Librio Library #37 – Flotsam – David Wiesner
2 Minute ReadWhy we chose Flotsam by David Wiesner
Despite the original edition of ‘Flotsam’ having been published more than 15 years ago, the story has lost none of its magic since then. This book by David Wiesner was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 2007 and despite its being a book without any text in it at all, it certainly makes up for that with the incredible illustrations.
The 40 page long story is chock-full of these wonderful drawings that tell the tale of a young boy who is on the beach with his family. He’s busily checking out the sealife and animals when suddenly, what do we have here? In addition to crabs and other small shellfish, he makes another extraordinary find. We don’t want to tell you too much at this point, but let’s just say: The object he finds is something very, very special …
Favorite Image
Beneath the water’s surface, a wonderfully bizarre world of marine life awaits. Our particular favorite is a scene where you see a family of octopuses reading a bedtime story in the comfort of their living room by the light of some piranha lamp
Kids will like
We’re sure that many kids would absolutely love to find a message in a bottle washed up on shore when they’re at the beach. Now the object in this book isn’t exactly a message in a bottle, but it’s certainly something very, very exciting!
‘Flotsam’ is guaranteed to grab a child’s attention right from the get go and to kindle their imaginations from the very first image.
Adults will like
In much the same way that ‘Flotsam’ inspires kids’ imaginations, it likewise encourages the adults reading it to use their fantasy too. Due to there being no text at all, it’s a wonderful way of being able to interpret the book as an individual and every person’s interpretation will be different. A magical concept.
If you like ‘Flotsam’
Another wonderful book from David Wiesner is ‘Mr. Wuffles’. This is a picture book about a cat who, one day discovers a tiny alien spaceship in his apartment. The book was awarded the Children’s Literature Award in the picture book category in 2015.
More recommendations from our collection
For those of you who love a text-free picture book we have a couple more recommendations for you from our Librio Library:
- Footpath Flowers by Sydney Smith – a wonderful book about mindfulness and the joy of giving
- The Snowman by Raymond Briggs – an absolute classic!
- Hike by Pete Oswald – a lovely story about a father and son’s day out in the mountains
We hope you all have enjoyed our book recommendations. For more inspiration, why not check out our online store at www.librio.com.
