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 a barnacle-encrusted underwater camera, with its own secrets to share . . . and to keep. In each of his amazing picture books, David Wiesner has revealed the magical possibilities of some ordinary thing or happening--a frog on a lily pad, a trip to the Empire State Building, a well-known nursery tale. This time, a day at the beach is the springboard into a wildly imaginative exploration of the mysteries of the deep, and of the qualities that enable us to witness these wonders and delight in them.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Animals, Art, Adventure

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2006

About the author

During David Wiesner's formative years, the last images he saw before closing his eyes at night were the books, rockets, elephant heads, clocks, and magnifying glasses that decorated the wallpaper of his room. Perhaps it was this decor which awakened his creativity and gave it the dreamlike, imaginative quality so often found in his work.

As a child growing up in suburban New Jersey, Wiesner re-created his world daily in his imagination. His home and his neighborhood became anything from a faraway planet to a prehistoric jungle. When the everyday play stopped, he would follow his imaginary playmates into the pages of books, wandering among dinosaurs in the World Book Encyclopedia. The images before him generated a love of detail, an admiration for the creative process, and a curiosity about the hand behind the drawings.

In time, the young Wiesner began exploring the history of art, delving into the Renaissance at first — Michelangelo, Dürer, and da Vinci — then moving on to such surrealists as Magritte, de Chirico, and Dalí. As he got older, he would sit, inspired by these masters, at the oak drafting table his father had found for him and would construct new worlds on paper and create wordless comic books, such as Slop the Wonder Pig, and silent movies, like his kung fu vampire film The Saga of Butchula.

Wiesner has always been intrigued by and curious about what comes before and after the captured image. His books somehow convey the sequence of thoughts leading up to and following each picture, and that quality explain why they are frequently described as cinematic.

At the Rhode Island School of Design, Wiesner was able to commit himself to the full-time study of art and to explore further his passion for wordless storytelling. There he met two people who would figure prominently in his life: Tom Sgouros, to whom Tuesday is dedicated, and David Macaulay, to whom The Three Pigs is dedicated. These two men not only taught Wiesner the fundamentals of drawing and painting but also fostered his imaginative spirit and helped him comprehend the world around him. Sgouros's and Macaulay's artistic influences were vital to Wiesner's development into the acclaimed picture-book author he is today.

David Wiesner has illustrated more than twenty award-winning books for young readers. Two of the picture books he both wrote and illustrated became instant classics when they won the prestigious Caldecott Medal: Tuesday in 1992 and The Three Pigs in 2002. Two of his other titles, Sector 7 and Free Fall, are Caldecott Honor Books. An exhibit of Wiesner's original artwork, "Seeing the Story," toured the United States in 2000 and 2001. Among his many honors, Wiesner holds the Japan Picture Book Award for Tuesday, the Prix Sorcières (the French equivalent of the Caldecott Medal) for The Three Pigs, and a 2004 IBBY Honour Book nomination for illustration, also for The Three Pigs. Flotsam, his most recent work, was a New York Times bestseller and was recently named winner of the 2007 Caldecott Medal, making Wiesner only the second person in the award’s long history to have won three times.

Wiesner lives with his wife and their son and daughter in the Philadelphia area, where he continues to create dreamlike and inventive images for books.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

To see this week's wordless picture books, please visit www.readrantrockandroll.com

Here’s another wordless book from a favorite author, David Wiesner. I reviewed The Three Pigs, Sector Seven and Free Fall awhile back. I was super excited to take a peek at this one.

The story begins with a curious boy who is visiting the beach. He has an interest in beach life and brings a multitude of exploration tools with him. As he’s exploring, a wave comes, and brings with it a strange looking camera. It resembles an underwater camera. He takes out the film and decides to have the film developed at the one hour photo department. The pictures he gets from the camera are amazing and show pictures of underwater sea life, including some strange mechanical fish. Within the photos he notices something strange and uses his microscope to figure it out. What he sees is surprising. Follow along in the story to see what he decides to do with it.

