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Flotsam by David Wiesner

Have you read this book? Just a few quick questions — it takes about a minute. Share what you liked (or didn’t), and we’ll use your answers to recommend your next favorite read!

Love Flotsam but not sure what to read next?

These picks are popular with readers who enjoyed this book. Complete a quick Shelf Talk to get recommendations made just for you! Warning: possible spoilers for Flotsam below.

In Flotsam, did you enjoy ...

... the sense of a mysterious device revealing hidden worlds?

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

If the beached camera in Flotsam thrilled you—the way it unveils secret undersea scenes and that chain of children holding the same photograph—then you’ll love how The Invention of Hugo Cabret turns clockworks and early cinema into portals of wonder. Like the boy piecing together a story from found photos, Hugo deciphers an automaton’s drawings and the lost magic of Georges Méliès’ films, uncovering a hidden narrative one image at a time.

... the ocean ecology and gentle environmental wonder?

Window by Jeannie Baker

If the living, breathing sea-life tableaux in Flotsam—the teeming reef scenes and that quiet awe when the boy realizes he’s part of a long chain of observers—stuck with you, Window offers a similarly wordless meditation on our relationship with nature. Through a single window view that changes over years, you’ll watch habitats transform and reflect on stewardship, much like those underwater images invite you to look closely at an ecosystem’s fragile beauty.

... discovering a story through found images and artifacts?

Griffin & Sabine by Nick Bantock

If you loved how Flotsam lets you ‘read’ a narrative from photographs—the boy sifting through prints of seahorse parades and that recursive portrait passed from child to child—Griffin & Sabine will scratch the same itch. You literally open envelopes, unfold postcards, and piece together a correspondence that blossoms into mystery and wonder, letting artifacts themselves carry the story the way those found images do.

... layers of visual symbolism that tell a deeper, wordless story?

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

If the silent storytelling in Flotsam drew you in—especially the way the boy’s discovery echoes across time with that repeating photograph—The Arrival delivers a rich, wordless narrative built from symbolic imagery. You’ll trace one man’s journey through an uncanny city of strange creatures and invented scripts, unpacking meaning from every panel the same way you decoded those fantastical undersea scenes.

... intricately imagined, wordless worlds you can explore for hours?

Journey by Aaron Becker

If you lingered over the lush undersea vistas in Flotsam—the coral cities and whimsical marine spectacles—Journey offers that same exploratory delight. With a red crayon as a key, a girl draws a door into sweeping, silent landscapes of canals, airships, and forests, inviting you to scan every corner for story clues, just as you did with the camera’s astonishing photographs.

Unlock your personalized book recommendations! Just take a quick Shelf Talk for Flotsam by David Wiesner. It’s only a few questions and takes less than a minute.