Flotsam by David Wiesner

Let me just start by saying I'm the only one in my family that LOVES I Spy books. I have to restrain myself from buying the computer versions too.
So, Flotsam by David Wiesner was a book that appealed to me because of the detail in the pictures. And the story was appealing and fun to 'read'.

A young boy and his parents spend a day at the beach. While the boy is exploring, a big wave washes a camera onto the beach (notice the brand of the camera). As the reader and boy look at the developed pictures together, they discover a new underwater world.

I'm not surprised it was 2007 winner of the Caldecott Medal.



A bright, science-minded boy goes to the beach equipped to collect and examine flotsam--anything floating that has been washed ashore. Bottles, lost toys, small objects of every description are among his usual finds. But there's no way he could have prepared for one particular discovery: a barnacle-encrusted underwater camera, with its own secrets to share . . . and to keep.


In each of his amazing picture books, David Wiesner has revealed the magical possibilities of some ordinary thing or happening--a frog on a lily pad, a trip to the Empire State Building, a well-known nursery tale. This time, a day at the beach is the springboard into a wildly imaginative exploration of the mysteries of the deep, and of the qualities that enable us to witness these wonders and delight in them.