This book chapter focuses on a children’s literature project initiated in 2012 by the Italian branch of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in response to the ongoing global refugee crisis. Entitled “Silent Books: from the world to Lampedusa and back” one of the project’s achievements was the establishment of a children’s library on Lampedusa, the “door to Europe” for migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Italy. The term “Silent Books” refers to the wordless picturebooks donated to the library from all over the world. These picturebooks are available in Lampedusa library for the enjoyment of migrant children of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds temporarily residing on the island as well as for local children. Wordless picturebooks were chosen to ensure all children on the island could immerse themselves in these visually absorbing narratives. Furthermore, travelling exhibitions of the Silent Books visit the IBBY national sections to raise greater awareness about the project. Contextual information about IBBY and the Silent Books project will first be provided in this chapter, followed by an overview of activities conducted in Lampedusa Library by volunteers. Drawing on Barthes’ arguments on ‘writerly texts’ and selected examples of wordless picturebooks, we will discuss how these picturebooks can be regarded as empowering, enabling the (migrant) child reader to attain agency through the silent power of pictures. Not only do these visual narratives resonate with migrant children in a crisis setting, but also with non-migrant children. The Silent Books exhibition touring the world invites young readers from diverse backgrounds to engage with these picturebooks and learn about the project’s origins in Lampedusa. Debbie Thomas will discuss responses from children in her workshops on Silent Books in Ireland highlighting how the universal language of images can act as an impetus for empathy and reflection on exile.