Flotsam
by David
Wiesner
A bright, science minded boy goes
to the beach equipped to collect and examine flotsam--anything
floating that has been washed ashore. Bottles, lost
toys, small objects of every description are among
his usual finds. But there's no way he could have
prepared for one particular discovery: a barnacle-encrusted
underwater camera, with its own secrets to share...
and to keep.
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library
Journal
Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 4–A wave
deposits an old-fashioned contraption at the feet
of an inquisitive young beachcomber. Its a Melville
underwater camera, and the excited boy quickly develops
the film he finds inside. The photos are amazing:
a windup fish, with intricate gears and screwed-on
panels, appears in a school with its living counterparts;
a fully inflated puffer, outfitted as a hot-air
balloon, sails above the water; miniature green
aliens kowtow to dour-faced sea horses; and more.
The last print depicts a girl, holding a photo of
a boy, and so on. As the images become smaller,
the protagonist views them through his magnifying
glass and then his microscope. The chain of children
continues back through time, ending with a sepia
image of a turn-of-the-20th-century boy waving from
a beach. After photographing himself holding the
print, the youngster tosses the camera back into
the ocean, where it makes its way to its next recipient.
This wordless books vivid watercolor paintings have
a crisp realism that anchors the elements of fantasy.
Shifting perspectives, from close-ups to landscape
views, and a layout incorporating broad spreads
and boxed sequences, add drama and motion to the
storytelling and echo the photographic theme. Filled
with inventive details and delightful twists, each
snapshot is a tale waiting to be told. Pair this
visual adventure with Wiesners other works, Chris
Van Allsburgs titles, or Barbara Lehmans The Red
Book (Houghton, 2004) for a mind-bending journey
of imagination.–Joy Fleishhacker, School Library
Journal
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Review
Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
: "Wiesner offers another exceptional, wordless
picture book that finds wild magic in quiet, everyday
settings."
Publishers Weekly, Starred : "New
details swim into focus with every rereading of
this immensely satisfying excursion."
School Library Journal Starred :
"A mind-bending journey of imagination." |
