Journey (Aaron Becker's Wordless Trilogy, 1)

This book has really captivated my 5 year old, and, to be really honest, me too. Without words, it tells the story of a little girl using a red crayon to enter a magical world, beginning with an enchanted forest lit by lanterns. I've sometimes struggled when reading wordless books with my children, but this one really just tells the story itself. The illustrations are incredible -- so detailed and just completely transport you into this magical world. The architecture of the castle, the waterways, and rich sense of place are just amazing. My son loves carefully examining the castle and waterways and magical flying machine. There is real plot here and most definitely bad guys, though they have not scared my 5 year old, who recently got scared of the cat in Disney's Cinderella. But I've chosen not to read this yet with my 2.5 year old. I do appreciate that there is real plot here and even the bad guys. I think we've lost sight of the fact that not all children's literature needs to model perfect behavior and that children do need some stories with conflict to better understand kindness and goodness. I would recommend this for ages 3.5/4 and up depending on where your kiddo is with enjoying things with bad guys in them.

This is, in my opinion, an essential book for parents and non-parents alike. It is a work of literature, stunning in its artistry, poetic in its imagery, minimalism, and allusions. What you have here is a wordless storybook. It is, I would suggest, more a work of art, a collection of linked paintings that tell a story. Our main character (nameless), seeks refuge from her disconnected life in the adventures she creates with her red crayon. Sound like a book we've all read and loved? Stay with me. She journeys, with her crayon, into a beautifully imagined world and an adventure. I really don't want to ruin the BRILLIANT (boy how I wish FB would let me italicize) twist ending, but I will say that this is so much more than an homage to HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON, it is an extension of it, a tribute to it, a joining of worlds. I read this book with my three-and-a-half-year-old son last night and he was enthralled. In spite of the fact that there were no words, he was gripped. Why? The lack of a defined way of telling this story allowed us to tell it ourselves. Tonight, when we read it again, it will be slightly different. New words will be used to give voice to the story told through the images. Every time we read this book, it will become new. That is special. I can't speak highly enough of this book. Even as an adult I read it and appreciate what it does. Absolutely stunning. Brilliant in every way. Please, do yourself a favor, spend the fourteen or fifteen bucks and get this. Cherish it. Because your child (or you) will read it at 3, at 5, at 10, at 16, at 30, at 80. This is a book I would, as a teacher, work into units from kindergarten through graduate school. How many books can you say that about? Incredible.

What a breath of fresh air. The art is very nice with an emphasis on architecture and larger forms, the story is simple and adventurous with good morals, and the book is a great way to have kids to put their own words to a story. Loved it instantly! Minor spoilers follow. The real reason I wanted to write a review, however, is to provide a counter to the reviews that raise concerns over the philosophy of the book. As the father of two daughters, I find them totally baseless. Two themes stuck out to me from the negative reviews: the 1950's style domestic mom on the intro pages, and the rescue of the heroine. As for the mom, the introductory pages are designed to show an imperfect family. The faults of the home (workaholic dad, electronics obsessed sis, overly domestic mother) are there for a reason: for the flaws! It's anecdotal, but my daughters caught on instantly and "read" the family as flawed. In short, the mom is a not a person to be emulated, so there is no problem. Regarding the heoine's rescue, I almost didn't buy the book because I was concerned over a knight in shining armor riding in to save the day; I dislike that particular deus ex machina. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In the story, the heroine saves a magical creature from the cage, who in return rescues the heroine when she is captured while rendering said assistance. I'm sorry, I have no idea how anyone construes helping others and accepting their help in return as negative... I hope this helps new buyers on the fence. Not everyone is going to like the art, or the price, or the lack of words, but the story and morals are just fine for young children.

Cutest book ever! Best part is it’s a new story everytime! The kids love this!

Beautiful artwork

Fabulous book - we have all three and read them nearly daily with 2 and 3yr old. Adult can tell the story and then the kids can. No words so encourages imagination.

I bought this more for myself, as the pictures looked really beautiful, and thought my son would not really "get" it since he is only two. (i know i can't be the only parent who has done this after night after night of talking animals and muppets going potty). I sat down to show it to him, kind of assuming he would find it all too abstract (and i thought it may be a little scary for him). I was surprised and pleased that it seems to have really captured something in his imagination, he ha asked for it daily since then and carried it around. we have downplayed the scary factor but i can see how it could be too scary for some kids. this was one of those "your kid may surprise you" moments, to see his interest in the pictures and a very basic grasp of adventure and excitement was pretty cool. when he asks for it i think about years to come in narnia and middle earth and hogwarts and feel pretty excited!

I am a preschool teacher and this is the book that students keep asking me to “read.” There are no words - just stunning illustrations. The story is captivating.

É um livro sem palavras, então pouco importa o idioma de origem (no meu caso, compramos em inglês). A história é contada por meio de desenhos simples mas ricos em detalhes, e nas primeiras vezes em que lemos, toda vez vimos uma coisa nova. Vale para aguçar a criatividade: cada um dos meus pequenos conta a história de um jeito diferente, do seu próprio jeito. Também é acessível às minhas filhas menores que têm quatro anos na data em que recebemos. É uma trilogia, então vale também comprar os outros, que continuam exatamente de onde o anterior parou. Perde uma estrela pela demora na entrega para o Brasil e por um dano superficial (uma espécie de risco) na capa traseira.

This book (and the whole set of three) is so lovely. My son loves that he can ‘read it’ himself. We also love to make up new storylines with it. It’s really well done!

Fantástica historia, fantásticas ilustraciones… ideal para leerlo con niños pequeños y muy pequeños porque aprenden a leer las imágenes sin necesidad de saber leer. Da mucho juego para leer en familia.

Ich hatte mir die Mühe gemacht, auch ein Video zur Entstehung des Buches anzuschauen und wusste dann den Aufwand hinter den Zeichnungen wirklich zu würdigen. Das Buch ist ohne Text und lässt dadurch unbegrenzten Raum für Phantasie und immer wieder neue Geschichten. Die gezeichnete Welt entführt einen immer tiefer auf die Seiten des Buches. Nach nur einer Seite hat man das Gefühl, man hätte eine Weltreise hinter sich. Mein 4-jähriger Sohn hat auch schon viel Freude daran, selbst Geschichten zu erfinden und sich in den Escher-haften Gängen und Kanälen des Schlosses zu verlieren. Wundervoll und empfehlenswert.

C'est le livre préféré de notre enfant, demandé fréquemment. Comme il n'y a pas de mots dans le livre, juste des images, chaque nuit, nous lisons qu'il y a une nouvelle aventure. Les images sont magnifiques. Hautement recommandé.