Flotsam

A piece of debris, a barnacle-covered underwater camera, washes up on shore and opens up a whole new world. In David Wiesner's Caldecott Medal winning book, Flotsam, a normal day at the beach turns into a discovery of a lifetime. In this brilliant work, Wiesner creates an incredible underwater world depicted solely through rich watercolor illustration.

This book is a feast for the imagination, the breathtaking visuals transport us to another undersea world, presenting us with images that only lead to more questions. Every time we turn the page there is more to discover and because there are no words, more to explore.

This work is fantastic inspiration for writers, each picture on the camera can lead to limitless narratives about the worlds Wiesner created. Not only can this work lead us to explore Wiesner's illustrations, but it can also inspire us to think outside of the box for ourselves. Can we imagine our own new worlds? Or think of other kooky explanations for the natural world; if there are starfish under islands, what are under mountains? The possibilities Flotsam gives for conversation, illustration, and writing are endless.

Wiesner's work is not only visually stunning, but clever as he manages to sneak in a subtle homage to Hokusai's famous woodblock print The Great Wave.

The most poignant image in the work is Wiesner's interpretation of the photograph of a photograph. As each photo gives way to another, we are sucked back in time and further into the story. By the end of Flotsam, I was desperate to find that camera myself and take my own picture. Wiesner's story and pictures are brilliant and moving in a satisfyingly subtle way.