Is there really no text in this book?

Correct. There are no sentences or narrative text at all. The entire story is driven by the rich, detailed visual scenes across the oversized cardboard spreads.

How is this different from Where's Waldo?

While Where's Waldo focuses on finding one specific hidden person in a dense crowd, All Around Bustletown features recurring town characters whose actions evolve chronologically from page to page.

Will a 1-year-old actually enjoy this?

Yes. Young toddlers love simple point-and-name games with the colorful vehicles, animals, and weather scenes, while older preschoolers pick up on the mini character plotlines.

Do I need to buy the other seasonal books in the series first?

No. Each season stands completely alone, though seeing the same town transform across Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter is a fun touch if your kid loves this one.

All Around Bustletown – Summer – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

All Around Bustletown – Summer

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book2020Juvenile Fiction

96%

WISE Score

A wordless, oversized board book where kids track floating hot air balloons and recurring townspeople through a busy summer day.

All Around Bustletown – Summer

book

2020, Juvenile Fiction

96%

WISE Score

A wordless, oversized board book where kids track floating hot air balloons and recurring townspeople through a busy summer day.

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Where to Read

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Screenwise Verdict

This oversized wordless board book is a massive hit for toddlers and early preschoolers. Rotraut Susanne Berner's illustrations pack every page with tiny, interwoven stories: a dog chasing a ball, workers painting a building, and a pair of balloons drifting over a summer storm.

Because there are no printed words, the book changes every time you open it. A two-year-old can point at the fire truck, while a four-year-old can track a single character's entire journey from the train station to an outdoor birthday party.

Age Fit

Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers ages 1 to 5 who love seeking hidden details and inventing storylines before they can read traditional text.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Depicts a gentle, connected community enjoying summer activities like birthday parties, park picnics, and bike rides together.

Imaginative

The completely wordless format requires kids and parents to invent their own dialogue and trace dozens of tiny side plots across pages.

Safe

100

A board book featuring zero mature themes, jump scares, or intense content beyond a passing summer thunderstorm.

Enriching

Outstanding for visual comprehension, attention to detail, and early narrative skills as kids spot recurring characters doing different activities on each spread.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Endless visual narrative lets pre-readers tell their own stories by following specific characters from page to page.
Durable oversized board book construction holds up to hours of floor time and repeated lap reading.
Wimmelbook design encourages deep focus and pattern recognition without needing a single printed word.

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What to Watch For

Requires active adult participation at first since there is no printed story text to read aloud.
Oversized physical dimensions make it too large for standard small toddler bookshelves.

Conversation Starters

"Where did the red balloon go on this page?"
"Why do you think the house painter is running right now?"
"What do you think everyone is going to bring to the birthday party?"

Deep Dive

Why wordless wimmelbooks punch above their weight

In German children's literature, Wimmelbooks are a staple genre, oversized spread-based books teeming with human activity and zero text. All Around Bustletown – Summer is one of the absolute best examples available in print.

For non-readers, standard picture books can feel passive during lap-reading because the adult holds the text key. Wordless seek-and-find books flip that dynamic entirely. Your toddler becomes the primary narrator, spotting details you completely missed and connecting character movements across the town's geography.

How to get the most out of it

Instead of trying to look at the whole page at once, pick one recurring character on the back cover and follow only them through every spread. You can track the ice cream vendor, follow the couple riding bikes, or trace the dark clouds moving in for the summer thunderstorm.

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