Before the wordless picturebook, there was the picture-novel or wordless novel. Franz Masereel’s Passionate Journey (originally Mon Livre d’Heures, 1919) and Lynd Ward’s God’s Man (1929) are just two examples of picture-novels published in the 1920s. These works were intended for an older audience and were reminiscent of silent movies. It is believed that the introduction of sound to movie was not only the demise of these predecessors to wordless picturebooks, but also why it there was a delay in the development of the wordless picturebook for children (Bader, 83).
The first wordless picturebook intended for children, What Whiskers Did, by Ruth Carroll was published in 1932. It was only one of it’s kind to appear for more than three decades (Dowhower, 59). In 1965, What Whiskers Did was republished which was a sign of the times as there was an “emphasis on cognitive learning and on ‘reading’ pictures in preparation for reading words” (Bader, 540). The use of wordless picturebooks for educational purposes was very common, in fact, “the majority of wordless picturebooks prior to 1970 tend to be educational books with an explicit pedagogical purpose” (Beckett, 81). This is a trend that we see even today, as many of the current studies on wordless picturebooks focus on them as a learning tool.
From the 1960s on, wordless picturebooks have become more popular. In Sarah Dowhower’s 1997 article, Wordless Books: Promise and Possibilities, A Genre Come of Age, she examines the growth of the number of wordless picturebooks published. Prior to 1960, less than seven wordless books were published, approximately 44 books were published, in the 1970s that number grew to 317, and was over 400 in the 1980s (Dowhower, 60). The number of wordless picturebooks has only continued to grow, as Sandra L. Beckett, a scholar in children’s literature, points out that “Since the late 1990s, there has been a marked surge in the number of wordless picturebooks being produced; they seem to have become a contemporary publishing trend in many countries” (Beckett, 83).
It is clear that although wordless picturebooks had a slow start, the genre has gradually established itself in the world of children’s literature. Wordless picturebooks popularity continues to grow as it has a universal appeal to readers of all ages and skills.
The first wordless picturebook intended for children, What Whiskers Did, by Ruth Carroll was published in 1932. It was only one of it’s kind to appear for more than three decades (Dowhower, 59). In 1965, What Whiskers Did was republished which was a sign of the times as there was an “emphasis on cognitive learning and on ‘reading’ pictures in preparation for reading words” (Bader, 540). The use of wordless picturebooks for educational purposes was very common, in fact, “the majority of wordless picturebooks prior to 1970 tend to be educational books with an explicit pedagogical purpose” (Beckett, 81). This is a trend that we see even today, as many of the current studies on wordless picturebooks focus on them as a learning tool.
From the 1960s on, wordless picturebooks have become more popular. In Sarah Dowhower’s 1997 article, Wordless Books: Promise and Possibilities, A Genre Come of Age, she examines the growth of the number of wordless picturebooks published. Prior to 1960, less than seven wordless books were published, approximately 44 books were published, in the 1970s that number grew to 317, and was over 400 in the 1980s (Dowhower, 60). The number of wordless picturebooks has only continued to grow, as Sandra L. Beckett, a scholar in children’s literature, points out that “Since the late 1990s, there has been a marked surge in the number of wordless picturebooks being produced; they seem to have become a contemporary publishing trend in many countries” (Beckett, 83).
It is clear that although wordless picturebooks had a slow start, the genre has gradually established itself in the world of children’s literature. Wordless picturebooks popularity continues to grow as it has a universal appeal to readers of all ages and skills.
References:
Bader, B. (1976). American PictureBooks from Noah's Art to the Beast Within. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.
Beckett, S.L. (2012). Crossover Picturebooks A Genre for All Ages. New York: Routledge.
Dowhower, S. (1997). Wordless books: Promise and possibilities, a genre comes of age. In K. Camperell, B. L. Hayes, & R. Telfer (Eds.), Yearbook of the American Reading Forum, 17, 57-79.
Bader, B. (1976). American PictureBooks from Noah's Art to the Beast Within. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.
Beckett, S.L. (2012). Crossover Picturebooks A Genre for All Ages. New York: Routledge.
Dowhower, S. (1997). Wordless books: Promise and possibilities, a genre comes of age. In K. Camperell, B. L. Hayes, & R. Telfer (Eds.), Yearbook of the American Reading Forum, 17, 57-79.
Melissa Hayes
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Created Fall 2014 to fulfill LIS 592
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Created Fall 2014 to fulfill LIS 592