So, after I enjoyed a 2+ hour dinner with friend Donalyn Miller, I did not have it in me to write a blog last night. I think it was the fault of the salsa. Yes, blame it on the salsa. So much of what Donalyn and I talked about could have become blog posts, but I settled on this one (which I am back dating, sneaky me).

Recently, Donalyn commented that sharing textless books is reading. Several folks took her to task on this. Basically, they said that if a book did not have words it could not be read. How sad that some people still associate reading with left right, top down, front back sounding out of words. Here are a few things that reading textless books can do:

Develops oral language
Builds vocabulary
Reinforces comprehension skills:
Reading for details
Noting cause and effect
Determining main idea
Inferencing and drawing conclusions
Encourages storytelling
Enhances more elaborate and complex stories
Emphasizes importance of visual literacy

How are the foregoing not reading.

Case in point are two textless books that were my first books read today. DRAW by Raul Colon is the story (see, I have to call it a story despite its lack of words) about a boy who is sitting in his bed studying about Africa and beginning to draw animals. He is transported to Africa where he gets to sketch all manner of animals (and a monkey even draws a portrait of him). There is so much to be read here.



Next up was FLORA AND THE PENGUIN. I adored it predecessor FLORA AND THE FLAMINGO, so I knew this would be a treat. In addition to the fluid art which seems to come alive as you turn the pages, this book also features a lift-the-flap feature which extends the story (there's that word, again).



So, scoff all you naysayers. I am with Donalyn and countless others who share textless books with older readers. There is much here that is, indeed, reading.