Six wordless picture books on various topics and of different characters were selected. They were Deep in the Forest, Goodnight Gorilla, Pancakes for Breakfast, A
Boy, A Dog, A Frog and a Friend, Tuesday, and The Snowman. All of these six
wordless picture books provide a clear storyline which facilitates participants’
narrative writing. Besides, the illustrations in them are very attractive and clear. The sequence of the use of the six books was based on their familiarity to the participants
and their difficulty in language or meaning.
1. Deep in the Forest by Turkle, Brinton (1976)
Deep in the Forest was chosen as the first wordless picture book for the participants to read and write about due to the students’ familiarity with the story. This book is a creative version based on the famous and interesting story, Goldilocks and the Three
Bears. In the original story, a girl named Goldilocks ran into a house of the three bears
in the forest, and she made a mess in the house. However, in the Deep in the Forest, it was a bear that broke into a house of three people. The participants had all read the original picture book in English; thus, it was assumed that they had known some key words or sentence patterns to use and to describe the events or characters in the story.
Besides, the storyline in the wordless picture book is clear enough, and the
illustrations are appealing to children. As a result, the participants can be more able to
start to write on their first story and build on confidence in writing it.
2. Goodnight Gorilla by Rathmann, Peggy (2004)
Goodnight Gorilla is a simple and funny story to read. The setting is at a zoo where there are a gorilla, a zookeeper and his wife, and many other animals. The story is about a very naughty gorilla that stole the key from the zookeeper, releasing all the other animals from the cages. Then all the animals followed the zookeeper to his house to sleep, which woke up and surprised the zookeeper’s wife. The zookeeper’s wife took them back to their cages; however, the naughty gorilla still managed to sneak into the zookeeper’s house again. The topic, zoo animals, is often very attractive to elementary school students. Most children should be equipped with the background knowledge of what a zoo is like. They can relate to their own experiences of visiting a zoo while reading and writing on this book in class or individually. The story also contains a very simple, clear storyline and it has a very surprising, fantastic climax. In addition, the participants can learn to describe the appearance and personality of the main character, the gorilla in this book, and can include some details to make the narrative coherent. Omission and elaborated details should be
made to achieve informativeness and create the climax while writing on this book.
3. Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie de Paola (1978)
Pancakes for Breakfast is a story about an old lady making pancakes, which is
quite different from the previous two stories. In the story, the main character, a woman needed to collect some ingredients to make pancakes. However, her dog and cat spoiled her plan, and she had to go to other people’s house for some pancakes to eat. Unlike the previous stories, instead of mostly animals, the main character in this story is a woman who wants to make some pancakes. The participants can learn to write about people in addition to animals. Besides, unlike in westerner cultures, making pancakes may not be a daily routine in Taiwan; however, the participants can be exposed to the western food culture during reading and writing the story. This story is relaxing and funny, and it also has a clear storyline. While writing the story,
Pancakes for Breakfast can help the participants practice writing the starting events
and goal in the narrative. Also, the participants can learn to organize the events in a chronological or logical order which leads to the climax. The ending of the story is
also very clear, with a moral lesson provided at the end of the story.
4. A Boy, A Dog, A Frog and A Friend by Mayer, Mercer (1978)
A Boy, A Dog, A Frog and A Friend is a short, interesting story. The setting of the story is by a pond in the woods probably in spring or summer. A boy took his dog and frog to go fishing. However, a naughty turtle appeared out of nowhere and took their fishing away for no reason. The dog wanted to protect his master and then had a fight with the turtle. The situation became very messy and tense between the turtle and the
boy and his pets. Finally, the turtle pretended to be dead. The boy and his pets felt sorry for the turtle, so they decided to bury it. Seeing this, the turtle felt pleased, so they forgave each other and all became good friends. The topic of going fishing and friendship is suitable and familiar to the students. Thus, they can relate to their background knowledge or experience while reading and writing about the book.
Besides, the storyline is also very clear. The participants can practice describing the characters, organizing the events in a chronological and logical sequence which leads to the climax, and finally come up with the resolution. While writing the story, the participants can also be encouraged to write many creative dialogues between the boy,
the dog, the frog, and the turtle to complement the illustrations.
5. Tuesday by Wiesner, David (1991)
Tuesday is an award-winning wordless picture book which is simple and encourages imagination. The setting of the story is in the neighborhood during the night where anything can happen. In the story, a lot of frogs on lily pads flew into the neighborhood on Tuesday, but nobody noticed them except a dog. The next morning, the police came to the scene and tried to find some clues on who made the mess in the neighborhood. The story is ended with the picture showing that the next Tuesday, instead of frogs, there came the pigs flying in the sky. As for the nature of the book, it provides readers a very clear storyline; the illustrations, especially the detailed facial
expressions of different characters, and the topic are attractive to children. Besides, it is an open-ended story which enables readers to come up with their own ending.
Tuesday also enhances the participants’ creativity, for the story is about mysterious
and imaginary events happening at night. Besides providing a detailed description of the characters and the setting, the participants should also learn to organize the events happening in a chronological or logical order so that their narrative can be fully comprehended. Finally, the end of the story is the picture of some flying pigs in the sky which refers to an English idiom meaning something is impossible. The participants can also discuss, guess and learn this idiom after reading and writing on
this wordless picture book.
6. The Snowman by Briggs, Raymond (1989)
The Snowman is about a boy making a snowman who came alive later on a snowy,
cold day. They had a good time spending the night together and had some adventures outside. However, the little boy woke up and found the snowman was no longer there outside the house. This wordless picture book is introduced at last because the story is longer and more complex, and the meaning is more profound. That is to say, the participants may find it more difficult to express their feelings or narrate the story while writing. The story is longer and more challenging to write compared to the previous five. The participants should pay more attention to the details, and omit orelaborate on these details adequately to make the utterances coherent. This is also an imaginary story which provides a clear storyline and helps stimulate readers’
imagination and creativity. It is also a touching and warm story on the topic of friendship, which is a common topic to young learners.