This book is very thought-provoking. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is easy to follow. This is one of my favorites this year.

5*****

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wordless picture book is a delight. It is about a boy playing on the beach when an underwater camera washes on shore. He gets the pictures developed and puts in a new roll of film. Then his eyes widen in amazement as he sees the surreal pictures of what is really going on underneath the sea. Robotic fish, aliens, and many other wonders. Finally he comes across a picture of a girl holding a photo of a boy, who is holding the picture of another boy, and he's holding a picture... the boy tries to see as far into the past as he can with a magnifying glass and then a microscope, until he sees the original picture from the late 1800s. So he decides to take a picture of himself with the photo, and become part of the chain. He throws the camera back into the ocean where the ocean life welcomes it back with open arms (tentacles?). At the very end of the book we see it washing up on some palm beach where a little girl is reaching out for it. She will be the next in the chain.
http://www.hmhbooks.com/wiesner/image...

http://www.criticalcommons.org/Member...

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http://www.criticalcommons.org/Member...

This book is gorgeous, with amazing illustrations and a wonderful plot. It has the added bonus of being a bit eerie. It reminded me of Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg in a way. Sometimes I think wordless children's books are extra amazing. Highly recommended.

P.S. If you love this story and want to watch something similar, try out this incredible 8-minute wordless short by Peter Lewis, which has the same amazing but eerie feel as this book: THE CAMERA http://vimeo.com/32655795

2007 Caldecott Medal Winner

[Maede · Rating 4 out of 5]

پسری کنار ساحل نشسته که دریا دوربینی رو‌ با‌ خودش میاره. دوربینی قدیمی که انگار مدت‌ها در آب بوده. داخل دوربین هم یک فیلمه. یعنی چه عکس‌هایی باهاش گرفته شده؟

کتاب‌ هیچ کلمه‌ای نداره اما داستان جالبی رو تعریف می‌کنه. مدت‌هاست که به تصاویر هنری عادت کردم و برای همین در نگاه اول تصاویر کتاب رو خیلی دوست نداشتم. اما در نهایت مدل واقع‌گرایانه و تمیزشون واقعاً به دلم نشست

دیوید وایزنر، تصویرگر کتاب، یکی از شاخص‌ترین چهره‌های کتاب‌های تصویریه و در آینده ازش حتماً بیشتر می‌خونم/می‌بینم

کتاب رو می‌تونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books

۱۴۰۳/۲۰/۲۱

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sucked me in like any good book will. Lavish detail and a rich plot even without words. I am loving how wordless stories can have a lot to say. A boy finds an underwater camera that washes ashore at the beach. He develops the pictures and the surprises get better and better.

This was simply fun and entertaining. I feel enriched and uplifted.

The kids enjoyed this book as well. Now they want to take a camera to the beach. We don't have an underwater camera and I don't think they quite get the difference. They couldn't believe each pictures that got developed.

What a big imagination.

[Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perspective-altering philosophical text cleverly disguised as a children's book! Wiesner, through the use of smart story-boarding, a child's point of view, and a strong dose of whimsy, provides a tale eschewing the need to stay young. But he is not merely pedantic: he shows us *how* to remain young by inserting the reader in the middle of the action, drawing us into the child until we are the child. Then, after unmooring us from our adult concerns through the use of a series of surreal photographs of seascapes and bizarre congeries of sea creatures (including the sea monkeys you remember having been advertised in the backs of comic books as a child - come on, admit it, you ordered some, didn't you?), he teaches us that everything in the world is interconnected. He awes us with not just nature itself, but nature's possibilities. This is not a children's book, it is a guidebook, it is a workbook, it is a bible of the imagination. Learn it, love it, live it.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy is looking closely at things he finds on the beach when a barnacle covered camera is washed up. Seeing that this is an underwater camera he takes the film to be developed. Bringing the photographs back to the beach he looks at underwater scenes with very unexpected happenings. My favourite part of the story is when he finds a photo of a child on a beach holding a photo, when he looks closer the photo shows another child holding a photo and using his microscope he sees this happens again and again. I thought this was a lovely idea and I really liked the way he took a photograph of himself holding the photo and then returned the camera to the sea The artwork in this story seemed a lot more detailed and refined than the previous book I read by this author.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wordless Caldecott-winning picture book (one of three so far by Wiesner, this one from 2006) about a boy who goes to collect flotsam washed up on the sea shore. and finds a kind of amazing series of "messages in a bottle" through an underwater camera he finds there. He gets the film developed and there are pictures of two different kinds of things; one, marvels of underwater fantasy life and 2) pictures (selfies) taken by other kids who have found the camera. Of course the kid takes his own selfie and throws the camera back in the ocean. Reminded me just a little of the geo-caching craze where you find a secret stash with a phone and then also leave something for theories to find.

The art is great and the story is simple but inventive, inviting invention for readers.

[Dream.M · Rating 3 out of 5]

وقتی این کتاب رو باز کردم، با اولین صفحاتش یاد سی‌سی افتادم. نه با دیدن دریا یا ساحل یا حتی یه بچه کنجکاو باهوش؛ بلکه با دیدن خرچنگ.
آخه سی‌سی یه جعبه داشت که توش رو پر کرده بود از صدف و مرجان و سنگ‌های ساحلی از جاهای مختلف ، و توی همون جعبه یه خرچنگ و یه ستاره دریایی هم داشت که از کیش آورده بود. با اینکه سی‌سی اون یادگاری هارو خیلی دوستشون داشت اما هم زمان به شدت ازش می‌ترسید و بخاطر همینم هیچوقت اون جعبه رو توی اتاقش نگه نداشت و لمس‌شون نمیکرد؛ به کسی هم اجازه نمی‌داد بهشون دست بزنه یا حتی یه گوش‌ماهی کوچولو رو برداره، و فقط از داشتن‌شون لذت میبرد و کیف می‌کرد.
الان اون جعبه رو من نگه میدارم. گاهی درش رو باز میکنم و دونه دونه صدف ها و سنگ هارو درمیارم و لمس میکنم و بعد دوباره همرو برمیگردونم سرجاش. لمس کردن چیزی که زمانی عزیزترین آدم زندگیم با دقت و وسواس انتخابش کرده و براش عزیز بوده حس خیلی عجیبیه. واقعا خیلی عجیبه که اشیا باقی می‌مونن، سالها و قرن ها، اما آدمایی که به اون اشیا پیوند خورده بودن، نه. الان این گنج دریایی، این خاطره، تکه‌ای از عاطفه مشترک من و خواهرمه؛ و تمام بچه‌هایی که قبل از ما اونها رو لمس کردن. کی میدونه نفر بعدی که این جعبه رو نگه میداره کیه و چه احساسی رو با لمس کردنش تجربه میکنه؟ بهرحال اگه حتی اون آدم هیچ احساسی هم به این جعبه نداشته باشه اما همچنان وارث یک عاطفه جمعی مشترکه .
.........................
Flotsam
یعنی چیزهایی که بعد از غرق شدن یه کشتی، روی آب شناور می‌مونن؛ وسایلی که انگار از دل گذشته اومدن بیرون تا یه داستان تعریف کنن. توی این کتاب، اون چیز یه دوربین قدیمیه که از دریا بیرون میاد و زندگی یه پسربچه رو برای لحظاتی به دنیایی شگفت‌انگیز وصل می‌کنه. عمیق‌ترین و احساسی‌ترین لحظه‌ کتاب، همون جاییه که پسرک فیلم دوربین رو ظاهر می‌کنه. بین عکس‌ها، به عکسی می‌رسه که توش یه بچه، عکس یه بچه‌ دیگه رو گرفته دستش... و اون یکی هم همین‌طور... و همین‌طور تا سال ۱۸۰۰ و یک پسربچه که کسی ازش عکس گرفته.
به این نوع تصویر mise en abyme گفته میشه که در ظاهر یه بازی تصویریه، اما اگه دقت کنی، یه جور حس اتصال و تداوم انسانی رو توی این زنجیره تصاویری می‌بینی. این بچه‌ها از زمان‌ها و مکان‌های مختلف هستن، اما انگار همه‌شون یه پیوند نامرئی دارن. هرکدوم دقیقا همین دوربین رو پیدا کردن، به دنیای سورئال و عجیب زیر دریا نگاه کردن، یه عکس گرفتن و فرستادنش برای بعدی.
اون لحظه‌ای که بچه‌ توی کتاب عکس‌ها رو نگاه می‌کنه، انگار داره به خاطره‌های کسایی نگاه می‌کنه که هرگز ندیده‌شون، ولی یه جور عاطفه‌ مشترک بین‌شون هست که بوسیله همون، می‌تونه حسشون کنه، بهشون اهمیت بده، و حتی دوست‌شون داشته باشه.
این حس خیلی شبیه وقتیه که آلبوم قدیمی خانواده‌تو ورق می‌زنی. آدم‌هایی که شاید دیگه نیستن، اما عکسشون هست؛ نگاهشون هست. یه نوع غریبی از دلتنگی و آرامش همزمان. اونجاست که متوجه می‌شی حتی وقتی چیزی از بین رفته، هنوز ردش مونده. هنوز می‌شه دیدش، حسش کرد، و ادامه‌ش داد.
و حالا نوبت توعه...
در پایان، وقتی پسر داستان تصمیم می‌گیره از خودش عکس بگیره و دوربین رو دوباره به دریا برگردونه، اون لحظه یه جور تعهد نانوشته رو بعهده میگیره که میگه:
"من هم بخشی از این زنجیره‌ام. من هم داستانی برای گفتن دارم."

