The Last Zookeeper by Aaron Becker (Candlewick,, 40 pages, grades K-5). As he did in The Tree and the River, Aaron Becker uses a wordless story to deliver a subtle message about environmental degradation with a dollop of hope woven in. The zookeeper of the title is a large robot who looks after animals at a zoo that is spread out over several small islands. In its spare time, the robot enjoys building toy sailboats and floating them in the zoo’s waters. When drenching rains flood the area, the robot figures out a way to build an ark-like sailboat to rescue the animals. They sail through stormy seas until, exhausted, they collapse on a new group of islands. Another robot appears in a hot air balloon, loads up the whole group, and flies them away to a new paradise.

I can’t wait to share this new wordless masterpiece with the many Aaron Becker fans at my school. I know they will spot all kinds of interesting details that I’ve missed in my initial perusing of the pages. Be sure to start with Jane Goodall’s epigraph to set the tone for the story: “Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved.”

First Day of May by Henrique Coser Moreira (Levine Querido, 40 pages, ages 3-8). A girl, bored inside, is excited to hear a forecast for sunny weather as the calendar turns from April 30 to May 1. She rushes outside, where she encounters all sorts of delights: soaring birds, baby animals with their parents, sweet-smelling flowers, and grassy hills to cartwheel down. Finally, adult hands serve her a cup of tea and cover her with a blanket so she can take a peaceful nap in the grass.

Look no further to find a celebration of spring that will delight and engage preschoolers. The book’s small size and multiple panels is just right for the youngest readers and will encourage them to seek out signs of the new season.

One Giant Leap by Thao Lam (Owlkids, 48 pages, ages 4-8). After donning boots and gloves, a young astronaut heads out into a lunar landscape, climbing up and down hills and encountering a variety of colorful creatures. As mysterious white flakes fall from the sky, the astronaut moves inside, revealing a snow suited child entering a classroom filled with other kids who are wearing clothes that match the colors and patterns of the creatures seen on the walk. A final page shows the route taken by the “astronaut” through a snowy urban neighborhood.

I wrote the review of The Last Zookeeper a few days before the other two and have shared that book with a few classes. I’m a little disappointed that it wasn’t quite as engaging as his previous books have been, and I’m now feeling more inclined to move onto One Giant Leap. I think the surprise ending will lead kids back to the beginning to notice how the pictures that are supposed to take place on the moon give hints as to what is really going on.

Published by Orca Book Publishers

Summary:  There’s still snow on the ground when a robin starts a journey that offers a bird’s-eye view of the landscape: water, roads, farms.  As the bird makes stops on a playground, at a church, and in a fountain, the reader can see that the world is slowly turning green again.  Finally, the robin lands in a tree outside an apartment building, many of the windows covered by blinds or curtains.  When it starts to sing, people appear in the windows, looking out and connecting with each other over this novelty outside.  Before long there’s a bird feeder hanging in the tree just above the robin’s new nest.  Eggs are laid, babies hatch, and soon people are drawn outside and to be with each other in a new community.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This beautiful wordless book could be interpreted in many different ways: I read three very different reviews that ranged from a bleak environmental message to a post-pandemic liberation.  Readers will enjoy the artwork and the freedom to interpret the story in their own way.

Cons:  Building a nest and reproducing seems like a two-bird job, but there was just the one robin to be seen.

Published by Enchanted Lion Books

Summary:  The prologue of this wordless book shows a seed flying through the air, landing on the earth, and sprouting to eventually become a full-grown tree.  In Act One, the tree watches as a wolf chases a pack of rabbits.  Turning itself into a monster, the tree scares away the wolf and offers refuge to one of the rabbits.  Bunny asks Tree for help finding the rest of its pack, and the two set off on a wondrous journey.  After Bunny digs up Tree and puts it in a little red wagon, Tree is able to transform into a train, a boat, and a plane to carry them into the mountains where they at last find the rest of the rabbits.  The tree is transplanted and enjoys a symbiotic relationship with the bunnies, offering them food and shelter in exchange for fertilizer and friendship.  184 pages; ages 7 and up.

Pros:  This incredible wordless story unfolds over the course of nine acts and an epilogue, celebrating a wondrous friendship as well as the magic of the changing seasons.  

Cons:  I didn’t completely understand the beginning of the story until I read some of the book reviews.

Published by Candlewick

Summary:  The first spread of this wordless picture book shows a young tree standing by the river of the title with the skeleton of a house being built nearby.  A boy and a girl are playing near the tree.  On the next page, the boy (presumably) is grown up with his son, and the house has turned into a farm, with a few other houses near it, and several kids playing around the tree.  As time goes on the small community becomes a town, then a city.  A wall is built, and a war is fought.  The river is diverted and filled with boats; trains and then cars are also used for transportation.  As time goes on, the tree grows, then turns brown and dies as the civilization dies out and falls to ruin.  Finally, an acorn falls from the tree’s one remaining live branch, floating down the river until it takes root on a piece of land by the water.  On the last page, two children stand underneath the new young tree.  32 pages; ages 4 and up.

Pros:  This wordless masterpiece explores the rise and fall of human civilizations with an incredible amount of detail.  I can’t wait to share it with kids to see all the details I’ve missed (this has happened to me with Aaron Becker’s wordless trilogy, Journey, Quest, and Return).  Definitely a Caldecott contender.

Cons:  It’s definitely heavier and grimmer than the Journey trilogy, but there is that spark of hope at the end.

Published by Floris Books

Summary:  A young boy and his parents leave their home in the city to drive to his grandparents’ more rural house.  As soon as they arrive, he and his dog head off into the woods to explore.  They’re delighted to find a lake with a dock, and the boy dives in.  Down, down he goes into the water, where he comes face to face with a fish.  The last page shows him and his dog stretched out on the dock in the sun.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A magical wordless picture book that emphasizes the importance of slowing down…both to enjoy nature in the story and to take in all the details in each illustration.  The pictures are mostly black and white with touches of blue and gold.  Most of the story feels realistic, but the underwater scenes have hints of fantasy to them.

Cons:  I was thinking that this book should be considered for a Caldecott until I realized that the author-illustrator lives in South Korea.

Published by Candlewick

Summary:  The team behind Over the Shop is back with a wordless story about a summer day at the beach.  A bus is shown driving down the highway on the title page.  It pulls into a beach parking lot, and one by one members of a family emerge: a boy, his younger sister, the youngest brother, Mom and Dad.  The kids get to work building sandcastles and continue to persevere through many obstacles all day long.  The ocean washes one castle away, a lady’s hat blows onto another, a toddler plows through a third.  Each time the kids survey the damage, then get back to work.  As shadows fall, they put the final touches on their best one yet, then everyone heads back to the bus for the ride home.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A perfect summer book that captures the small moments of a day at the beach.  There are so many details and interesting people to see you’ll want to take your time poring over the illustrations.

Cons:  It seemed a shame that none of the family members went for a swim in the ocean.

Published by Beach Lane Books

Summary:  The action opens at the circus, where The Great Zapfino is climbing a high, high ladder to a platform from which he will jump onto a tiny trampoline below.  One minute he’s there, and the next he’s gone.  He hightails it away from the circus to an airport, arriving at a high-rise building where he becomes an elevator operator.  Each day he meets all kinds of people on the elevator, and each night he goes back to his room and makes toast for supper until one day the toaster catches on fire.  As the room fills with black smoke, Zapfino runs to the window.  With no choice, he leaps to a trampoline rescuers are holding below, finally nailing the jump he ran away from in the circus.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Mac Barnett and Caldecott honoree Marla Frazee have created a winner with this black-and-white nearly wordless book that feels a little bit like an old silent movie.  The illustrations of the elevator throughout the day are particularly well-done, and kids will want to slow down to get a good look at all the people.  I wouldn’t say no to some Caldecott consideration.

Cons:  That’s a lot of smoke for one little piece of burned toast.

Published by Candlewick

Summary:  When the fair closes down in this wordless picture book, animals come out of the forest to take over.  They start up the rides and games, enjoying the teacups, the carousel, and the cotton candy.  As the sun starts to come up, a man gets ready for the day and heads to the fair as the animals head back into the forest to enjoy their treats and get ready for sleeping.  On the final few pages, a wolf rips open the plastic bag with a goldfish inside that he won, and lets the fish free in a pond.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The illustrator of one of my favorite wordless books, Professional Crocodile, has created a visual feast of many different details of a fair and all sorts of animals enjoying it together.  Kids will enjoy poring over all the details and the fact that the animals are outwitting the humans.

Cons:  I can’t really explain why, but I found this book slightly creepy.  Maybe learning to drive bumper cars and eat cotton candy doesn’t really seem like a positive move for the animal kingdom.

Published by Candlewick

Summary: In this wordless picture book, a girl and her grandparent run Lowell’s General Store.  Over their shop is an apartment.  When the grandparent puts an “Apartment for Rent” sign in the window, a number of prospective tenants take a look, but are put off by dirty walls, cracked tiles, broken cabinets, and old furniture.  Finally, a friendly couple rents the place, immediately rolling up their sleeves to clean and fix it up.  Not only that, but they help out with the store, becoming friends with the owner and the girl.  The girl lures a stray cat up to the apartment to become a pet.  By the end, there’s a new sign on the store: “Lowell & Friends General Store”, accompanied by a rainbow flag.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The author of Sidewalk Flowers has created another beautiful wordless story that celebrates community and friendship in the midst of an impoverished neighborhood.  The dedication, “For trans activists of all ages”, the rainbow flag, and several possibly transgender or nonbinary characters make this an outstanding addition to LGBTQ+ collections as well.

Cons:  A review I read mentioned a rainbow belt and hat in the illustrations as well, but I have yet to discover them.  This isn’t a con, but the illustrations are so richly detailed that readers will want to go back over and over again to discover all the details.