Flotsam (by )

While digging for crabs, a wave sweeps the boy off his feet and deposits an underwater camera on the sand in front of him. After he recovers, he has the film developed and is captivated by what he finds. Ultimately, he tosses the camera back into the sea, where it's carried away by various creatures until it again washes ashore for a new child to find.

With no text to interfere, this book's expressive, sensitively painted watercolors tell the story as words never could. And the magic of the boy's imaginative, somewhat surreal photos is intriguing and will amaze the reader.

David Wiesner is a talented, clever, prolific artist with a self-avowed passion for what he calls "wordless storytelling." He manages to pack his pages with details variously framed and set up like a comic book, yet masterfully placed to create the rhythm of a classic tale. Of all Wiesner's books, Flotsam in particular reflects his fascination with what comes before and after a picture.

Captivating. There's so much to explore on each page.

Illustrator: David Wiesner
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication date: September 4, 2006
Number of pages: 40
Hardcover price: $17.00
Read Aloud: 4