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The Forest Pool
This is the story of two Mexican boys, Diego and Popo. They seek the ancient tree-lizard, called the iguana, that lives in a pool deep in the green forest.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1938
3 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Laura Adams Armer
26 books2 followersLaura Adams Armer (January 12, 1874–March 16, 1963) was an American artist and writer. In 1932, her novel Waterless Mountain won the Newbery Medal. She was also an early photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_A...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_A...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 29, 2018
Yesterday, I took a trip to the Library of Congress in DC and went to the Jefferson Library to see if I could read some of these Caldecott books that I’m not able to get through ILL. It was such a great day with many cool experiences. Security is pretty tight, but anyone can apply for a library card at the Library of Congress. I went online and filled out a pre request form and I made my photo ID today and I am considered a ‘Researcher’.
I got to go inside the Reading room that tourist can only see through one piece. I walked the stacks today. I also went up to the Rare books collections. That was a trip. You have to leave everything in a locker including pens. You fill out a request and they bring you this special tray to read the book with plus the heavy ropes to touch the books as little as possible and it will keep your pages open. I read two books there and this is one of them. It’s a 1938 Caldecott Honor book.
A very strange story that evokes mystery with a mysterious tone with dark jungles and pools. There is a boy about age 5 who is wise in his years and he looks like an angel. The stories are threads somewhat pulled loosely together. It is a most interesting story.
The colors of the art are rich and the faces are peaceful and quite beautiful. Diego with his hat looks like an angel with a halo. The text is very wordy and there is a lot of read. Typical of the 30s I have learned.
It starts out with Diego dreaming of asking hummingbirds how many hummingbirds did it take to make Montezuma’s robe. He is awoken before the answer is given and this causes him to want to sleep more. His friend Popo has him go looking for an iguana who knows all things but can’t speak all he knows. He has a pet Parrot Polly and there is a story about Polly. “Be kind to me, Pearls are in the Pool” is written on the piece of paper that came with Polly.
Polly finds the iguana. It is said that the iguana lived before man came to the forest. They found Polly’s pearls while his hummingbird question went unanswered. That is the best I can do with the plot.
Here are some quotes I enjoyed:
“Tzin-Tzun-Tzan is the city of hummingbirds”. I love that. It simply sounds magical. I want to go.
“It takes a wise one to catch a wise one.” Diego speaks this about his dad and the iguana and I think it shows his wisdom beyond his years.
“Everything must be free to live in its own home in its own way.” Mom says this to Diego when he loses the iguana.
I don’t know what to really make of the story accept I love the mystery it whips up and the angelic look of Diego and his guru presence. He captivates me. I did enjoy this book. If you can get if from a library, you should.
I got to go inside the Reading room that tourist can only see through one piece. I walked the stacks today. I also went up to the Rare books collections. That was a trip. You have to leave everything in a locker including pens. You fill out a request and they bring you this special tray to read the book with plus the heavy ropes to touch the books as little as possible and it will keep your pages open. I read two books there and this is one of them. It’s a 1938 Caldecott Honor book.
A very strange story that evokes mystery with a mysterious tone with dark jungles and pools. There is a boy about age 5 who is wise in his years and he looks like an angel. The stories are threads somewhat pulled loosely together. It is a most interesting story.
The colors of the art are rich and the faces are peaceful and quite beautiful. Diego with his hat looks like an angel with a halo. The text is very wordy and there is a lot of read. Typical of the 30s I have learned.
It starts out with Diego dreaming of asking hummingbirds how many hummingbirds did it take to make Montezuma’s robe. He is awoken before the answer is given and this causes him to want to sleep more. His friend Popo has him go looking for an iguana who knows all things but can’t speak all he knows. He has a pet Parrot Polly and there is a story about Polly. “Be kind to me, Pearls are in the Pool” is written on the piece of paper that came with Polly.
Polly finds the iguana. It is said that the iguana lived before man came to the forest. They found Polly’s pearls while his hummingbird question went unanswered. That is the best I can do with the plot.
Here are some quotes I enjoyed:
“Tzin-Tzun-Tzan is the city of hummingbirds”. I love that. It simply sounds magical. I want to go.
“It takes a wise one to catch a wise one.” Diego speaks this about his dad and the iguana and I think it shows his wisdom beyond his years.
“Everything must be free to live in its own home in its own way.” Mom says this to Diego when he loses the iguana.
I don’t know what to really make of the story accept I love the mystery it whips up and the angelic look of Diego and his guru presence. He captivates me. I did enjoy this book. If you can get if from a library, you should.
January 31, 2019
Awakened from a lovely dream in which he is about to learn the secret of Montezuma's cloak from a fluttering hummingbird, Diego is at first put out. But then his friend Popo arrives with exciting news about an iguana he has discovered in the nearby forest, and the two boys set out, together with Diego's parrot, Polly, to capture it. Their clumsy efforts yield little success - the iguana escapes to a nearby pool - but then the two boys enlist the aid of Diego's father. Is having an iguana worth all the trouble, or is he better off in the forest?
Chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1939 - the other honorees that year were Andy and the Lion , Barkis , Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , and Wee Gillis - this short story about two young Mexican boys is gorgeously illustrated with colorful paintings that reminded me a bit of Diego Rivera. With vivid colors and stylized folkloric composition, Laura Adams Armer's artwork is just beautiful - well deserving of the Caldecott Honor it won! The story itself is less engaging: there's nothing really wrong with it (although it does feel a little dated), but it just didn't appeal to me. If I were rating based on narrative alone, I'd give this two stars, but the outstanding illustrations are worth seeking out, and make this a solid three-star title. Recommended to Caldecott completists like myself, as well as to readers who enjoy muralistic paintings in the style of Diego Rivera.
Chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1939 - the other honorees that year were Andy and the Lion , Barkis , Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , and Wee Gillis - this short story about two young Mexican boys is gorgeously illustrated with colorful paintings that reminded me a bit of Diego Rivera. With vivid colors and stylized folkloric composition, Laura Adams Armer's artwork is just beautiful - well deserving of the Caldecott Honor it won! The story itself is less engaging: there's nothing really wrong with it (although it does feel a little dated), but it just didn't appeal to me. If I were rating based on narrative alone, I'd give this two stars, but the outstanding illustrations are worth seeking out, and make this a solid three-star title. Recommended to Caldecott completists like myself, as well as to readers who enjoy muralistic paintings in the style of Diego Rivera.
January 22, 2012
I did enjoy this book. The full page illustrations are beautiful and reminded me of other pieces of Mexican artwork I have seen. The story was a bit long and drawn out, but for the most part, I did enjoy it.
October 5, 2017
This story is set in Mexico, and the artist’s style clearly reflects that culture. Unfortunately, the story itself is slow-moving and the illustrations all begin to look the same after a while. By the end of the book, I had the impression that this was a story that happened to have some illustrations in it rather than a true picture book where text and pictures work together.
December 14, 2014
Soooo loooong...! I had to offer my niece $20 in order to get her to agree to read this. I think she found it kinda interesting once we got into it but she still accepted the $20.
July 3, 2019
The illustrations did a good job of evoking the culture. I'm not as sure of the text. The story was quite long and did not keep me engaged. I don't think it would work well as a read aloud; maybe it could be broken up.
August 28, 2015
Laura Adams Armer's expert insight into the history and values of Mexico is exactly what's needed to deliver on the inherent promise of a story that's equal parts cultural exposition and wise fable, a story like The Forest Pool. Without illustrations the narrative might have felt a little dry and unfocused, but Laura Adams Armer is a capable artist in addition to being a wordsmith, and her artwork in The Forest Pool is stunning. The depth of passion and color in the pictures is a testament to the way the author feels about Mexican culture, particularly regarding how kids see it who have grown up within the culture since birth, and the 1939 Caldecott Committee evidently saw that richness of connection between author/illustrator and subject when they assessed this book, awarding it a Caldecott Honor. Like the author's Waterless Mountain, winner of the 1932 John Newbery Medal, The Forest Pool engagingly and respectfully delves into a societal system unfamiliar to the majority of Americans, giving us a casual glimpse at a day in the life of two typical Mexican kids of the time. And that glimpse, brief though it may be, is a genuine pleasure.
Young Diego readily follows his pal Popo when the boy tells him he's seen an iguana lounging high above the ground in a tree. Iguanas are unimaginably wise creatures, Popo informs him, who possess all knowledge from the beginning of time to date, and such an animal would make an enchanting addition to the little zoo the boys want to start up together. Diego, his bird Polly, and Popo trek to where Popo spotted the iguana, hoping to sneak up and grab him while he sleeps. Diego knows animals can be intelligent, peradventure even as knowledgable as Popo claims; ever since the bird, Polly, came to live with Diego's family, she has spoken a string of enigmatic phrases that suggest she knows the whereabouts of a great treasure, near where Popo said he saw the iguana. Diego believes if he can capture the iguana, then with Polly's help he and Popo will have everything necessary to decode Polly's cryptic utterances and locate the treasure. But can Diego live with the uncertainty of never knowing the full truth of the matter, if his plan doesn't turn out how he imagined?
"You will learn, little one. You must learn, too, that everything must be free to live in its own home in its own way."
