For a mix on storytime, consider wordless picture books. Books without words tell a whole story through illustrations. They’re wonderful for sparking imagination in children and can lead to powerful conversations.

Here are three wordless picture books that are focused on kindness. Try looking at these with the children in your life and see how they interpret the stories!

I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoët

This story shows a common scenario – a child being treated badly at school by a peer. What follows is the story of allyship and friendship, as the other children rally together to show support. Words aren’t necessary to tell this moving story about caring, kindness and compassion.

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

This is an illustrated retelling of Aesop’s fable of the lion and the mouse. After the fierce lion saves a scared mouse rather than eat him, the mouse later comes to the lion’s rescue. This story tells us that no act of kindness is too small, and neither is any person or creature.

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

In this (mostly) wordless book, a small child gets lost in a snowstorm, and at the same time, a wolf pup gets separated from its pack. The girl goes to great lengths to rescue the wolf pup and return it to its pack, and the wolf helps the girl in turn by howling to attract her searching family. These two show that kindness and bravery often go hand in hand. 

In this (mostly) wordless book, a small child gets lost in a snowstorm, and at the same time, a wolf pup gets separated from its pack. The girl goes to great lengths to rescue the wolf pup and return it to its pack, and the wolf helps the girl in turn by howling to attract her searching family. These two show that kindness and bravery often go hand in hand.