David Wiesner's 2007 Caldecott Medal winning book Flotsam uses illustrations depicting realistic scenes found under the ocean. The illustrations use diagonal lines to imply movement among swimming fish and floating objects. Vibrant colors and cool tones are used to realistically portray the ocean environment, while various textures like smooth skies and bumpy sand are depicted through Wiesner's illustrations on a two-dimensional surface. Wiesner's compositions draw attention through enlarging key elements like eyes and sea creatures.

1. Written and Illustrated By: David Wiesner
Published By: Clarion/Houghton Mifflin
2007 Caldecott Medal
By: Christine K. Myers

2. Style & Media
 Flotsam has illustrations that depict realism. Realism
is defined as “faithful reproduction of nature, people,
and objects as they usually appear.”
 In this photo, the boy is using a magnifying glass to see
what is in the photo.

3. Line
 Wiesner uses a lot of diagonal lines in his illustrations
to suggest movement.
The balloon appears to be
floating above the water.
The squid appears to be swimming by the position
of the lines used.

4. Shape
 The shapes used in the illustrations are easily
recognized.
This picture suggests swimming fish in the ocean. They are
curved which generally suggests things found in nature.

5. Color
 The author uses vibrant color throughout his
illustrations, creating a joyful atmosphere. He utilizes
cool colors in general to depict the ocean.

6. Texture
This picture depicts many
different textures. The sky
appears smooth, the
starfish appear rough, and
the sand appears bumpy.
Wiesner was able to create
the appearance of texture
on a two-dimensional
surface.

7. Composition
In this illustration, the author
utilized the composition of the
photo by enlarging the eye and
the sea-creature. “Artists can
ensure that certain shapes are
dominant by aking them larger
or brighter in order to attract
the eye.”