[Zahra Naderi · Rating 4 out of 5]

چقدر نکته داشت‌. زیباترینش برای من اونجا بود که:
پسش بده، مال تو نیست، بذار چرخه ادامه پیدا کنه.

[Maciek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flotsam is a short and beautiful picture book, bound to delight both children and adults alike. It is a great book for children (of all ages) to read on their own and to read together with their older companions.

The book is completely devoid of any dialogue - which is its great advantage: although a few English words on its cards they are not essential to understanding and enjoying the story. This allows for Flotsam to be enjoyed by all as it is not bound by any language, like classical music.

The story itself is one to which all cultures can relate: it begins with a boy on the beach examining critters and crabs when a wave covers him and his tools - a magnifying glass, microscope and binoculars. Although the sea creatures are washed away, the wave brought something else - an ancient looking camera, with "Melville Underwater Camera" written on it. Upon closer examination the boy discovers that there is a roll of film inside the camera, and he rushes to get it developed; when he receives the prints back he realizes what he has discovered, and understands the purpose of the camera.

The illustrations are drawn in the horizontal format - they are wider than they are tall - and in beautiful watercolors. The story is delightful and universal, full of wonderful detail and whimsical invention: how many of us have often dreamed of finding something which would be special and unique just by chance, to feel the joy of discovery? The juxtaposition of imagination and reality is truly delightful, and so is the uplifting mood of the book and it's message -the perserverance of wonder in an never ending chain.

This is a truly delightful picture book which I'm very glad to have read, as it made me feel happy that I also was once such a boy, and in many ways still am. By the time I was finished I was genuinely moved by its universal story, beauty and appeal, and happily recommend it to everyone.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book that even the youngest book listener will be able to read on their own, as it’s told almost entirely in pictures: but so much more fun for adults or older kids to read it with them. A great fantasy story for kids, but there’s also a lot of science thrown in and objects to talk about and explain. And it communicates a lovely message about sharing & giving. Gorgeous pictures. And there’s a great photo of the author as a 5 year old at the seashore on the back inside cover with the author information section. I’m telling all my friends who have or know young children to get it for them if they don’t already have a copy. I really love this unique book!

