Wonderfully Wordless: The 500 Most Recommended Graphic Novels and Picture Booksis the first comprehensive best book guide to wordless picture books (and nearly wordless picture books). It is an indispensable resource for parents and teachers who love graphic storytelling or who recognize the value of these exceptional books in working with different types of students, particularly preschool, English as a Second Language (ESL), and special needs, and creative writers. Every age group will benefit fromWonderfully Wordless, from babies and toddlers encountering their first books, to elementary age children captivated by the popular fantasy and adventure themes, to teenagers attracted to graphic novels because of their more intense content and comic book format. Even adults who are not yet readers will benefit from this uniquely authoritative resource because it will provide a bridge to literacy and give them books that they can immediately share with their children.

Wonderfully Wordlessis the ultimate guide to wordless and almost wordless books. Its 500 exemplary titles are a composite of 140 sources including recommendations from reference books, award lists, book reviews, professional journals, literary blogs, and the collections of many of the most prominent libraries in the United States and the English-speaking world. The US libraries include the Boston Public Library, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Denver Library, New York Public Library, and Seattle Public Library, as well as the academic libraries at Bank Street College, Miami University, Michigan State University, Penn State University, Stanford University, and University of Chicago. The international libraries include the University of Oxford, British Council Library India, British Library, Hong Kong Public Libraries, National Library of the Philippines, Toronto Public Library, Trinity College Library (Dublin), Vancouver Public Library, and the National Library of New Zealand.

The 500 books included here are generated from a database with 7,300 booklist entries. In essence, the ranked list emerging from this compilation will constitute votes for the most popular titles, the ones most experts agree are the best. By pooling the expertise from the US and other English-speaking countries,Wonderfully Wordlessis an unrivaled core list of classic and contemporary titles. This authoritative reference book conveys not the opinion of one expert, but the combined opinions of a legion of experts. If a single picture is worth a thousand words, then a multitude of the picture-only texts is worth a compendium.

Wonderfully Wordless is organized by theme and format and readers should have no problem zeroing in on their favorite topics. There are thirty-one chapters organized by topics such as Christmas Cheer, Character Values, Comedy Capers, Pet Mischief, Creative Journeys, Fascinating Fantasies, and Marvelous Mysteries. There is a full spectrum of wordless fiction and nonfiction, concept books, visual puzzles, board books, cloth books, woodcut novels, graphic novels, and more.

William Patrick Martinis a book lover. His vision was to create a uniquely authoritative reference that he could use to make the best possible nonfiction choices for himself and his family. He has been a professor of education at Temple University and Monmouth University. He did his dissertation on the epic University of Chicago Great Books debate of the 1930s and 1940s. While at Monmouth University, Martin was also the director of the Governors School on Public Issues, a selective residential summer program for New Jersey gifted and talented teenagers. His career in Pennsylvania state government has included stints as a press secretary, management consultant, and special advisor to the Lieutenant Governor.

IntroductionChapter 1 Classic TitlesChapter 2 For and About Babies
Chapter 3 Concepts Galore
Chapter 4 Numbers and Letters
Chapter 5 Best at Bedtime
Chapter 6 Animals Aplenty
Chapter 7 Christmas Cheer
Chapter 8 Character Values
Chapter 9 Fabulous Friendships
Chapter 10 Comedy Capers
Chapter 11 Acts of Kindness
Chapter 12 Lost and Found
Chapter 13 Gala Gatherings
Chapter 14 Pet Mischief
Chapter 15 Aquatic Adventures
Chapter 16 Wonders of Nature
Chapter 17 Rural Rewards
Chapter 18 Creative Journeys
Chapter 19 Dreamy Departures
Chapter 20 Fashionable Favorites
Chapter 21 Fascinating Fantasies
Chapter 22 Marvelous Mysteries
Chapter 23 Pictorial Perspectives
Chapter 24 Difficult Challenges
Chapter 25 Edifying Exploits
Chapter 26 Leaps of Imagination
Chapter 27 Weird Encounters
Chapter 28 Social and Environmental Awareness
Chapter 29 Graphic Novels for Tweens
Chapter 30 Graphic Novels for Teens
Chapter 31 Woodcut Novels
Chapter 32 Special InterestsChapter 33 24 Wordless Book Artists You Should Know

Appendix 1 The 500 Most Recommended Books by Overall Rank
Appendix 2 The 500 Most Recommended Books by Chapter
Bibliography