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Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Picture Books (2017)As a young boy, Bao Phi awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. A successful catch meant a fed family. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam.
36 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2017
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4893 people want to read
About the author
Bao Phi
15 books102 followersBao Phi is a Vietnamese-American spoken word artist,[1][2] writer and community activist living in Minnesota. Bao Phi's collection of poems, Sông I Sing, was published in 2011[3] and, Thousand Star Hotel, was published in 2017[4] by Coffee House Press. He has written three children’s books published by Capstone Press. First book, A Different Pond received multiple awards, including the Caldecott Award,[5] Charlotte Zolotow Award,[6] the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature for best picture book, the Minnesota Book Award for picture books.[7]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,173 reviews
March 10, 2017
A Different Pond by Bao Phi is a children's book about a family who came to America (Minnesota) from Vietnam as refugees.
The story is mainly about Bao and his father's trip to the pond to fetch dinner. During the trip, Bao learns about why his mom and dad have to work so hard for a living as everything has an expense.
It's a simple read for young children and the illustrations keep their interest. The book has a graphic novel feel to it and has an artsy appearance. It's no surprise as the illustrator is Thu Bui, a favorite that we learned about this year after reading The Best We Could Do.
The story feels genuinely real and the message is powerful. I loved the conclusion and author's note. This is a wonderful book for schools and libraries.
5*****
Thanks to Netgalley for sharing a copy of A Different Pond with me.
The story is mainly about Bao and his father's trip to the pond to fetch dinner. During the trip, Bao learns about why his mom and dad have to work so hard for a living as everything has an expense.
It's a simple read for young children and the illustrations keep their interest. The book has a graphic novel feel to it and has an artsy appearance. It's no surprise as the illustrator is Thu Bui, a favorite that we learned about this year after reading The Best We Could Do.
The story feels genuinely real and the message is powerful. I loved the conclusion and author's note. This is a wonderful book for schools and libraries.
5*****
Thanks to Netgalley for sharing a copy of A Different Pond with me.
June 18, 2023
Edited to reflect that A Different Pond, a book I love, was given a Caldecott Honor Book Award for 2018, yay! Much deserved! My favorite of the Goodreads picture book nominees of the year. And yes, I think whether you are have kids at home or not that you should get picture books from the library; many are just amazing.
Original 11/22/17 review: Each year my family reads all the Goodreads-award-nominated picture books, and we have been doing this for years. Everyone rates each book and adds a comment and it may (or may not) affect my overall rating. This is book #16 of 2017.
And now we are within 3-4 books to finish, and can as a family say our favorites of the year (so far, and will update here), but this one has probably emerged as the overall family favorite, and my personal one. The others in the best of the best: The Book of Mistakes, Malala's Pencil, The Youngest Marcher, Over and Under the Pond, and Little Fox in the Forest (which gained my personal vote for the best picture book in the 2017 contest, because A Different Pond was no longer available to vote for).
"A kid at my school said my Dad's English sounds like a thick, dirty river. But to me his English sounds like gentle rain."
"I feel calluses on his hand when he squeezes mine."
"There's half a peppercorn, like a moon split in two, studded into the meat."
"By the time we get home, the sunlight coming through the windows is just a faint taint, blue and gray instead of gold."
"'Good fish,' he will say to me. And I will smile and nod, and later, when we sleep, we will dream of fish in faraway ponds."
Tara: 5 stars. Love it! Reminds me of the story of a friend from college, who is Chinese but whose family lived in Viet Nam and emigrated in 1975. Sweet and melancholy.
Harry (12): 4.9 stars. Nice art, but sad.
Hank (11): 4.3 stars. I like all the metaphors and similes about his Dad. I like how the son is happy is happy even though his life seems dull (bleak, Hank's Dad interprets]
Lyra (10): 5.5 stars! Fantastic! Great colors and textures! So sweet how the family sits down and talks about their day and laughs. And when the Dad and his son go out to fish, everything is so beautiful. The painting and story are beautiful. My favorite!
