When no one speaks: Silence, image, and child agency in picture books
Background: In early childhood education, children’s voices are frequently equated with spoken language. However, many children, including emergent bilinguals and those with communication differences, primarily engage through silence, observation, and visual interaction. Wordless and minimal-text picture books create unique narrative spaces where silence is not a void but a powerful resource for meaning-making. Despite increasing attention to visual literacy and child agency, silence as a deliberate aesthetic and structural strategy in picture books remains under-theorised.
Aim: This paper explores how silence operates as an aesthetic and structural strategy in wordless and minimal-text picture books and examines its implications for child agency and inclusion. It investigates whether such silence can empower marginalised children and proposes ways educators can interpret silence as an active pedagogical force in early childhood settings.
Method/approach: This conceptual paper employs qualitative interpretive analysis of selected wordless and minimal-text picture books. It integrates narratology, visual literacy theory, and relational concepts of agency. As the study involves only textual and visual analysis of published materials with no human participants, ethical approval was not required.
Results/findings: The analysis shows that silence in picture books redistributes interpretive authority from the adult to the child, enabling diverse modes of engagement and meaning-making. This offers strong inclusive potential for children whose voices are structurally marginalised. However, silence can also mask inequalities, highlighting the need for critical pedagogical awareness.
Conclusion: Silence in picture books is not the absence of voice but an alternative, powerful form of expression that aligns with Article 12 of the UNCRC. The paper offers a framework for reading picture book silence as an active aesthetic and political force. This framework challenges narrow definitions of voice and supports more equitable and inclusive early childhood practices.
Implications for children and families: If your child communicates more through looking, observing, and quiet engagement than through speaking, know that this is a genuine and valuable way of participating. Wordless picture books can be special spaces where your child’s natural way of engaging is respected and celebrated.
Implications for practitioners: By intentionally including wordless and minimal-text picture books in your classroom, you create safer and more inclusive spaces that honour the agency of all children, especially those who express themselves beyond spoken words.
Keywords: picture books, silence, child agency, visual literacy, inclusion, wordless books, UNCRC Article 12
This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: