bookpagedev

2007 Caldecott Medal Winner

Two-time Caldecott Medalist David Wiesner turns from the flying frogs in Tuesday and the cloud factory in Sector 7 to the mysteries of the sea in yet another brilliant, wordless picture book, Flotsam. Like many of the author’s creations, this story begins with an inquisitive child, a boy observing crabs with his magnifying glass along the ocean shore. Without warning, a wave deposits a barnacle-encrusted Brownie-style camera, labeled the Melville Underwater Camera, before the protagonist.

After waiting a seemingly endless hour for the film to be developed, the boy views a set of fantastical underwater photographs: wind-up fish with gears, an octopus family reading to its young by the light of bioluminescent fish, a colony of tiny people residing atop the shells of sea turtles, and stretching starfish-islands. But wait! There’s also a photograph of a girl holding a photograph of a boy. And within that photograph is another boy holding a photograph of a girl. Puzzled, the boy first uses his magnifying glass, and then a microscope, to observe each child’s photograph, ending with a sepia-toned, turn-of-the-20th-century image of a boy his own age. An open-ended conclusion leaves room for any child’s sense of wonder to carry on.

Wiesner proves why he is an award-winning storyteller and illustrator with vivid watercolors that range from vignettes to spectacular full- and double-page panoramic views. Wonderful displays of imagination are evident throughout, as are small touches of humor, such as a photo of overly eager visiting aliens and their unruly children. Older and more astute readers will find many surprises, including a hint to the boy’s discovery in the book’s cover art, a reference to Wiesner’s The Three Pigs on the title page, and a clever imitation of a classic Japanese print, Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave at Kanagawa. Most importantly, Wiesner continues to show children that things aren’t always what they seem. Would the Caldecott committee consider a three-peat?

Angela Leeper is an educational consultant and writer in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

For decades Vernon Culligan, a Vietnam veteran with a snarl meaner than a coon dog’s, had done a fine job keeping people off of his property. But to 12-year-old Gabe, Vernon was not just his scrappy uncle, he was Gabe’s last hope for a place to call home after years of moving from one foster home to another. So the day Gabe comes home and finds his uncle dead on the floor, he does what a typical kid might do in a crisis nothing. He calls no one. And nobody notices . . . well, almost nobody.

Audrey Shafer’s first novel, The Mailbox, hooks the reader quickly and keeps our attention riveted until the very last page. Shafer, an anesthesiologist at a veterans hospital and the mother of two teenagers, weaves a remarkable story clearly influenced by her deep understanding of the characters involved.

For a while, Gabe survives just fine all alone in Vernon’s house, thanks to a couple of white lies, forged school forms and a few important life skills his uncle taught him. But one day, he discovers that his uncle’s body is gone and there’s a note inside the rickety old mailbox: I have a secret. Do not be afraid.

And so begins the cryptic correspondence between Gabe and his mysterious confidant, who attempts to fill a young boy’s loneliness with a stream of messages and an obedient dog named Guppy. As the season passes, Gabe finally begins to feel loved and needed, ignoring the fact that Guppy isn’t really his to keep.

Eventually Gabe’s world becomes tangled and complicated. His secret explodes into the local and national news, where more of Gabe’s past comes to light. But more importantly, for the first time, Gabe’s future begins to feel secure, thanks to some understanding teachers and caring friends who are there for him when the puzzle pieces finally click together.

What happens to Guppy, the dog who wags itself into Gabe’s heart? For that answer and some unexpected twists, grab a tissue for the last few chapters. Then enjoy the lingering memories of Shafer’s characters, who will stay with you for a long, long time.