Dave: 5 stars. My favorite of the year, as I said. But in part for these reasons: When I first began teaching English in Holland, Michigan in 1975 (!) I had no particular ESL skills. But as I took the job, hundreds of Vietnamese refugees poured into Holland, and thousands all over the country. Often it was churches that took them in, and this was true of my little western Michigan town. They spoke little to no English, and they were clearly traumatized. We had to teach them English, and help them adjust to a new world. There were to my memory no Asians in Holland at the time. A new teacher, I was not the lead organizer, but I was part of the process. I was proud of my town and my church at the time; this is what makes American great, that we help those in need.
Bao Phi tells an autobiographical fictional story of his parents emigrating from Vietnam during this period. It is told through the eyes and ears of a young boy who goes fishing with his Dad, and his Dad tells him of losing his brother in the war. We also learn that Dad works two jobs, that he goes to work after their early morning fishing, and they don't fish for fun, they fish for food. Racial and other differences are addressed in picture books, but poverty is almost never addressed, and real American hunger is present in this book. And the fact that Vietnamese refugees, though welcomed here by many, also faced racism here as do many on arrival and in the period of adjustment to their new country.
But family joy is also present, and the love of a father and son. And the beauty of nature, and lovely language from the poet Phi. And lovely muted watercolor art from Thi Bui, whose memoir of her parents, The Best We Can Do, also came out this year. A Different Pond is powerful, sad, sweet, a must read. In this time of immigration politics (as it has always been complicated for Americans), a story of Americans taking in refugees is important, necessary.
Original 11/22/17 review: Each year my family reads all the Goodreads-award-nominated picture books, and we have been doing this for years. Everyone rates each book and adds a comment and it may (or may not) affect my overall rating. This is book #16 of 2017.
And now we are within 3-4 books to finish, and can as a family say our favorites of the year (so far, and will update here), but this one has probably emerged as the overall family favorite, and my personal one. The others in the best of the best: The Book of Mistakes, Malala's Pencil, The Youngest Marcher, Over and Under the Pond, and Little Fox in the Forest (which gained my personal vote for the best picture book in the 2017 contest, because A Different Pond was no longer available to vote for).
"A kid at my school said my Dad's English sounds like a thick, dirty river. But to me his English sounds like gentle rain."
"I feel calluses on his hand when he squeezes mine."
"There's half a peppercorn, like a moon split in two, studded into the meat."
"By the time we get home, the sunlight coming through the windows is just a faint taint, blue and gray instead of gold."
"'Good fish,' he will say to me. And I will smile and nod, and later, when we sleep, we will dream of fish in faraway ponds."
Tara: 5 stars. Love it! Reminds me of the story of a friend from college, who is Chinese but whose family lived in Viet Nam and emigrated in 1975. Sweet and melancholy.
Harry (12): 4.9 stars. Nice art, but sad.
Hank (11): 4.3 stars. I like all the metaphors and similes about his Dad. I like how the son is happy is happy even though his life seems dull (bleak, Hank's Dad interprets]
Lyra (10): 5.5 stars! Fantastic! Great colors and textures! So sweet how the family sits down and talks about their day and laughs. And when the Dad and his son go out to fish, everything is so beautiful. The painting and story are beautiful. My favorite!
Dave: 5 stars. My favorite of the year, as I said. But in part for these reasons: When I first began teaching English in Holland, Michigan in 1975 (!) I had no particular ESL skills. But as I took the job, hundreds of Vietnamese refugees poured into Holland, and thousands all over the country. Often it was churches that took them in, and this was true of my little western Michigan town. They spoke little to no English, and they were clearly traumatized. We had to teach them English, and help them adjust to a new world. There were to my memory no Asians in Holland at the time. A new teacher, I was not the lead organizer, but I was part of the process. I was proud of my town and my church at the time; this is what makes American great, that we help those in need.
Bao Phi tells an autobiographical fictional story of his parents emigrating from Vietnam during this period. It is told through the eyes and ears of a young boy who goes fishing with his Dad, and his Dad tells him of losing his brother in the war. We also learn that Dad works two jobs, that he goes to work after their early morning fishing, and they don't fish for fun, they fish for food. Racial and other differences are addressed in picture books, but poverty is almost never addressed, and real American hunger is present in this book. And the fact that Vietnamese refugees, though welcomed here by many, also faced racism here as do many on arrival and in the period of adjustment to their new country.
But family joy is also present, and the love of a father and son. And the beauty of nature, and lovely language from the poet Phi. And lovely muted watercolor art from Thi Bui, whose memoir of her parents, The Best We Can Do, also came out this year. A Different Pond is powerful, sad, sweet, a must read. In this time of immigration politics (as it has always been complicated for Americans), a story of Americans taking in refugees is important, necessary.
February 19, 2019
The focus of this story is a simple morning fishing trip. A father and son have woken up early to fish before he must go to his 2nd job. These fish are going to be their meal for the evening. The story illustrates the hardships of being an immigrant in a foreign land. There is much struggle and hardship.
Still, the peaceful early morning time fishing is calm and peaceful. It is a special time between father and son. The story is soft and quiet and calm. There is tenderness between father and son and there is also reality. I was moved by this story. I thought the artwork had a simple rudimentary quality to it, not beautiful, but serviceable. It is much like the family, nothing fancy.
The children didn’t relate to this much, no surprise. They have never lived anything like this. I think the nephew related to spending time with his dad so he gave this 3 stars, but the niece gave this 1 star. I’m glad to see the nephew had some appreciation for a piece in this story. It’s nice.
Recently, I've been going to a Chinese Grocery store to shop and I find it a fun game. It makes me feel like I'm in another country and I can't read much of what's on the packages, so I have to use as many clues as I can to know what something is. It's a very interesting exercise and it helps put me in the shoes of people who come here and everything is this way for them, not just one store.
Still, the peaceful early morning time fishing is calm and peaceful. It is a special time between father and son. The story is soft and quiet and calm. There is tenderness between father and son and there is also reality. I was moved by this story. I thought the artwork had a simple rudimentary quality to it, not beautiful, but serviceable. It is much like the family, nothing fancy.
The children didn’t relate to this much, no surprise. They have never lived anything like this. I think the nephew related to spending time with his dad so he gave this 3 stars, but the niece gave this 1 star. I’m glad to see the nephew had some appreciation for a piece in this story. It’s nice.
Recently, I've been going to a Chinese Grocery store to shop and I find it a fun game. It makes me feel like I'm in another country and I can't read much of what's on the packages, so I have to use as many clues as I can to know what something is. It's a very interesting exercise and it helps put me in the shoes of people who come here and everything is this way for them, not just one store.
November 3, 2023
I’ve never been one to jump on a bandwagon. In fact, the moment I see that bandwagon, I steer clear of it. And for good reason. Bao Phi’s “A Different Pond” has won numerous awards, and been nominated for even more, including a Caldecott. But after reading this PB, I cannot fathom why.
The subject of this book is a little boy who is the child of Vietnamese immigrants. This alone is excellent because the publishing world absolutely needs to continue to include underrepresented stories. And given that the father and his son need to fish in order to eat because of the high cost of living is completely understandable. But this PB goes way beyond that.
The illustrator, Thi Bui, made an awesome choice when deciding to use a comic book-like structure when designing this book. But some of his other choices left me speechless. For example, when the father and son leave the house, the author states that, “…the streetlights look brighter…” but the picture accompanying the text is dark, with no bright lights and not even a street lamp in sight.
As an anthropologist, I understand cultures. But in the vast majority of the mainstream American culture, children of the boy’s age do NOT sleep in their mother’s bed. When the father wakes up his son, the boy is sleeping with the mother and, likely, was sleeping with the father as well. I think if an illustrator is going to include this in an American PB, s/he needs to put this in cultural context and the author needs to elaborate on it in the text.
Another issue deals with exactly what it is that we’re telling children. It is entirely possible to bring up tough subjects with small children, but we need to do this in an age-appropriate manner. This book failed in that respect. For example, the author made sure that readers understood that the parents were poor and that the father and the son were fishing as a “job”—to eat the food. This is okay. But the illustrator shows how after the father parked and was leading his son down to the pond, they passed a sign that was clearly posted: “Posted No Trespassing Keep Out.” In a child’s mind (and obviously in the minds of some adults), these signs are posted just to make poor people suffer. In reality, any number of reasons for this could be had. For example, the pond could be filled with nuclear waste; somebody could have released an alligator that summer; it could still be an active crime scene, and etc. Kids might get the wrong idea and decide that they, too, can enter into areas where there are No Trespassing signs.
As if all of that isn’t enough, the author and illustrator then show this young boy making a fire in a wooded area. First, why is a young boy playing with fire? Second, there’s a young boy making a fire in the woods! When I was the same age as that boy, my brothers and I got a hold of a lighter and some cigarettes and almost burned down our back yard (my little 8 year-old even brother made a “torch” out of newspaper, lit it, and started parading around the yard). The inclusion of this “campfire” in the book was completely not required. Besides, in reality, the smoke and light would have garnered the police’s attention and the drama could have unfolded in A Different Pond II.
Going fishing with one’s dad is a great time to talk. But why would the author drop in a serious line about the father’s brother dying in the Vietnam war and then after that, POOF! It’s gone. What was the point? The author brought up WAY too many things in a PB. It’s much better to focus on one (or even two) major questions or subjects.
When father and son return home with a large fish (Yay!) and give it to the boy’s mother, BOTH parents immediately leave the boy at home ALONE with a younger brother—presumably to work. Here in America, leaving two children home alone at this age would be considered neglect and somebody will (or should) call social services.
I realize that a lot of people love this book. I get it—it’s multicultural. It’s diverse. It’s different. But it also has numerous problems with it—problems that the bandwagon decided to overlook; problems that I can’t ignore.
The subject of this book is a little boy who is the child of Vietnamese immigrants. This alone is excellent because the publishing world absolutely needs to continue to include underrepresented stories. And given that the father and his son need to fish in order to eat because of the high cost of living is completely understandable. But this PB goes way beyond that.
The illustrator, Thi Bui, made an awesome choice when deciding to use a comic book-like structure when designing this book. But some of his other choices left me speechless. For example, when the father and son leave the house, the author states that, “…the streetlights look brighter…” but the picture accompanying the text is dark, with no bright lights and not even a street lamp in sight.
As an anthropologist, I understand cultures. But in the vast majority of the mainstream American culture, children of the boy’s age do NOT sleep in their mother’s bed. When the father wakes up his son, the boy is sleeping with the mother and, likely, was sleeping with the father as well. I think if an illustrator is going to include this in an American PB, s/he needs to put this in cultural context and the author needs to elaborate on it in the text.
Another issue deals with exactly what it is that we’re telling children. It is entirely possible to bring up tough subjects with small children, but we need to do this in an age-appropriate manner. This book failed in that respect. For example, the author made sure that readers understood that the parents were poor and that the father and the son were fishing as a “job”—to eat the food. This is okay. But the illustrator shows how after the father parked and was leading his son down to the pond, they passed a sign that was clearly posted: “Posted No Trespassing Keep Out.” In a child’s mind (and obviously in the minds of some adults), these signs are posted just to make poor people suffer. In reality, any number of reasons for this could be had. For example, the pond could be filled with nuclear waste; somebody could have released an alligator that summer; it could still be an active crime scene, and etc. Kids might get the wrong idea and decide that they, too, can enter into areas where there are No Trespassing signs.
As if all of that isn’t enough, the author and illustrator then show this young boy making a fire in a wooded area. First, why is a young boy playing with fire? Second, there’s a young boy making a fire in the woods! When I was the same age as that boy, my brothers and I got a hold of a lighter and some cigarettes and almost burned down our back yard (my little 8 year-old even brother made a “torch” out of newspaper, lit it, and started parading around the yard). The inclusion of this “campfire” in the book was completely not required. Besides, in reality, the smoke and light would have garnered the police’s attention and the drama could have unfolded in A Different Pond II.
Going fishing with one’s dad is a great time to talk. But why would the author drop in a serious line about the father’s brother dying in the Vietnam war and then after that, POOF! It’s gone. What was the point? The author brought up WAY too many things in a PB. It’s much better to focus on one (or even two) major questions or subjects.
When father and son return home with a large fish (Yay!) and give it to the boy’s mother, BOTH parents immediately leave the boy at home ALONE with a younger brother—presumably to work. Here in America, leaving two children home alone at this age would be considered neglect and somebody will (or should) call social services.
I realize that a lot of people love this book. I get it—it’s multicultural. It’s diverse. It’s different. But it also has numerous problems with it—problems that the bandwagon decided to overlook; problems that I can’t ignore.
August 21, 2019
Indeed, I have found the storyline of Bao Phi's A Different Pond both informative and engaging, not to mention majorly eye-opening (and as such an emotionally present immigration account that should in my humble opinion be read by EVERYONE, but especially by those of us who seem to somehow think that immigrants and refugees are basically just drains on a given's country's economy and resources, that they supposedly are lazy and just seem to exist for their social welfare payments and charity, something that is indeed totally and utterly discredited in every way in A Different Pond and with and by Bao Phi's printed words, as both the young boy's parents are working at multiple jobs in order to makes ends meet and yet, the father and the little boy, the eldest son, still have to go fishing at dawn for sustenance, for meeting the family's basic food needs).
However, as much as I do appreciate and have also enjoyed Bao Phi's text, for me personally, the most important (the most essential) but also the most heart-wrenching and evocatively painful part of A Different Pond has actually been Bao Phi's personal notes at the back. For indeed (and as an immigrant myself) it not only has brought tears of sadness but also tears of absolute anger and rage to my eyes when I had to read that when Bao Phi and his family came to Minnesota as refugees from the Vietnam War in 1975, many Americans (even though in my opinion, the Vietnam War was of course first and foremost caused by French, American and Chinese foreign policy) often and according to the author and his family's personal experiences actually seemed to blame the refugees (the Vietnamese citizens who had lost everything and often were just lucky to have been abled to escape to the USA) for the aftermath of the Vietnam War, for American casualties etc. etc. (and really, how dare they all things considered).
Now with regard to Thi Bui's accompanying illustrations, although I do tend to find them a trifle too cartoon-like for me to consider them aesthetic favourites, her pictures very deftly and realistically mirror the author's presented narrative, they certainly do both complement and expand on Bao Phi's text, on his featured storyline. And yes, just like with author Bao Phi's supplemental notes regarding his own family's past as Vietnamese refugees in the United States, I also have very much enjoyed and appreciated Thi Bui's explanations of why she did not with her artwork for A Different Pond fill the family's home with a multitude of typical Vietnamese, Asian American objects and knick-knacks. For yes, it certainly does make a lot of practical and realistic sense that the little boy's family would not (yet) have enough money to fill their home with such objects (as indeed, if one has to go fishing at dawn in order for the family to even be able to adequately eat, one will more than likely also not have sufficient funds for cookie tins, hugging pillows, and yes, even the free calendars from Asian grocery stores, if one does not have enough hard cash available to go shopping there).
However, as much as I do appreciate and have also enjoyed Bao Phi's text, for me personally, the most important (the most essential) but also the most heart-wrenching and evocatively painful part of A Different Pond has actually been Bao Phi's personal notes at the back. For indeed (and as an immigrant myself) it not only has brought tears of sadness but also tears of absolute anger and rage to my eyes when I had to read that when Bao Phi and his family came to Minnesota as refugees from the Vietnam War in 1975, many Americans (even though in my opinion, the Vietnam War was of course first and foremost caused by French, American and Chinese foreign policy) often and according to the author and his family's personal experiences actually seemed to blame the refugees (the Vietnamese citizens who had lost everything and often were just lucky to have been abled to escape to the USA) for the aftermath of the Vietnam War, for American casualties etc. etc. (and really, how dare they all things considered).
Now with regard to Thi Bui's accompanying illustrations, although I do tend to find them a trifle too cartoon-like for me to consider them aesthetic favourites, her pictures very deftly and realistically mirror the author's presented narrative, they certainly do both complement and expand on Bao Phi's text, on his featured storyline. And yes, just like with author Bao Phi's supplemental notes regarding his own family's past as Vietnamese refugees in the United States, I also have very much enjoyed and appreciated Thi Bui's explanations of why she did not with her artwork for A Different Pond fill the family's home with a multitude of typical Vietnamese, Asian American objects and knick-knacks. For yes, it certainly does make a lot of practical and realistic sense that the little boy's family would not (yet) have enough money to fill their home with such objects (as indeed, if one has to go fishing at dawn in order for the family to even be able to adequately eat, one will more than likely also not have sufficient funds for cookie tins, hugging pillows, and yes, even the free calendars from Asian grocery stores, if one does not have enough hard cash available to go shopping there).
July 1, 2018
Assigned reading for MLIS 7421: Multicultural Youth Literature.
There's not a lot to this book, but that's part of why it works so well; it's just a story of a little boy, the youngest in a family of Vietnamese immigrants, waking up early on a Saturday morning to go fishing for dinner with his father while musing over the idea of his father as a child, fishing on a Saturday morning in a very similar pond, on the other side of the globe. It touches lightly on how difficult it is for their family to make ends meet, and how hard his parents work to keep food on the table for their children.
The author's note at the end of the book was what meant the most to me, as Bao Phi explained that this book is the story of his own childhood, and he even touched on how much the illustrations reminded him of his family home and how important they were to him as a piece of this book.
There's not a lot to this book, but that's part of why it works so well; it's just a story of a little boy, the youngest in a family of Vietnamese immigrants, waking up early on a Saturday morning to go fishing for dinner with his father while musing over the idea of his father as a child, fishing on a Saturday morning in a very similar pond, on the other side of the globe. It touches lightly on how difficult it is for their family to make ends meet, and how hard his parents work to keep food on the table for their children.
The author's note at the end of the book was what meant the most to me, as Bao Phi explained that this book is the story of his own childhood, and he even touched on how much the illustrations reminded him of his family home and how important they were to him as a piece of this book.
January 14, 2018
It's a simple story of a boy and his father rising early to go fishing before the father must go to work at his second job, but it's also the rich intersections between the American and Vietnamese cultures, between the old and the new lives. The illustrations are lush and filled with lots of space for the quiet and for the spaces between the boy and his father and for the lack of things in their lives. A wonderful story.
October 26, 2021
Fishing, contemplation, father-son bonding, immigration and homesickness and difficult memories - but all very warm and protected under the cloak of night that will soon be day.
A Hmong family now living in Minnesota USA travel to the pond to fish for their dinner before the father goes to his first of two jobs. Quiet and subtly effective.
The atmosphere reminded me of another favorite from recent years: The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi
A Hmong family now living in Minnesota USA travel to the pond to fish for their dinner before the father goes to his first of two jobs. Quiet and subtly effective.
The atmosphere reminded me of another favorite from recent years: The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi
March 30, 2017
This completely drew me in with its descriptive, beautiful language and imagery. The story of a boy going fishing with his father early one Saturday morning in order to feed the family is about so much more.
