My eldest sibling was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis several years back. During their first attack, they lost most of their peripheral vision and *all* of their ability to read.
Obviously that was both weirdly specific and absolutely terrifying. In particular because we had both recently gone back to school later in life and they had just finished their degree. Their cognitive functions were still fine (as far as they ever were 😉), and they could ***see*** the page… but words were just gibberish to them. They could even write, but then couldn’t read what they had written. Very odd!
Since then, they’ve relearned reading… but it’s much more difficult. They ***remember*** enjoying reading, but can no longer get pleasure from it.
So **I’m looking for suggestions for books that tell a story, but don’t contain words**, or possibly contain very minimal words. Some kind of pictographic novel, basically. I’ve been looking for such things on my own a bit, but maybe some of you know of better places to browse than I do.
About my sibling: They’re in their thirties. They’re interested in art history and fine wines and spirits. They’re married and have two dogs but no kids (maybe they’ll have some in the future IDK). They’re nonbinary and live in a major city.
Note that I’m not looking for reading practice or training material. This is a present for their birthday, and should be primarily for recreation.
by Falcrist
4 Comments
Would they enjoy audiobooks?
Probably not quite what you’re looking for, because I believe there are some pages with words, but [The Invention of Hugo Cabret](https://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/about_hugo_intro.htm) is told at least as much in illustrations as in words.
Does your sibling listen to audiobooks?
I really like Shaun Tan’s [The Arrival](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/920607.The_Arrival). It’s a beautifully illustrated book with no words at all, about an immigrant experience in a fantasy setting. I think it’s nominally aimed at older kids, but it’s really enjoyable as an adult too.
Frans Masereel’s wordless novels. Or Lynd Ward.