Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Houghton Mifflin (2006), Edition: illustrated edition, Hardcover, 40 pages
Description
The story of what happens when a camera becomes a piece of flotsam.
User reviews
LibraryThing member toni2012
FLOTSAM, had very bright colors and vivid pictures. There is a beach with sand so thick that if you fell down you would easily be buried up to your kneck. The water in the ocean is foamy like the fizz on top of a Coke. The gigantic waves will pick you up and play with you for little while and then
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lay you back onto the beach. A underwater camera was found by a little boy who develops the film in it and discovers that there is a whole new world under the sea, and that the camera has been across the world taking pictures of many people, you never know who or what sea life you might see in the pictures. Show Less
LibraryThing member artlibby
An adorable sand crab welcomes readers into this wordless masterpiece. Our own memories of the beach and the wonder of the ocean combine with the illustrations to propel the story along. It takes place on the Jersey Shore, during a lazy summer day on the beach with family. A young boy spends his
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time playing and exploring, and finds an underwater camera. The mysterious camera brings to light evidence of a whole other world located in the broad expanse of the ocean. The author/illustrator presents the viewer with a wide range of layouts in watercolors that cover the entirety of the page. We travel through the story with the little boy whose interest and curiosity will mirror our own. A must for all beach going families and elementary school libraries. Show Less
LibraryThing member renee.sutter
We read this book during one of our classes, I think the first one. I loved it the illustrations were so fun they really made to book move from page to page. I would have never thought a wordless book could be so fun. I especially love the illustration from the picture the camera took under the
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sea. This would be great in the classroom to discuss the importance of illustrations and how they can tell a story on there own. Show Less
LibraryThing member jpeer
This is a great picture book that shares a story about when a boy finds a camera on the beach. He develops the film and finds wonderful discoveries from each image. He then discovers that he is not the only one to have experienced the wonders this camera contain and continues the cycle for others
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to enjoy. This book has great detail, wonderful illustrations and allows the reader to imagine their own ideas for each piece. Show Less
LibraryThing member ChelseaGriffin
Flotsam is a wonderful children's book that leaves the interpretation of the story to the reader and the listener. The book is full of beautiful and colorful drawings.
LibraryThing member lep119
Flotsam is a beautifully illustrated wordless-picture book. When I reached the end of the book, I have forgotten there were no words, because my imagination had the opportunity to fill in the blanks. The detail on every page showed true creativity, and is wonderful for any age. I am a college
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student who thoroughly enjoyed it, but it could also be extremely enjoyable to children who can not yet read. The best part about this book, I believe, would have to be that your mind has an opportunity to create a story to go along with the pictures given. This would be an excellent book to use in a classroom to see how children's imaginations run wild with commentary. I would imagine they will see things on the pages that we, as adults, may have missed all together! This book takes you under the sea, a place that is a great mystery to us all, and brings it to life. Through Wisener's use of imagination, he is able to take ordinary sea creatures, and make something magical and unexpected happen. One of my favorite pages is the one where the backs of Starfish are what hold up islands, I would have never thought of something like that! I also loved the history Wiesner incorporates through the pictures of all the children who came into possession of the camera. This book could also be used as a tool to teach about unity. Although the children in the photo's are from different times and places, they are all unified through that camera and the journey it takes them on. A magical book that I highly recommend! Show Less
LibraryThing member Smiler69
A visually stunning wordless book about a young boy who discovers an underwater camera which has just been thrown up on the beach by a wave. When he hurries to the store to get one hour photo processing for the film he's found inside, he discovers some pretty fantastic images. My thanks to Pat
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(phebj) for suggesting this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member jeriannthacker
Beautiful wordless story of a boy who finds an underwater camera.
LibraryThing member cjfox73
Strikingly beautiful illustrations. No words are necessary to get the story across.