December 7, 2017
Richie’s Picks: A DIFFERENT POND by Bao Phi and Thi Bui, ill., Capstone, August 2017, 32p., ISBN: 978-1-62370-803-0
“Dad wakes me quietly so Mom can keep sleeping. It will be hours before the sun comes up.
In the kitchen the bare bulb is burning. Dad has been up for a while, making sandwiches and packing the car.
‘Can I help?’ I ask.
‘Sure,’ my dad whispers and hands me the tackle box.”
With quiet, transcendent words and illustrations, the semi-autobiographical A DIFFERENT POND is a masterpiece of a picture book. The story involves an early morning father-son fishing expedition but the underlying theme is not just about fishing. It is, more importantly, a snapshot of a hard-working family, with Vietnamese refugee parents scrambling to create a life with their American-born children. The sacrifices they make to survive despite their poverty are part of the story but treated pragmatically and lightly, without sentimentality.
It’s also a story of father/son bonding in their activities away from the family, working together without much talking to help the family survive. In the process, the young child gains a sense of accomplishment and responsibility.
Amidst today’s stunningly nationalistic and nativistic chapter in American history, A DIFFERENT POND is an essential children’s book. Unless you are a one-in-a-million full-blooded native American, you are or descend from immigrants. And today’s kids, as was the case with all of us older immigrants or descendents-of-immigrants, will grow up facing the age-old question: Our people were once the despised people, the subject of suspicion and prejudice from those who were here before we arrived. Now that we are here, should we slam the door so as to prevent foreigners who hope to share in the American dream from following us here? Or should we support further immigration, recognizing the value of the hard-working and talented people whom our country has repeatedly attracted?
The book is written and illustrated by two Americans who as children were, themselves, Vietnamese immigrants. The illustrator, Thi Bui, has written a graphic novel about her family’s experiences during the War and its closing days, called “The Best We Could Do.” Her graphic style is on display here and, along with the enchanting text and the beautiful pen-and-watercolor drawings, will draw in the reader.
As a lifelong vegetarian and vegan, I was at first torn about my reactions to this book: enchanted by the book but bothered by its theme about father/son fishing, albeit for a family meal. I greatly appreciate the way that the book portrays the young protagonist’s sensitivity to the difficulties involved in taking the life of another being, in the fishing that constitutes the body of the book.
“‘You want to put a minnow on the hook?’ Dad asks.
I want to help, but I shake my head no. I don’t want to hurt that little fish, even if I know it’s about to be eaten by a bigger one.
My dad smiles. He isn’t upset with me.”
The story also talks about the memories of immigrants for their homelands and the confused or nostalgic feelings that their children have about those homelands they've never known.
It takes an extraordinary children’s book to get me rhapsodizing about people employing little fish to catch big fish that they can then cut up and eat. This book cut through all those thoughts. It’s a thing of beauty.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
“Dad wakes me quietly so Mom can keep sleeping. It will be hours before the sun comes up.
In the kitchen the bare bulb is burning. Dad has been up for a while, making sandwiches and packing the car.
‘Can I help?’ I ask.
‘Sure,’ my dad whispers and hands me the tackle box.”
With quiet, transcendent words and illustrations, the semi-autobiographical A DIFFERENT POND is a masterpiece of a picture book. The story involves an early morning father-son fishing expedition but the underlying theme is not just about fishing. It is, more importantly, a snapshot of a hard-working family, with Vietnamese refugee parents scrambling to create a life with their American-born children. The sacrifices they make to survive despite their poverty are part of the story but treated pragmatically and lightly, without sentimentality.
It’s also a story of father/son bonding in their activities away from the family, working together without much talking to help the family survive. In the process, the young child gains a sense of accomplishment and responsibility.
