June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner

This week I thought I would write about a book that I've just finished writing an essay on for my masters course, another from the brilliant David Wiesner.

This is fantastic, it's satirical, it's Sci-Fi, it's fun!

Third grader Holly Evans launches an experiment into the sky to see how vegetables would grow different in an extra-terrestrial environment. This is a little more than her classmates are doing, simply trying to grow plants in paper cups. Just a little more.

A month or so later, giant vegetables begin appearing in the skies all over the country. This is where the real fun unfolds.

 Cucumbers circle Kalamazoo. Lima Beans loom over Levittown.

Artichokes advance on Anchorage. Parsnips pass by Providence.

I love the allusions being made to classic photos and vintage Sci-Fi films. 

And on it goes, until Holly starts to notice vegetables on the news that she didn't plant. How did they get there?

Then, people start making use of the vegetables, as industrious and commercial humans are, but even their uses are amusing. 

Finally, Holly has to conclude that the giant vegetables are not the result of her experiment. But where did they come from? And what happened to her own?

Well, you'll have to read it to find out! I love it! Wiesner's illustrations are so engaging and believable. He's a genius! 

4.5 Gold Stars

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Flotsam by David Wiesner

I've written about David Wiesner before, but Flotsam is rather different to the quirky and fun Three Pigs. It is a sweeping and majestic wordless picture book that deals with connectivity and the mystery of fantasy. Looking closer is strongly encouraged as we learn what the ocean holds.

A boy exploring the beach and it's creatures, finds a underwater camera washed up by a wave. When it isn't claimed, he discovers it has film in it and takes it to be developed. When the photos are ready, he is amazed to discover more about his world than he thought existed.

All sorts of magical things are hidden by the waves. But when he finds the final photo, he is confused. It is of a girl, holding a photo of a boy. At closer inspection, that boy is holding a photo of a boy who is holding a photo of a girl and so on, getting smaller and smaller, the original boy first uses his magnifying glass, then his microscope to zoom in so far that there is a boy standing on a beach in a black and white photo. He then joins the ranks of children, connected throughout time and across the world by taking a photo of himself, holding this last photo.

Then, returning the camera to the ocean, we get to follow the journey of it, helped by creatures of all kinds, till it washes up in front of a girl on some distant shore.

I love the journey this book takes you on. I love the idea of a camera like this. And the fantasy element is so perfectly achieved! David Wiesner is a genius!

5 Gold Stars

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The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

What is it?

The Three Pigs

Who wrote it?

David Wiesner

Where can it be found?

Picture book – Try a good bookshop.

  

Adaptation?

Yes, turns the Three Little Pigs story on its head and pokes fun at conventions of storytelling.

My thoughts in exactly 10 words:

Brilliantly crafted parody where the pigs make their own destiny.