Wiesner, David. 2006. FLOTSAM. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618194576.
PLOT SUMMARY
In this wordless picture book, the pictures tell the story. In the beginning a curious young boy is exploring sea creatures next to the beach when suddenly a wave washes an intriguing artifact on shore. As the boy examines it closer, he realizes that it is an underwater camera. He quickly rushes to have the film from the camera developed, and he waits impatiently to see what the pictures will reveal.
Once he has the pictures he is shocked to see scenes of underwater life such as an octopus family relaxing in their living room, a group of fish flying in a blowfish hot air balloon, and a group of aliens trying to communicate with sea horses. In the final picture the boy sees a picture of a girl holding a picture with many children holding pictures spiraling all the way back to a sepia colored picture of a boy on the beach. The boy takes his own photograph holding this last picture and sends the camera back into the ocean where it came from. The creatures of the sea carry it along until it washes onto the beach to find a curious little girl.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The rich, vivid watercolors Wiesner uses to create this story establish a realistic feel to the story despite the fantasy elements of the underwater photographs. The main story is told using panels much like a comic book or graphic novel. The photographs the boy has developed, however, are more dramatic taking up a page or spreading across two pages. These larger pictures encouraged me to stop and explore the details of each underwater picture. Another noteworthy element to this story is the setting itself. The bottom of the ocean is a mysterious, undiscovered habitat which makes the photographs even more amusing and the adventure more intriguing.
REVIEW EXERPTS
Publisher’s Weekly (July 24, 2006), starred review-“New details swim into focus with every rereading of this immensely satisfying excursion.”
School Library Journal (September 01, 2006), starred review- “Filled with inventive details and delightful twists . . . a mind-bending journey of the imagination.”
Booklist (August 01, 2006 ), starred review- “this visual wonder offers an invitation for viewers of all ages to rethink how they see, out in the world and in their mind's eye."
Winner of the 2007 Caldecott medal
CONNECTIONS
- Allow students to narrate the story. For younger students they could narrate orally, as you write their words, and older students could write their own stories.
- Have students create their own 2-3 photographs that could have been developed from the underwater camera’s film. Provide them with rich pastels or watercolors to create vivid pictures.
- Watch the book trailer from Houghton Mifflin’s site: http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/wiesner/books/books_flotsam.shtml
- A fun tech project!: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/newsletters/newsletterbucketextrahelping/886657-443/a_class_project_inspired_by.html.csp
- Other wordless picture books
- Wiesner, David. FREE FALL. ISBN 0061567418
- Blake, Quentin. CLOWN. ISBN 0805059334
- Lehman, Barbara. MUSEUM TRIP. ISBN 0618581251
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