LibraryThing member sckimmel
A young boy discovers a camera in the surf at the beach and when he develops the film, he finds fantastic images of underwater creatures. But the most amazing photo is the last one that shows a boy holding a photo of another child holding a photo and so on until a microscopic examination reveals
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the original boy on a beach decades ago. Show Less
LibraryThing member dimestorenovel
A very lovely picture book. The story is a bit complex for very little children but my 6 year old understands it and I love the fact that she can read it to herself - there is no text. She tells the story a little bit different each time.
LibraryThing member MaowangVater
In a series of imaginative watercolors Wiesner depicts a boy on a beach finding a camera as a bit of flotsam. When he has the film developed he discovers a series of fantastic images: mechanical fish, octopi relaxing on overstuffed chairs in their living room, starfish islands rising up to stretch,
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tiny underwater flying saucers, and finally, a self-portrait of the last child who found the camera holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera, holding a picture of the previous child who found the camera. He takes a picture of himself and continues the cycle. Show Less
LibraryThing member blaforce
This excellent fantasy allows the reader to suspend disbelief and discover many secrets found on the film in a camera. The boy adds to the story by taking his own picture with the camera and placing the camera back in the ocean. While there are no words in the book the pictures easily show the plot
Media: Watercolo
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of the story.Media: Watercolo
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LibraryThing member meastwold
This is a wonderful wordless pitcure book. The story develops right in front of the viewers eyes and it easily brings the pictures to life, the viwer could almost believe some of it is real.
LibraryThing member kaiserestates
Takes you through a journey of a day at the beach and allows you to view something through the eye of the child. The child finds a camera and gets the fil developed and sees the pictures that someone else has taken. He goes back in time with the pictures and then he tosess the camera back into the
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water where it travels a variety of places until it is found again by another child on a beach far away. Show Less
LibraryThing member flaguna
Flotsam is a cinematic experience as the feeling of movement and imagination is the seal of the text. A book to read and re-read: you'll never get enough, the pages seem to be inspirated by the wind.
LibraryThing member mlgonzales
A wonderfully put-together, Caldecott Award winning book for children of all ages. This book hasnt any words, leaving the reader to actually write the story with the authors direction. Marvelous!
As a caregiver for children under the age of 4, this allows them to actually READ. There isnt any
In my classroom, I would allow the children to cut out life-like pictures to make a book of their own. Then allow them to share with everyone. Afterwards, switch books and allow that student to imagine or tell a diferent version of the book. Another would allow children to bring pictures of their family and tell stories in groups to describe the pictures. Again switching pictures to allow more imagination to take place.
As a caregiver for children under the age of 4, this allows them to actually READ. There isnt any
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fumbling over words or corrections to be made. The story is their own.In my classroom, I would allow the children to cut out life-like pictures to make a book of their own. Then allow them to share with everyone. Afterwards, switch books and allow that student to imagine or tell a diferent version of the book. Another would allow children to bring pictures of their family and tell stories in groups to describe the pictures. Again switching pictures to allow more imagination to take place.
