Illustration of child and wolf looking at each other.

Why Wordless?

December 2, 2021 at 7 - 8 pm

Free

Why would you create a book with no words? And how do you read a wordless picture book to children? Join David Wiesner, guest curator of Speechless: The Art of Wordless Picture Books and exhibition artists Matthew Cordell, Barbara Lehman, and Chris Raschka as they answer these questions, pose questions to one another, and share their process in creating wordless picture books.

Who You'll Meet

David Wiesner

David Wiesner is one of the most highly acclaimed picture-book creators working today. He has won the prestigious Caldecott Medal three times, for Tuesday, The Three Pigs, and Flotsam. He’s also received three Caldecott Honors, for Free Fall, Sector 7, and Mr. Wuffles!

Artist website

Matthew Cordell

Matthew Cordell has illustrated many books for children including works of poetry, novels, and picture books. He has written and illustrated numerous picture books himself including Hello, Neighbor! The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers, Bear Island, and Wish. Matthew’s books have been recognized as Best of the Year selections by the New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and his first wordless picture book, Wolf in the Snow, was awarded a 2017 Boston Globe-Horn Book honor award and the 2018 Caldecott Medal.

Artist website

Barbara Lehman

Barbara Lehman has illustrated many books for children, including The Red Book, which was awarded the Caldecott Honor in 2005. A full-time illustrator, Barbara says, “Books and art have always held the strongest attraction for me. I have always felt drawn to ‘commercial art’ because of its ability to reach many people. I like the idea of being part of the media in a meaningful and thoughtful way, especially with children as the audience.”

Artist website

Chris Raschka

Chris Raschka is a multi-award-winning author/illustrator of over 30 books for children. Named “one of the most original illustrators at work today” by Publishers Weekly, Raschka has been the recipient of two Caldecott Medals (for The Hello, Goodbye Window and A Ball for Daisy) as well as a Caldecott Honor Award for the book Yo? Yes!

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