"Flotsam" by David Wiesner

"Flotsam" 

by David Wiesner

40 pages /  Print / Science Fiction

Summary: A boy finds a strange camera on the shore at the beach. Curious about its contents, he goes to get the film developed at a nearby store. He is in shock when it is revealed that the photographs show sea creatures doing to most remarkable and strange things. The last picture is very special. It shows a photo of a girl holding a picture, and in the picture is a picture of a boy holding a picture. The boy is very interested in understanding why people are holding a picture of a picture. He gets his magnifying glass and sees that there are many people who have taken this picture of a picture. The boy decides to keep the tradition and take his own special picture with new film. The boy then throws the camera back in the ocean for another person to find one day. The book ends with another child finding the camera on a different beach.

 Evaluation: This book is a Caldecott Winner for its imaginative and illustrations and creative plotline. With many of Wiesner's books, there is little or no text, so the reader is forced to look closely at the illustrations to tell a story. The story being told here is that anything is possible. The ocean is so vast and unknown that maybe there are strange things happening that we cannot imagine. The theme of "adventure" and "journey" is also present in this book.

Appeal Terms: science fiction, lively, engrossing, mystical, magical

"The Arrival" by Shuan Tan

"The Arrival" 

by Shuan Tan

128 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: In an imaginary world, a man must leave his wife and daughter behind to create a better life for them. Through illustrations only, Shuan Tan tells us an inspiring story of immigration and a man's love for his family. We follow the man's struggle of not knowing his new country's language, and finding a place to live and sleep. After some time, the wife and daughter and reunited with the man in the new country and build a new life together instead of isolation.

Evaluation: A beautiful story of immigration that captures the emotions of arriving in a new place with no knowledge of the language, culture or people. Shuan Tan uses an imaginary world, with imaginary text for the man to read, which makes the reader feel alien just as much as the protagonist in the story. The illustrations allow us to look into the mind and backstories of the characters in the story to help the reader realize that everyone in the imaginary land is an immigrant too. This book is a great way to introduce a unit on immigration. The artwork is captivating, Tan uses different dark shades to signal to the reader different passages of time and perspectives. We are to believe that every immigrant has left their country to escape some dark force, or make their life better. The book reads like a filmstrip, which makes for a very interactive reading experience.

Appeal Terms: adventure, graphic novel, historical, science fiction, engrossing, dark, hopeful, mystical, melodramatic, episodic, plot centered, resolved ending, family centered, life like, vivid, multiple point of view, imaginary, introspective