabilitation exercises.
While you sleep — Mariana Ruiz Johnson
With this book its author won the Silent Book Contest 2015 and before that he had also won the Compostela International Prize for Illustrated Album. It is set in the Its time to story before going to sleep and the images transport readers from inside the room to outside the house, the neighborhood and beyond the city.
The Snowman —Raymond Briggs
This is the pioneering and most famous book, an album released in 1978 in comic format. Count the friendship between a boy and his snowman through images that transmit the magic of snow and the enormous power of imagination.
Noah's ark —Peter Spier
Other title emblematic of silent books is this one. A way to approach sacred history with one of the most well-known—and certainly visual—stories of the Old Testament. The power of his illustrations makes readers witness the danger and enormity of the flood, but also to live brighter and more hopeful moments.
The last summer —Jihyun Kim
This is an album without text that tells us the story of how a boy and his dog live and enjoy every moment in a summer that they will no longer forget. Those simple moments that are not given importance because we do not have time to look at them or feel them: observing the starry sky, taking a dip in cold water or encountering small striped fish... All with some Artwork exquisite of oriental style that do not intend to explain how their protagonist feels, but invite you to experience and absorb the same emotions of the boy in each double page.
Hieronymus Hieronymus: The strange story of Hieronymus, the hat, the backpack and the ball — Thé Tjong-Khing
This is another book without words to pretend get closer to the art of such a fascinating figure such as that of Hieronymus van Aken, universally known as Hieronymus Bosch, or El Bosco. She does this through images that present Hieronymus as a child who goes out to play every day. But this time something unexpected happens to him, because, when he falls off a cliff, he ends up in a world of Strange creatures They steal his hat, backpack and ball. To recover them, Hieronymus must undertake a journey full of extraordinary apparitions and must arm himself with courage and cunning, because nothing is what it seems.
Good night, Gorilla — Peggy Rathmann
Published in 1992, the author was based on un childhood memory, from when he played in the summer with his friends on the street. And many times they would stare at their neighbors' windows and wonder what it would be like to enter those houses. The atmosphere in the zoo at the time when all the animals go to sleep. All, except for a smiling character, short and hairy, who has a key in his hand and whom the guard has not yet seen.
Migrants — Issa Watanabe
We finish this selection of silent books with this album without words. With images of great force he tells us the journey of a group of animals leaving a forest in a great and unique migration. In short, they tell a real situation that aims to move the reader and appeal to their solidarity and empathy. And it does so with scenes of routine in refugee camps or other images that are regularly broadcast in the media.