Textlose Bilderbücher

What literary status can be attributed to a picture book without text? Is literary and narrative learning even possible without written language? Or: Can visual literacy studies be linked to picture book theory and narrative didactics? While text-dominated media still form the core of literary studies and didactics, this work reveals the literary and narrative potential of a category of picture books that relies almost entirely on visuals and features complex visual narrative forms. For the first time, a narratological-structural taxonomy of textless picture books is developed, which highlights both the design dimensions of different types of picture books and the visual and linguistic demands placed on their audiences. Additionally, literary-aesthetic concepts for primary education are presented for the analyzed example works, illustrating the narrative didactic potential of this underestimated literary genre.