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Albeit that I do indeed consider David Wiesner’s Caldecott Medal winning Flotsam visually spectacular and stunning (and especially so much aesthetically appreciate the minutely descriptive underwater detail, the diversely colourful fishes), I nevertheless also and equally do feel somewhat if not majorly conflicted regarding Flotsam as a wordless picture book telling an actual and solid story. For as a very text and written word oriented reader (who is very visual but whose vision is in fact primarily verbal and not so much pictorial), yes, I have actually found the completely lacking in any printed words plot of Flotsam rather difficult and confusing (and indeed, I most definitely would have enjoyed Flotsam considerably more if there had been even a few words of accompanying text, as I do admit getting rather lost and not really managing to follow the completely without a text tale of the little boy and the camera he finds in the ocean all that easily if actually at all, as I still and post reading do not think that I have managed to truly grasp the gist and the main themes of Flotsam all that successfully).

And thus, while I certainly understand why and how many of my Goodreads friends obviously totally adore Flotsam (and that I definitely do consider David Wiesner’s artwork simply amazing), the fact of the matter that I have found Flotsam annoyingly difficult to follow because of it being completely sans words to direct me and my attention, this has certainly negatively affected my general “reading” pleasure and to make me consider Flotsam with but three and not with four or five stars (for in order for the latter to occur, I would of course need to be able to easily follow the plot without added text, and this has certainly not been the case for me with Flotsam by any stretch of my imagination).

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Flotsam” is a 2007 Caldecott Award winning book by David Wiesner, author of the popular books, “Tuesday” and “The Three Pigs.” In this story, a young boy discovers a mysterious camera from the sea that eventually shows him another world under the sea. “Flotsam” is surely one classic that cannot be beat.

David Wiesner’s illustrations are once again beautiful as he draws each character in a realistic way, especially of the images of the fishes doing human activities under the sea. The image that probably stood out the most was the image of the family of squids sitting around in their living room as the living room is set up like an underwater version of a living room as there are fish lamps all over the room. David Wiesner’s illustrations take control of telling this story, as there are no words to tell the story, just the images. David Wiesner’s story of a young boy discovering an underwater world is interesting and creative at the same time as the reader gets to see the human world from a fish’s perspective, as seashells take over as houses and turtles are used as transportations.

“Flotsam” is an imaginative children’s book about learning about the discoveries of new places and in this case, new worlds. Also, this book seems to aim for the theme of sharing your discoveries with other people, so that they could experience the same magic that you have experience also. I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book and the format will be easy for them to read.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

این کتاب هم یه قسمت عکس‌های تو در تو داشت و برام جالب بود که طراح، چند سال قبل اینکه بتونه اون کتاب جالبش(اپلیکیشن البته) رو ریلیز کنه هم باز به طرح های تو در تو فکر می‌کرده.
یکی از جذابیت های کتاب‌های بی متن اینه که میشه تا حدودی برداشت‌های متفاوت از کتاب داشت.
۲.۱۴۰۴

[Eddie B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

بالرسم وحده، ودون الحاجة إلى أي كلمات، تعبر بك هذه القصة عوالم سحرية تعجز دونها الحروف، وتقشعر لها الجلود.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caldecott-Winner, and for good reason. This is a story told in pictures about a boy who finds a camera washed up on shore and develops some pretty amazing pictures, and a bit of a mystery! It's not until the end of the story that all the pieces fit together and it's a fun AH-HA moment. Lots of imagination here. I'm not sure how much I liked Weisner's style, per se, but I have to give this five stars simply for the concept!

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This won the Caldecott Medal in 2007. David Wiesner is the creator and illustrator.