—The Forest Pool, P. 39
A dream can rise to unexpected life so rapidly that there's no deliberate decision on our part to accept it; we simply follow its lead when the dream sets to wandering within our heart. Whatever we chase, for whatever reason we chase it, as soon as we believe we can attain the object of our quest it becomes as real to us as if it were already in our grasp, and nothing can dissuade our infatuation. The Forest Pool is a gentle nudge toward relinquishing the steadfast mindset that our dreams must be fulfilled precisely as we plan. Detours along the road and disappointing gaps between what we expect and the actual final result shouldn't lead us to despair, but be regarded as opportunity to discover blessings we couldn't have foreseen. There's so much out there we don't know, glories of the natural world and ancient humanity that we'll never puzzle out completely, but the reward of what we do find is magic enough for those who pursue their dreams with a heart willing to be satisfied. You're certain to find what you seek if you don't mind making concessions to the wonder of ongoing mystery.
I like this book, and I like Laura Adams Armer as a writer and artist. Both talents shine in The Forest Pool, and the story has something to teach readers of any day and age, as every good book does. I emerge from the reading experience a little better for it, and that's a fine remark to be able to make about any selection of literature. If Laura Adams Armer were alive today, I think she'd be happy her books are still positively influencing readers. In the end, that's probably the best thing that can be said of any author's work.
Young Diego readily follows his pal Popo when the boy tells him he's seen an iguana lounging high above the ground in a tree. Iguanas are unimaginably wise creatures, Popo informs him, who possess all knowledge from the beginning of time to date, and such an animal would make an enchanting addition to the little zoo the boys want to start up together. Diego, his bird Polly, and Popo trek to where Popo spotted the iguana, hoping to sneak up and grab him while he sleeps. Diego knows animals can be intelligent, peradventure even as knowledgable as Popo claims; ever since the bird, Polly, came to live with Diego's family, she has spoken a string of enigmatic phrases that suggest she knows the whereabouts of a great treasure, near where Popo said he saw the iguana. Diego believes if he can capture the iguana, then with Polly's help he and Popo will have everything necessary to decode Polly's cryptic utterances and locate the treasure. But can Diego live with the uncertainty of never knowing the full truth of the matter, if his plan doesn't turn out how he imagined?
"You will learn, little one. You must learn, too, that everything must be free to live in its own home in its own way."
—The Forest Pool, P. 39
A dream can rise to unexpected life so rapidly that there's no deliberate decision on our part to accept it; we simply follow its lead when the dream sets to wandering within our heart. Whatever we chase, for whatever reason we chase it, as soon as we believe we can attain the object of our quest it becomes as real to us as if it were already in our grasp, and nothing can dissuade our infatuation. The Forest Pool is a gentle nudge toward relinquishing the steadfast mindset that our dreams must be fulfilled precisely as we plan. Detours along the road and disappointing gaps between what we expect and the actual final result shouldn't lead us to despair, but be regarded as opportunity to discover blessings we couldn't have foreseen. There's so much out there we don't know, glories of the natural world and ancient humanity that we'll never puzzle out completely, but the reward of what we do find is magic enough for those who pursue their dreams with a heart willing to be satisfied. You're certain to find what you seek if you don't mind making concessions to the wonder of ongoing mystery.
I like this book, and I like Laura Adams Armer as a writer and artist. Both talents shine in The Forest Pool, and the story has something to teach readers of any day and age, as every good book does. I emerge from the reading experience a little better for it, and that's a fine remark to be able to make about any selection of literature. If Laura Adams Armer were alive today, I think she'd be happy her books are still positively influencing readers. In the end, that's probably the best thing that can be said of any author's work.
October 24, 2012
Another book I read for the Caldecott Challenge, I had never heard of the book or author before finally getting a chance to read it in my local public library's special collections. This book won a 1939 Caldecott Honor, though out of the three I've read from this year, this is my second favorite after "Wee Gillis". It is the simple story of two Mexican boys named Diego and Popo, who want to catch an iguana to add to their zoo, which so far includes a parrot named Polly. The author used very vivid descriptions to describe the jungle that the boys lived and played in. The author/illustrator did full-page oil paintings that described the story. One review I found compared them to Diego Riviera paintings, and I can see what they mean in the colors and rounded shapes. My favorite part of the book, aside from the full-page paintings, were the little detailed ink drawings at the corner of the pages. These featured a step pyramid, Pre-Columbian art, local flora and fauna, and birds. Recommended for ages 3-8, 3 stars.
December 18, 2012
This is a very text-heavy book for being a picture book. There are many more full pages of text than there are pictures.
But I think the thing that turned me off right away to this story is that it starts out setting up the main character as a Mexican boy who is very typical, and he has a parrot named Polly. Polly is not a good name for a parrot owned by a Mexican boy. Polly is a name for a parrot that comes from an English speaker with limited imagination. The name Polly would not be pronounced that way in Mexico. If the author had wanted to use the name Polly, but make it believable as a name chosen by Diego, she could have used Pali.
