Flotsam by David Wiesner

Wiesner, D.  (2006).  Flotsam.  Clarion Books.  Unpaged.

What happens deep in the ocean when no one is around?  This book shows one possibility.

This wordless picture book is about a young boy who has an interest in marine biology.  While at the beach he discovers an underwater camera that appears to be quite old.  He opens the camera and finds that there is film inside.  He develops the film and finds an underwater fantasy world of marine life.  He also finds a picture of a person within a picture of a person within another picture of a person within another picture, etc.  He discovers a black and white picture probably from the early 20^th century of the original person.  He then takes a picture of himself holding the picture he found and then throws the camera back into the ocean to share with someone else to continue what the person in the black and white photo started.  While the book has no words, the pictures do tell a story that is suitable for five- to eight-year-olds.  It also leaves room for imagination of the reader.  I think many people have wondered what really happens underwater when no one is around.  Are there really seahorse villages or turtle town?  This book lets one’s imagination come up for a breath of fresh air.

Before I read this book, I thought that there would be countless stories that could be told from reading this wordless picture book, but upon taking a closer look and actually reading it, I think there's a clear-cut story to this book, although different people will probably tell the story just a little bit differently.  I really enjoyed it, especially the picture within the picture within the picture within the picture, etc.  The pictures are beautifully illustrated and very colorful, making it easy to tell the story and read the book.  Since this is a wordless picture book, I think it's a bit of a mystery to say with certaintly what the title refers to, but the first thing that came to mind when I saw this book was Flotsam and Jetsam, so I think that's what the title refers to since it takes place at the beach and in the ocean.

This book won the Best Illustrated Children's Book Award and the Caldecott Award.  Other books illustrated by Wiesner include Tongues of Jade, Rainbow People, Firebrat, and The Three Little Pigs.