The wonder of this picture book is that it has no words! The story is told by the illustrations alone. A story about a boy who finds an underwater camera washed up on the shore of his local beach and makes discoveries both fanciful and unusual when her gets the film he found in the camera developed. I read through it several times, seeing more each time I did.

When I used to read picture books to my young grandchildren (who are all grown up now), I would ask them to pay attention to the illustrations and tell me what they saw after I read them the words. Oh my, they saw more than I did.

My eldest grandchild never lost her love of illustration. When she was in grade school she told me she only liked to read books that also had illustrations. She grew up to be an artist!

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I adore children’s illustration, I decided to check out some of the books that made the top 20 most beautiful children’s books list.

Flotsam definitely deserves to be up on the list. It’s just a picture book about a boy who finds a camera and the amazing pictures inside. I love the whimsical little tale, and the illustrations are fantastic. I think kids would love this. I know I did. :)

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woofie loved it, as do I. The concept is so strong, and Wiesner's art is always amazing.

[Arie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic, in every sense of the word!

[GoldGato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have become a big fan of David Wiesner’s children’s books, probably because one doesn’t need to be a child to enjoy them. They are collectibles and such pleasures to enjoy. There aren’t words, but the wonderful illustrations always tell the stories by themselves.

This book is another winner, all about a child on a beach day with his parents. Other children may scream and run into the waves, but this boy has his microscope with him as he inspects the various forms of life in sand and water. Then he finds a curious looking camera, old but strange. Inside is a roll of film, so he runs to the one-hour photo place down the street and has it developed. When he eagerly gets the finished prints, he is astonished at what he finds. The camera has captured life under the waves as never seen before.



Also, it’s very clear that other youngsters have also found the camera through the decades and taken selfies. Will the boy keep the camera for himself? Or will he carry on the tradition and throw it back into the ocean? It really makes a day at the beach so much more of an adventure.

One of the reasons I love Wiesner’s work is that he comes up with ideas I would never think about. A mysterious camera would be something a child would want to keep so the lesson here is to see if the boy understands the long-term goal of the obviously amazing camera. An enjoyable read.

Book Season = Summer (beach discoveries)

[George Ciuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very g9d book. Took me the weekend to read. I enjoyed

[Literary Ames · Rating 2 out of 5]

Flotsam, my first wordless picture book, feels age inappropriate. From what I gather picture books are generally aimed at 3 to 8-year-olds. I have doubts a child in that range would be able to fully comprehend the story without help from an elder. Does a 6-year-old know what a microscope is and what it's used for? Will they understand the images shown at different magnifications? A few Goodreads reviews say that it doesn't matter if a child understands or not, they might make up their own story.



A boy at the beach is studying the flotsam to wash up on shore where he stumbles on a camera. He develops the film to find photos of children dating back decades. It seems they each found the camera the same way and took photos of themselves holding the photo of the child who possessed the camera before them and then threw the camera back into the sea.



I struggled to comprehend the significance of the random sci-fi/fantasy artwork had to do with the story, which were actually what I liked most. They appeared more modern in style and vibrancy. A steampunk clockwork fish. Villages made of seashells on the backs of turtles. Little green men landing their spaceships underwater. Islands which are actually starfish who hop up on their legs and walk elsewhere. Mermaids.



After reading a few Goodreads reviews, I'm still not entirely sure of their relevance. I'm guessing these scenes were depicting what the boy imagined marine life was like, what he thought he might see in the developed film from the underwater camera. This is also another thing which dates the book. No one develops camera film now, not in the first world. I can't think of a single retailer which does, so continuing on that tradition would be difficult.



The camera concept feels very familiar to me. I'm sure I've seen this but with a camera phone. The discoverer took pictures of themselves and then left the phone to be discovered by someone else. The phone travelled all over the world. I just can't remember where I saw this, whether it was a news item or part of a TV show.

While there are multiethnic characters, the majority of the illustrations starring people seemed rather dated, ones I wouldn't be surprised to see in a book from the 1970s, so much so that I had to check the publication date - 2006. Huh.

Overall, I didn't enjoy this one despite its uniqueness in incorporating science and the thrill of discovery. It's not something I'd recommend.

[Ch13_julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Flotsam" by David Wiesner is a wordless picture book. The story takes place at the shore. It is mostly told through the perspective of the camera after a young boy finds the vintage camera on the beach. He develops the film and it tells an adventurous and imaginative story of all the places the camera has been.

The illustrations are breathtaking and vivid. The illustrations are done through many different perspectives, making turn paging that much more exciting. Each image is both realistic and full of fantasy. It allows the reader to use their imagination and creativity to piece together the story.

I would recommend this book for just about any age group. The purpose for using it will vary, but it fosters our creative side, whether you are 5 or 15. Older students could use it for a writing activity in which they have to create words to go with each image.

"Flotsam" is an award winning and best selling book. It is a Caldecott Medal winner and also on a number of "Best Seller" lists. The detailed images tell a creative story. Readers will find something new each time they look through this book. It is a great book for the classroom and inside the home. I think that readers of all ages will enjoy this adventure!

[Bobby · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite David Wiesner book to date, and truly an amazing book! Another wordless book which technically may be "written" for children, but certainly can be enjoyed by all. A boy finds a camera on the beach and decides to get its film developed. When he (and the reader) look at the developed photos, a wonderful journey to an incredible underworld begins. With elements of out-of-this-world fantasy and imagination, captured in vivid, non-threatening illustrations, this book is perfect for younger kids to look through. Older children should enjoy it even more, especially if they are asked to create their own stories based on the actions portrayed by the illustrations (I did this with somebody and we both had an awesome time!).

[Agnė · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5
Not a single word in this book yet I feel like I've just read a long, elaborate story...

[Hamed Manoochehri · Rating 5 out of 5]

...
🌊
📝 🚫
🌙✨ 🦄
🔍
📖📖📖📖

[Cori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a boy who finds an underwater camera (flotsam) washed up on the shore. He develops the film, and he discovers that there is an extraordinary world under the sea as well as other kids around the world. There are images of the different types of fish as well as images of people who have found flotsam, taking a picture with the people who have found flotsam before them. Since there are no words in the story, the illustrations in this book are the only source that explains what is happening to readers. In fact, when I read this story, the illustrations got me hooked on this book more than the plot itself. They are so detailed and colorful! The illustrations prompt readers to use their imaginations to tell the story. Some of the pages are broken up into a comic book theme in order to show every action the boy takes (i.e. the boy discovering the camera and finding the film). This helps readers understand what is happening in the story without having to make too many inferences of their own. The images of the underwater life show a fantasy world (i.e. an octopus reading a book in a living room), appealing to young readers. I think the images of the other children provide insight to young readers that everyone around the world is connected through the sea.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grab your bathing suit, goggles and a bucket of sunshine and dive into the lovely Caldecott 2007 medal winner.

While walking along the ocean tide, a young boy is knocked off his feet. Looking around, he finds an older box like camera noted as "the Melville Under Water Camera."

Developing the photos the boy discovers an entire underwater life unknown to man. There is an octopus family, relaxing inside a living room, wonderfully designed fish flying high in the sky inside a hot air balloon, turtles with entire communities living on the outside of their shells, and there are exquisite squid families mingled with coral and tiny mermaid creatures.


Scrolling through the photos, the boy discovers various images of children who previously found the camera and the images and who posted a self photo.

Taking his photo and then throwing the camera back into the ocean, the journey continues.

Highly recommended!

[Jessica Maitland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even without any words this book tells a wonderful story. The protagonist through the book is a boy who finds a camera and sees various pictures on it. The ocean and a picture in a picture. I read it to a child with EAL and he really enjoyed it as well. Reading the pictures is something else and one experience for all to try.