
By Mari Kanstad Johnsen
In 2016 we are adding a new genre to the book palette! WORD-FREE books. These are books that can be read by proficient and poor readers alike, but that give those less proficient…
In 2016 we are adding a new genre to the book palette! WORD-FREE books. These are books that can be read by proficient and poor readers alike, but that give those less proficient in the 6-9 target group that special feeling of finally having read a whole book. On their own!
The word-free books do not contain a single word, but are read by following the illustrations, discovering details, patterns, feelings, action – solely by concentrating on the visual aspect. A skill our youngest readers often possess.
The word-free books aim for the target group that ought to be able to read, but needs a reading experience that motivates and inspires them – and does not exclude them from the literary universe. Of course it’s possible to read a whole book without having the traditional understanding of reading completely under one’s belt!
To tell a story without using words is an extremely demanding exercise. We have therefore asked some of the best visual story-tellers in Norway to do it.
When you’ve moved to a new place, far away from your friends and your old school class, then it’s not so unusual to feel a little lonely. Maybe the new class will become friendlier after a while? Or maybe not. Maybe one needs a clever trick to make new friends – how about a luminescent rabbit?
«A successful start to a new series of wordfree picture books ... This works, the books do not look like books for the youngest children, and neither are they. It is nice to see that the publisher chooses the very best of the picture book artists to make these books. It is a demanding task to tell a story without words, but Kanstad Johnsen and Kjølberg have succeeded with flying colors. We want more!»Anne Schäffer, Barnebokkritikk.no
Special mention in the 2017 BolognaRagazzi Award!
Foreign Sales Italy, Libri Progetti Educativi France, Cambourakis Spain, Pablo CurtiKorea, Booklight Publishing