Flotsam

This wordless story is a masterpiece of imagination. A young man, clearly inquisitive and innovative, spends the day at the beach, only to discover a mystical underwater camera, complete with a full roll of film. Developing the pictures yields an album of wonders beyond imagining. This book pulls at the heart of every child who has wondered about the mysteries hidden in the ocean depths or beyond the curve of the horizon. Characters are white, although the views of the oceans show much of the world beyond the American beaches of the Atlantic. The nature of the story, however, invites readers to dive in deep, revelling in the magic of the ocean more than connecting with the character, creating a universality that is enjoyable.

Brilliant picture-book author/artist David Wiesner, whose Tuesday and The Three Pigs both won Caldecott Medals (in 1992 and 2002, respectively), struck gold a third time with this gorgeously illustrated, and entirely wordless tale! Set at the seaside, Flotsam follows the story of an inquisitive young boy who stumbles across an underwater camera washed up on the shore. Running to a local shop to have the film he finds in the camera developed, the boy uncovers a fantastic underwater world he had no idea existed: entire cities floating along on the backs of giant turtles, islands resting upon enormous starfish, aliens visiting the watery part of earth! Finally, with the last photograph, the boy discovers something about the journey of the show more camera itself, through time, and through the hands of many other beachcombers worldwide. Inspired, he sends the camera back out into the ocean, to continue its voyage of discovery and wonder...

I absolutely adored this book! The artwork, done in watercolor, is simply beautiful, with a luminous quality that perfectly captured the enchantment of a day at the shore. The underwater scenes appealed to my love of the fantastic, and my fascination with the idea of hidden worlds. With mechanized fish and storytelling squids, what's not to love?!? The final sequence of events, in which the boy examines the picture within a picture within a picture within a... (well, you get the idea) was a very clever resolution of the question of the camera's origin, and of the boy's decision as to how to dispose of it. I liked the idea of the camera itself being on a journey of discover, recording the wonders of the deep for each new discoverer. And, of course, it was an especially nice touch that it was a "Melville Underwater Camera," as this evoked all the seafaring genius of Moby-Dick for me, with its brilliant introductory "Etymology" section which - like the camera in this story - is a sounding of sorts.

All in all, Flotsam is a winner on every level: as storytelling, as art, and as tribute to one of America's most brilliant authors. This is one that surely deserved its shiny Caldecott! show less

Flotsam balances perfectly between reality and possibility, taking an every-day occurrence and turning it to a imaginative adventure. Wiesner's illustrations are energetic and cinematic, and add exciting drama to the simple discovery of a camera. Best of all, no text gets in the way of the beautiful illustrations that tell their own story and invite participation from young readers. C’s favorite part is the magical underwater photos which capture things like starfish islands, mechanical fish, and octopus read-aloud time.

As cliche as it is to say, a picture is worth a thousand words. This book did not have a single word, which was overwhelming as a "reader". However, after looking into it...there was no need for words. This fantasy picture book presents the reader with a plot, a main character, and an overall storyline to follow. All without the use of words. It opened the readers mind and gave the reader the liberty to form their own meaning and discoveries. The book is about a little boy who finds a camera that has been lost in the ocean. After having the pictures developed, he is able to explore what occurs deep in the ocean, as well as realize that he is not the first to have found this floating camera. The illustrations are beautiful, bright, and show more colorful. They also pave way for the use of imagination. I could see this being useful in a classroom where students may not yet be fluent readers, because they would be able to get just as much out of the book as anyone else. show less

Flotsam balances perfectly between reality and possibility, taking an every-day occurrence and turning it to a imaginative adventure. Wiesner's illustrations are energetic and cinematic, and add exciting drama to the simple discovery of a camera. Best of all, no text gets in the way of the beautiful illustrations that tell their own story and invite participation from young readers. C’s favorite part is the magical underwater photos which capture things like starfish islands, mechanical fish, and octopus read-aloud time.

Look at all the wonderful things by the sea shore - all the flotsam and jetsam, as the saying goes. Seaweed. Hermit crabs. And here comes a mysterious box, no, it's an old, boxy camera! When the photos are developed, the mystery heightens. Robot fish, fish living rooms, turtle-back civilizations, pufferfish hot air balloons. Underwater aliens. The wordless book format makes it possible to draw many, many conclusions, yet there is still a clear story of imagination, wonder, even magic! I loved watching a father-child read-aloud video of this book, because watching the father come up with his own story based on the pictures was very endearing. I could tell his imagination was coming alive, just as the child's was.

By starting the book with incredibly realistic illustrations, the shift into the surreal is all the more impactful. The detailed images are truly engaging, leading the reader on a journey, just as the photographs take the young boy on a deep sea journey of his own. As a collector of classic cameras, I was excited by the focus on a brownie style camera and the corresponding 120mm film. Vintage and antique cameras act as wonderful symbols for seeing others’ perspectives, and this book does a marvelous job of conveying that idea. This book is fun, imaginative, and utterly beautiful. Because it is wordless, it is accessible even to the youngest readers yet enticing enough for even the more mature to be completely captivated.