Flotsam, by David Wiesner

Bibliographic Data
Wiesner, David. 2006. Flotsam. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 978-0-618-19457-5

Summary
A boy, spending the day on the beach with his family, finds an old camera washed up on the shore. When he develops the film, he discovers the wonders of undersea life, as well as a glimpse of the camera’s many previous owners. After securing his place in the camera’s history, he returns it to the sea, to again chronicle more adventures and captivate another child.

Critical Analysis
Though there are no words, this book clearly tells a story. Wiesner’s illustrations are amazingly vivid and realistic. He not only captures details in objects such as a crab or a pair of shorts, but his large scenes are just as detailed. This book is reminiscent of a comic book in its layout and the way that the eye flows seamlessly from one scene to the next. There is never any confusion about what the reader should look at next. More than once, Wiesner draws our attention to what he wants us to take note of, whether it is a clerk giving the boy a replacement roll of film to load in the camera, the boys impatience at waiting for the developing, or the boy’s amazement at what he sees in the photo of the camera’s previous owners.

Though there are beautiful and interesting pictures in this book, not all children are going to grasp what’s going on. I shared this book with my children, ages 8 and 10, and while my younger daughter thought the book was really “neat”, my older daughter was confused. I think she would have preferred the structure of text. Once we discussed the plot, she looked at the book again, and was then impressed by the story and art.

Reviews
From Publisher’s Weekly:
“Masterfully altering the pace with panel sequences and full-bleed spreads, [Wiesner] fills every inch of the pages with intricate, imaginative watercolor details. New details swim into focus with every rereading of this immensely satisfying excursion." - Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal:
“Filled with inventive details and delightful twists, each snapshot is a tale waiting to be told. Pair this visual adventure with Wiesner’s other works, Chris Van Allsburg’s titles, or Barbara Lehman’s The Red Book (Houghton, 2004) for a mind-bending journey of imagination." –Joy Fleishhacker, Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Connections
This book is a great starting point for creating writing samples. Students can use the entire book to create a short story, or just one picture to practice writing descriptively.

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Reviews found at the Carrollton Public Library website, http://cityofcarrollton.com/library/