But it would have been much more interesting if the parrot were named something else entirely.
But I think the thing that turned me off right away to this story is that it starts out setting up the main character as a Mexican boy who is very typical, and he has a parrot named Polly. Polly is not a good name for a parrot owned by a Mexican boy. Polly is a name for a parrot that comes from an English speaker with limited imagination. The name Polly would not be pronounced that way in Mexico. If the author had wanted to use the name Polly, but make it believable as a name chosen by Diego, she could have used Pali.
But it would have been much more interesting if the parrot were named something else entirely.
July 3, 2012
A delightful story about two young Mexican boys in search of an iguana to keep as a pet. The story is written in a lovely manner and the illustrations are vibrant and colorful. Although a bit wordy by modern standards (I am convinced that children of yesteryear were much more literate than those of today) the story is fun and the children are amiably pleasant in their peaceful native land. I also appreciated the little life lesson the children learn at the end of the story. Well deserving of the Caldecott Honor (1939).
February 18, 2013
I wish the copy I checked out had the book cover featured above - it is gorgeous like all the color paintings inside. The story about a Mexican boy and his parents, friend, a parrot, and an iguana is okay, but long on words (readers to young listeners be forewarned). The small single-color companion illustrations add texture to the production. The dreams, the talking parrot, and the wise iguana give the story its mystery. (This is the only children's book I've read where the back side of the full-page illustrations are blank.)
October 31, 2014
Like I am finding with many of these older picture books, this book is a story with illustrations, much different than the picture books of today which are usually far more image driven, with text less important, if there is any at all.
I like the story ok, it is nice to read out loud, with the names of the kids. The pictures are lovely, if not particularly striking.
I find it interesting that many of these older Caldecott books are "multicultural" (although I don't know of the authenticity of it, but it was certainly prominent in the themes of these award winners.)
I like the story ok, it is nice to read out loud, with the names of the kids. The pictures are lovely, if not particularly striking.
I find it interesting that many of these older Caldecott books are "multicultural" (although I don't know of the authenticity of it, but it was certainly prominent in the themes of these award winners.)
January 27, 2012
Although the illustrations are gorgeous, (I would love to own a print) I found the story to be quite long (as is the case for many of the Caldecott books for this era). I love how the pictures take up the entire page, and have so many colors compared to other books from the 30s. It was also fascinating to mr that the back side of the illustrations were blank. Book printing had come a long way.
January 8, 2012
I wavered between 2 and 3 stars on this one. I do like the insert pages of full color illustrations. They remind me of Mexican muralists.
Video review here: http://liblaura5.blogspot.com/2012/01...
Video review here: http://liblaura5.blogspot.com/2012/01...
July 19, 2016
Long for a picture book, but the illustrations are warm and bright. Diego and Popo go off in search of an iguana they want to capture and keep in their "zoo." But the iguana, and Diego's parrot Polly, are guarding a secret!
February 18, 2012
Caldecott Honor 1939 - Did children have longer attention spans in the 30's and 40's? Actually enjoyed the art in this one and the copy I read looked to be from 1938. But the story was very text heavy.
April 18, 2016
As with many of the Caldecott books of this era, the story was far too long and I don't see kids have the attention span for it. However, the illustrations are absolutely stunning and I think it deserved the honor.
August 6, 2016
Don't know that many stories of south america
Caldecott honor
Caldecott honor
March 27, 2012
1939 Caldecott Honor
I actually liked this one. I enjoyed the bright colors and the storyline was interesting to a certain degree.
I actually liked this one. I enjoyed the bright colors and the storyline was interesting to a certain degree.
January 27, 2012
I love the density and richness of the colored illustrations but the story leaves many aspects hanging and it lacks some background information that would add richness to the setting.
May 29, 2013
For the year published, the illustrations and colors were stunning.
May 29, 2013
1939 Caldecott Honor
July 29, 2013
I liked the illustrations.
September 25, 2015
Predictable ending, beautiful pictures.
January 19, 2018
Wordier than contemporary picture books, but this 1939 Caldecott honors book has a nice (apocryphal) story about Diego (Rivera?) and an iguana. Enjoyable and not cliched.
April 8, 2019
This a great book for science class and to read about when talking about environments, ecosystems and even to utilize when making one of those ecosystem dioramas. The pictures correlate well with the book and the content puts a cute little twist on how students may picture a "forest pool".
June 30, 2019
Story is so-so but the illustrations are beautiful.
March 6, 2021
3 for illustrations, 2 for story, so 2.5.
March 20, 2023
Read this for the illustrations alone. They are splendid.
March 20, 2024
This is a 1939 Caldecott Honor book. I tried to keep this in mind since the story was written in a different flow of modern children's books. The illustration are large eith bright colors.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews