Flotsam

Wiesner, David. Flotsam. New York: Clarion Books, 2006. Print.

Above image from http://www.hmhbooks.com/wiesner/flotsam.html

A book made up entirely of beautifully-rendered illustrations, Flotsam can’t help but immediately engage and enchant every reader who picks it up. The lack of text means it’s accessible to any child, regardless of age, reading level, or language. But there is a rich story to be told, and that story unfolds masterfully and not without some surprise.

A curious boy, on an outing to the beach with his family, looks for interesting things washed up on shore. He is ready with his tools; he has a microscope handy, and examines a hermit crab through a magnifying glass. While looking at a crab, a wave knocks him down, and it deposits an old camera. The boy discovers that the camera has a long history and fascinating, unexpected adventures to tell. He finds a way to document his own story to add to the camera’s history, and he casts it back to the sea.

While the contrast between Wiesner’s very realistic artwork and the extraordinary, magical turn the story takes is notable, the book’s strength is its engagement  of readers’ visual literacy. Readers fill in the story using cues from the illustrations and their imaginations, and the book encourages interpretation at any level of complexity. It’s a fun read, full of opportunity for conversation, exploration, and curricular intersection. A 2007 Caldecott Medal winner.