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LibraryThing member champlin
Picture Book. This is a story told completely through pictures. The pages are separated a little like a comic book, with multiple pictures to a page. The story is about a boy who takes a family vacation to the beach and finds a camera. The camera still has a roll of film in it. He gets the film
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developed and finds that there is a picture of a girl holding another picture of a child. Under a magnifying glass he sees that that each picture has another child holding a photograph of another child holding a photograph. In the end he takes a picture of himself holding the photo of the girl and then throws the camera back into the ocean for the next child to find. The illustrations are realistic and allow the reader to follow the story carefully, paying attention to the remarkable detail, without any text to help the plot along. This textless journey of discovery is possible due to the vivid images provided by the author. I would use this book in the classroom to inspire the imagination and possibly creative writing. Show Less
LibraryThing member Esus15
when i first saw this book i wasn't sure how it was going to tell me a story in just pictures. but it did and i thought it was really neat to see, you can pretty much put the words in there yourself and make up your own story. so this boy is at the beach and hes checking things that he finds in the
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sand out with his science gear, when he comes a across a camera. he got the fim developed and to his amazement there were all these odd underwater sea life pictures of them doing weird things like fish singing. in the end he snaps a picture of himself like all the others have and sends the camera back to the ocean. Show Less
LibraryThing member MontglaneChess
A child goes to the beach and looks at things brought up by the surf. Kid finds a magical camera and has the film developed and discovered a crazy underwater world revealed through photographs. He then discovers in one of the photographs is of subsequent children holding a photograph of the last
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child to find the camera. So he takes one of himself and throws the camera back into the sea where another child eventually find it. Show Less
LibraryThing member cshaw
This is a wordless book about a boy who finds all kinds of things washed up on the beach including an underwater camera. This leads to all kinds of discoveries, including exploration of photography and passing these along by throwing the camera back in the ocean in hopes that someone else will
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discover it. I thought this book contains a very interesting way of telling a story since no words are used. It is good practice for kids and adults to "read the pictures." I liked the fact that the boy takes pictures and throws the camera back, hoping to share some of what he discovered. Show Less
LibraryThing member lisabankey
The realistic illustrations carries the reader through a fantastical tale about a boy who finds a camera washed up on a beach.
The way the author illustrated this story is more like movie shots that really flow form one to the next with out any words! The illustrations are greatly detailed sketches
This story would be great for struggling readers, ESL students and all grade levels. Each picture could really be its own story, a great writing project idea.
The way the author illustrated this story is more like movie shots that really flow form one to the next with out any words! The illustrations are greatly detailed sketches
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in both color and black and white. This story would be great for struggling readers, ESL students and all grade levels. Each picture could really be its own story, a great writing project idea.
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LibraryThing member baachan
By far, this is my favorite David Wiesner Book. It's absolutely amazing what he does with watercolors. And the way that he drives the story forward, with panels that mimic snapshot photographs, the way that the plot does feel like it follows an ebb and flow of the narrative. Amazing work, here. To
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sum up the story, a boy at the beach discovers a camera: a "Melville Underwater Camera." There's film inside, so he runs and develops it and buys a new roll of film. Once the pictures come back--it's a one-hour photo shop--the boys gets to see what really happens under the water. He also sees other kids in the photographs, all holding a photo of the child who found the camera before him or her. The boy takes his photo, and then hurls both the camera and the photos out to sea. Wonderfully imaginative work form Wiesner--great illustrations, great story--the plot may be far-fetched, but Wiesner makes it believable. DEFINITELY recommended for all collections! Show Less
LibraryThing member carrie.murphy
This picture book is about a young boy who goes to the beach to examine anything that is floating. The layout in this story is unique because sometimes a picture will take up an entire page, while other pages will include three or four pictures to one page.
LibraryThing member aengle
K-3. Very beautifully detailled pictures for students to infer what is going on in the story and to make predictions about what might happen next.
Subjects
Awards
Caldecott Medal (Medal Winner — 2007)
Red Clover Book Award (Nominee — 2008)
Indies Choice Book Award (Honor Book — 2007)
Quill Award (Winner — 2007)
The White Ravens (2007)
CCBC Choices (2007)
Great Reads from Great Places (New Jersey — 2007)
Books From All 50 States (and Washington, D.C.!) (New Jersey)
Notable Children's Book (2007)
Language
Original publication date
2006
Physical description
40 p.; 11.5 x 9.1 inches
ISBN
0618194576 / 9780618194575
Local notes
Searching through the usual flotsam on the beach – bottles, lost toys, sea glass – a boy finds a barnacle-encrusted camera. When developed, the pictures inside reveal bizarre and wonderful scenes of a fantastic undersea world: seashell cities upon the backs of giant sea tortoises, clockwork fish, octopi listening to a story in their underwater home, and little green aliens riding fish.