Saturday, February 6, 2010

Module #3

Flotsam by David Wiesner-Module #3
Wiesner, David. Flotsam. New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company. 2006.
Summary: A curious boy finds a mysterious old camera on the beach. He goes to get them film developed and finds pictures of an imaginary underwater world. The last photo shows a girl holding a photo and at closer look, in her photo is a boy holding a photo and so on. From details in the photos you get a since of the cameras past. The boy continues the cycle by taking a picture of himself holding the photo and then throws the camera out to sea for future beachcombers.
Tattered Cover says: A very interesting book. There are no words therefore leaving the reader to come up with their own story. The pictures really are the star of this book with images that have much detail and convey a whimsical other world.
How to use this in the library: Young readers will be able to come up with their own words to "read aloud" this story. It allows all levels of students to enjoy and participate. Readers can also infer where the camera came from and what is the lesson in the story. Students could also draw a picture of themselves with the camera and draw pictures of what they would have taken pictures of if they found the camera. The pictures could make an interesting display for the library.
Reviews:Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 4–A wave deposits an old-fashioned contraption at the feet of an inquisitive young beachcomber. Its a Melville underwater camera, and the excited boy quickly develops the film he finds inside. The photos are amazing: a windup fish, with intricate gears and screwed-on panels, appears in a school with its living counterparts; a fully inflated puffer, outfitted as a hot-air balloon, sails above the water; miniature green aliens kowtow to dour-faced sea horses; and more. The last print depicts a girl, holding a photo of a boy, and so on. As the images become smaller, the protagonist views them through his magnifying glass and then his microscope. The chain of children continues back through time, ending with a sepia image of a turn-of-the-20th-century boy waving from a beach. After photographing himself holding the print, the youngster tosses the camera back into the ocean, where it makes its way to its next recipient. This wordless books vivid watercolor paintings have a crisp realism that anchors the elements of fantasy. Shifting perspectives, from close-ups to landscape views, and a layout incorporating broad spreads and boxed sequences, add drama and motion to the storytelling and echo the photographic theme. Filled with inventive details and delightful twists, each snapshot is a tale waiting to be told. –Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal