Pistes d'exploration

Read the book description and dedication page. Use this information and your prior knowledge about fossils to make predictions about the story.

As you read, reflect on and revise your predictions. Discuss the strategies you used, such as noticing details in the illustrations or noticing an emerging pattern.

Work in a small group. Write some speech and thought bubbles for the boy, dog and pteranodon. Share with the group. How were the interpretations of the story similar or different?

Look at the cover and back pages. What do you know about fossils? Predict what the story might be.

Go for a picture walk and observe the details of the artwork. Discuss how different panels are integrated into the main picture. Discuss the story as it evolves. Revise your predictions.

With a partner, create a character map for the boy. Use the visual information to complete his portrait.

Work in a small group. Write some speech and thought bubbles for the boy, dog and pteranodon. Share with the larger group. How were interpretations of the story similar or different?

Flotsam

Mots-clés

Adventure , Picture book , archaeology , dinosaurs , dogs , fossils , human-animal relationships , problem-solving , wordless book

Commentaire descriptif

While on a hike with his dog, a boy trips on the fossil of an ancient plant. Curious, the boy breaks apart two more fossils, which come to life as a dragonfly and a pteranodon. This is only the beginning of an adventure in which prehistoric creatures spring to life and a young boy must figure out a way to restore the natural order. This wordless picture book affords readers myriad opportunities to piece together the story as they see it. The only text appears in a definition on the first page, where Thomson explains how a fossil “shows the traces or remains of animals and plants that lived 10,000 or more years ago.” Hyper-realistic illustrations deftly capture motion, adventure and the complete range of the protagonist’s emotions (surprise, awe, determination). The large-scale double spreads are meticulously hand painted using acrylic paint and coloured pencils. Visually engaging, this story focusing on a child’s fantasy will stir the creativity of readers and demonstrate how our fertile imaginations have the capacity to take us on amazing adventures.