Modern Fantasy Book Blog- Flotsam

Flotsam

Written and Illustrated by David Wiesner

Clarion Books : Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006

Modern Fantasy

     Have you ever read a book that had no words? If you had to re-read that question again then you might be thinking exactly the same thing that I was when I heard of this book. I knew there were picture books that had very little words in it, but I did not know that there were books for older students that had nothing but illustrations. In "Flotsam", a young boy finds an underwater camera while on a beach trip with his family. He asks around to see if anyone knows where this mysterious camera appeared from, but no one was claiming it. Intrigued by this mystery camera, he takes the film from the inside of the camera to be developed. Little does he know the journey that these pictures are about to take him on. Check this book out to see what new and unknown places these pictures transport the young boy too.

      The illustrations in this book are incredible because they tell the whole story. There is so much detail poured into these pictures with many muted colors and many different drawing devices. Many of the illustrations are boxed in with lines. Also, there are many drawings that look very realistic. Each picture is symbolic to the story and is important because it tells the story. The setting in these illustrations mainly take place on the beach or in the ocean. However, they also take place in the mysterious realms that  the pictures transport the young boy to. 

      I would use this book in a fourth grade classroom for a reading unit. You could teach about the deeper meaning behind illustrations and how sometimes you don't need any words to tell a story. This book would challenge student's to think critically and creatively. After reading the story, they could create their own story using nothing but illustrations. This would be a great way to incorporate art standards into a reading lesson. I would also suggest talking with your students as they read through the book. Get them to explain what they think is happening in each picture. Overall, this book would be a great way to challenge your students and introduce them to new forms of literature.

I highly encourage you to go check this book out!