Chalk

Chalk by Bill Thomson
Illustrated by Bill Thomson
2010

     Chalk is wordless picture book.  Three kids are walking together to the playground during a rainy day.  There, hanging from the mouth of a dinosaur spring rider, they find a bag.  Inside the bag there is chalk.  The first girl draws a sun in the pavement, and to their surprise, it comes to life and takes its place in the sky, turning the rainy day into a beautiful sunny one.  The second girl quickly gives it a try and draws butterflies which begin to flutter about.  The boy then decides to make it interesting...and draws a dinosaur.  The T-Rex comes to life and starts chasing the kids around the playground.
     The illustrations by Thomson are impressively realistic.  In fact, the T-Rex might be a bit scary for some kids.  The facial expressions of the kids are spot on.   Wordless picture books like Chalk offer endless opportunities for kids to use their own words to tell the story.  They are also great additions to any classroom, since students can write their own stories to accompany the illustrations.