Flotsam by David Wiesner

So, I'm not sure when the last time I read a wordless picture book, but this made me wonder what I've been missing by not looking at this genre. Flotsam is the winner of both the Caldecott Medal and the Best Illustrated Children's Book Awards given by New York Times. An ordinary day at the beach turns extraordinary when a young boy gets caught in a wave. Both the boy and a camera wash to shore. This underwater camera contains a history that the boy discovers. When he develops the film, he discovers unexpected pictures amidst the sea. The last picture shows a photo within a photo, showing how this camera has traveled. The young boy continues on the tradition taking a picture of himself holding his developed picture before sending on the camera to the next lucky discoverer.

Without the book flap, I wouldn't have known what flotsam means-something that floats. The endpages get the reader in beach mode right away by having the endpages look like sand. This is such an appropriate book that explores the depths of the imagination (and the ocean). An interesting title is only the beginning of this book. I didn't realize how much an author/illustrator can do without any words. Yet, a wordless book can tell a story only through its pictures while capturing a story, showing emotions, and exploring a theme just like any other book. I read this book a few times through because there's so much to discover on each page. The richness of the watercolor pictures intertwine, wrapping together.

The pictures taken in the ocean show an "undiscovered life," mixing fantasy with reality. Octopuses lounge on couches and chairs, a puffer fish acts as a hot-air balloon for a few fish, and space aliens engage with sea horses. The picture within the picture though captures the most unique characteristic of this book. The camera gets passed on, and a rich history builds. When the boy looks at the developed picture through the microscope, he sees pictures that date back to early times. As the saying goes, sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. This book is the perfect example of that.

There's a history, a traveling log contained in the camera. This book was like message in a bottle, but with a twist. Students could "read" this book, talking about the illustrations and the story's plot. As a writing activity, students could write their own text to this book or write a summary. Although this book isn't specifically geared for multicultural literature, it could be included to show how people are linked even when we're far away from each other. Lining up international pen pals would be a great way for students to connect with students abroad and learn about their cultural similarities and differences. This book proved to me just how much value can lie in a wordless book...A LOT!