'Flotsam' by David Wiesner

We are so happy to have found and fallen in love with this beauty by three time Caldecott Medal winner David Wiesner. Flotsam is defined as floating wreckage from a ship or its cargo. It floats to where someone may find it, and if you're lucky, they may share it with you just as David Wiesner has done with this picture book.

In "Flotsam" we take a trip to the beach with an inquisitive little boy. As we notice his scientific instruments alongside his shovel and bucket, we quickly realize this isn't your average boy. He is an observer. The illustrations geniusly magnify in segmented pages as we examine crabs, get swept up by waves, and eventually discover a Melville underwater camera. Curiosity leads us to a One-Hour Photo shop where we find the photos are beyond our wildest imaginations. The camera captured mechanical fish swimming amongst a school of live fish, a puffer fish as a hot air balloon, seashell cities carried on the backs of turtles, tiny aliens, giant starfish and more. Then we discover a curious looking photo of a child holding a photo of another child. We magnify the photo inception to discover that many, many children have found, used, and returned the camera to the depths for the next child to discover. The young boy takes his turn and the camera goes back where it was found to be discovered and investigated again by the next child with an investigative spirit.

Wordless picture books are great for pre-readers and for building confidence in early readers who may stumble on words. Fun for the whole family, every person who "reads" this book can find their own story within the detailed images. This is the perfect book for a summer beach trip, beach loving little children, or children with scientific minds. It will definitely get their imagination going!

Does your family enjoy wordless books?