''Flotsam'' is a children's wordless picture book written and illustrated by David Wiesner. Published by Clarion/Houghton Mifflin in 2006, it was the 2007 winner of the Caldecott Medal;American Library Association
American Library Association announces literary award winners.
URL accessed 27 January 2007, the third win for David Wiesner. The book contains illustrations of underwater life with no text to accompany them.

Plot

The book has

no words "No Words" is a song written by Paul McCartney and Denny Laine, and first released on 7 December 1973 on '' Band on the Run'' by Paul McCartney and Wings. The song was Laine's first co-writing on a Wings album and his only writing credit on ''Ba ...

, but is told through pictures. A boy is at the beach and finds an old camera. He takes the film to get it developed and sees photos of fantastical undersea cities and inventions. The final section of the book consists of a girl, who is holding a photo of a child, who is holding a photo of a child, who is holding a photo of a child, and so on. The boy figures out that he is one in a long line of photographers who have found this camera. He takes a picture of himself holding this photo and tosses the camera back into the ocean; it is carried across the ocean by a variety of fish and sea life until it again washes ashore and another child finds it.

Critical reception

''Flotsam'' was published to glowing reviews. According to the ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'', “From arguably the most inventive and cerebral visual storyteller in children's literature comes a wordless invitation . . . not to be resisted.” ''Flotsam'' has won the 2007 Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Janice Del Negro has said of ''Flotsam'', "Telling tales through imagery is what storytellers have done through the ages. Wiesner's wordless tale resonates with visual images that tell his story with clever wit and lively humor,". ''

Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...

'' says, "The meticulous and rich detail of Wiesner's watercolors makes the fantasy involving and convincing."

Awards

Awards *The 2007 recipient of the Caldecott Medal for illustration *A ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' Best Illustrated Children's Book *A ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' Best Book of the Year *A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2006 *A Booklist Editor's Choice 2006 *A ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' Best Book of 2006 *A Horn Book Fanfare Title *A ''

Child (magazine) ''Child'' was an American parenting magazine founded by Jackie Leo and MaryAnn Sommers in 1986 and published until 2007. History and profile ''Child'' was first published in October 1986. The magazine was started as a bi-monthly publication. It w ...

'' Best Book of the Year *A '' Parenting (magazine)'' Book of the Year *A Nick Jr. Best Children's Book of 2006 *A Book Sense Children's Pick, Autumn 2006 *A ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' Top 10 Picture Book of the Year *A Parents' Choice Award Winner *A 2006 National Parenting Publications Gold Award Winner *

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

, 100 Titles for Reading & Sharing * Chicago Public Library, Best Books of the Year *An Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award Winner 2007

Plot

Critical reception

Awards

References

See also