Flotsam

Flotsam
illustrated by David Wiesner
Clarion, 2006. 40 pgs.
Reading Level: ages 4-8
Hardcover: $17.00

Annotation: When a camera washes up on the beach, the mysteries of the ocean are revealed in a most surprising way.

Summary: At the beach, a young boy is examining the bugs, crabs and other sand creatures when a huge wave deposits an old camera on the shore. The yellow-haired boy tries to find the owner to this mysterious underwater camera, but to no avail and so he takes the film to be developed. When the pictures are finally ready he discovers a world he never knew existed. The photos reveal all the magic that happens underneath the ocean's surface. He sees pictures of mechanical fish, octupuses sitting in living rooms reading books, turtles with whole towns made of shells on their backs and even little green men riding fish and meeting seahorses. But then he makes the most amazing discovery of all. He finds a picture of an Asian girl holding a picture of another boy, holding a picture of a girl who is holding the picture of yet another child! As he uses his magnifying glass he discovers the pictures date back far back in the past. Children from all over the world have been using this camera to take pictures of themselves and then sending the camera back to the sea for another child to uncover and discover the wonders of the ocean. The yellow-haired boy holds up the picture of the girl, snaps a picture of himself and then throws the camera back into the ocean, where it is found by a stingray and carried by seahorses to be discovered by another lucky child in the future.

Evaluation: Told strictly through illustration, Flotsam takes the reader on a magical journey through the wonders and mysteries of oceanlife. Weisner's imagination is deliciously fantastical as he creates a world where merpeople have fish named Spot (due to their spots of course) and ride on stingrays through the lampost lit jungle of the ocean floor. There is a combination of the real and the imaginary that delights the senses and turns the sometimes scary ocean into a place of thrilling discovery. The story is ever so clever and the images are bright and playful. The illustrations mirror the book's theme, being set in black-rimmed squares and rectangles, just like a photograph. Weisner's mode of storytelling, wherein children discover the camera and photograph themselves holding photos of other children, is ingenious and the book is simply irresistable.  I am in complete and utter love with this book and proclaim it absolutely and undeniably worthy of being a Caldecott winner. Weisner is no newcomer to the Caldecott and he has several winners and honors to his name and his books have been translated in over a dozen languages. However, he excels in wordless storytelling, where translation is unnecessary and Flotsam is a book that any child, anywhere can appreciate.

Significance: This title introduces readers to the mystery and magic of what lies beneath the ocean's waves. The ocean can be a scary place when you're unable to see what's happening, but Weisner offers an explanation of underwater life that wipes away the fear and creates a safe, playful interpretation instead. Whether it's absolutely true or not is just part of what makes the ocean so fascinating. With a little imagination, anything can be true.

Personal Choice: I was utterly enchanted by the deep red background cover, schools of tiny fish swimming by and the ever so mysterious porthole eye right in the center. As always, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but if it's a picture book, than you have to, right?

Awards: Caldecott Award Winner, 2007 / ABA - Book Sense Book of the Year: Illustration Honor, 2007