Silent Books

Silent Books

The Silent Books collections have been developed from submissions from IBBY National Sections. In the 2013 collection, there were over one hundred books from over twenty countries. There have now been five collections. More information about the project can be found on the IBBY website.

The five collections: 2013 (110 books), 2015 (51 books), 2017 (79 books), 2019 (76 books), and 2021 (76 books). Within each collection, there is a selection of Honour Books. Submissions are now requested for the 2023 Collection.

IBBY Sweden has produced a booklet giving ideas about how to use the Silent Books with children. The booklet can be downloaded here.

The UK entries to the list are:

2023

Lauren Tobia, Oscar’s Tower of Flowers, Walker Books, 2021

2021

Peter Oswald, Hike, Walker Books, 2020
Gideon Sterer and Mariachiara di Giorgio, The Midnight Fair, Walker Books, 2020
Yoko Tanaka, Dandelion’s Dream, Walker Books, 2020

2018

Caged by Duncan Annand (Tiny Owl): This is a story of a bluebird who builds her nest on a tree and two overambitious men who construct a palace of caged birds in the ruins of the same forest.
Chalk Eagle by Nazli Tahvili (Tiny Owl): While gazing into the sky of a busy city, a young boy follows the journey of an eagle and uses a piece of chalk and a lot of imagination to join his new flying friend.
Once upon a Snowstorm by Richard Johnson (Faber & Faber): A father and a son explore nature in the woods, but what will happen when they suddenly become separated and the boy looks for a night shelter all alone in the snow?
Bee & me by Alison Jay (Old Barn Books): This wordless picture book shows what happens when a girl befriends a bubble bee and how these two can transform the city they live in.
A stone for Sascha by Aaron Becker (Walker): A girl grieves the loss of her dog Sascha with the help of the ocean and a polished stone.

2017

Aaron Becker, Quest, Walker Books, London, 2014
Marie Luise Fitzpatrick, Owl Bat, Bat Owl, Walker Books, London, 2016
Clayton Junior, Free the lines, words & pictures, London, 2016
Jon Arno Lawson, Sidney Smith, Footpath flowers, Walker Books, London, 2015
Kate Prendergast, Dog on a train Old Barn Books, Pulborough, 2015
Emily Rand, In the city, Hato Press, London, 2016
Emily Rand, In the garden, Hato Press, London, 2016

2015

Alison Jay, Out of the Blue, Barefoot Books, Oxford, 2014

2013

Edward Ardizzone, Johnny’s bad day, Nissan, 2008 [First published by The Bodley Head, London 1970]
Jeannie Baker , Belonging , Walker Books, 2008 [First published in 2004]
Quentin Blake, Clown, Red Fox, 1998 [First published in 1995]
Raymond Briggs, The Snowman, Puffin, 2011 [First published in 1978]
Owen Davey, Foxley’s Feast, Templar Books, 2010
Tao Nyeu, Wonder Bear, Templar Books, 2008
Jan Ormerod, Sunshine, Frances Lincoln, 2005 [First published in 1981]