Amidst today’s stunningly nationalistic and nativistic chapter in American history, A DIFFERENT POND is an essential children’s book. Unless you are a one-in-a-million full-blooded native American, you are or descend from immigrants. And today’s kids, as was the case with all of us older immigrants or descendents-of-immigrants, will grow up facing the age-old question: Our people were once the despised people, the subject of suspicion and prejudice from those who were here before we arrived. Now that we are here, should we slam the door so as to prevent foreigners who hope to share in the American dream from following us here? Or should we support further immigration, recognizing the value of the hard-working and talented people whom our country has repeatedly attracted?
The book is written and illustrated by two Americans who as children were, themselves, Vietnamese immigrants. The illustrator, Thi Bui, has written a graphic novel about her family’s experiences during the War and its closing days, called “The Best We Could Do.” Her graphic style is on display here and, along with the enchanting text and the beautiful pen-and-watercolor drawings, will draw in the reader.
As a lifelong vegetarian and vegan, I was at first torn about my reactions to this book: enchanted by the book but bothered by its theme about father/son fishing, albeit for a family meal. I greatly appreciate the way that the book portrays the young protagonist’s sensitivity to the difficulties involved in taking the life of another being, in the fishing that constitutes the body of the book.
“‘You want to put a minnow on the hook?’ Dad asks.
I want to help, but I shake my head no. I don’t want to hurt that little fish, even if I know it’s about to be eaten by a bigger one.
My dad smiles. He isn’t upset with me.”
The story also talks about the memories of immigrants for their homelands and the confused or nostalgic feelings that their children have about those homelands they've never known.
It takes an extraordinary children’s book to get me rhapsodizing about people employing little fish to catch big fish that they can then cut up and eat. This book cut through all those thoughts. It’s a thing of beauty.
Richie Partington, MLIS
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January 5, 2021
Pretty, pretty illustrations. Picture book. Actually read it twice, the second time after the acknowledgements at end so i could go back to look closer at details. Read another book by the illustrator The Best We Could Do.
June 12, 2017
This is a great story to read when studying about multi-culturalism, heritage, and customs around the world. Bao, a young Vietnamese boy wakes very early on a Saturday morning to go fishing with his father in a pond nearby. He explains that everything in America is expensive, and even though he is working two jobs, he still has to fish for dinner. While they are together, the father tells Bao about fishing in another pond far away, as well as a bit about the war where he and his brother were soldiers. We learn about other fishermen that go to the pond as well and talk to Bao. His father works very hard to support the family. He feels callouses when he holds his father's hand.
Both the writer and the illustrator were born in Vietnam and arrived in the USA following the civil war. It was not easy to come to a new country and be accepted, especially after many Americans were killed during the Vietnam war. The "about the author" tells a little about what this was like. The text and wonderful, but simple illustrations show us what the life of the first generation of immigrants was like. It is especially timely with the wave of refugees arriving in North America right now. This will assist readers to better understand the feeling of displacement and the need to stay connected with your roots in a new country. Children and adults need to practise their customs and tell the stories of their homeland so they remember and help others to understand. A beautiful book that would be a great addition to any public, school or classroom library. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of the book via netgalley.
Both the writer and the illustrator were born in Vietnam and arrived in the USA following the civil war. It was not easy to come to a new country and be accepted, especially after many Americans were killed during the Vietnam war. The "about the author" tells a little about what this was like. The text and wonderful, but simple illustrations show us what the life of the first generation of immigrants was like. It is especially timely with the wave of refugees arriving in North America right now. This will assist readers to better understand the feeling of displacement and the need to stay connected with your roots in a new country. Children and adults need to practise their customs and tell the stories of their homeland so they remember and help others to understand. A beautiful book that would be a great addition to any public, school or classroom library. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of the book via netgalley.
May 18, 2019
This....I didn't know what to expect when I decided to read this picture book. I think that it's phenomenal. Not only was the artwork vibrant and beautifully in line with the text, but it told of deeper stories of immigrants, refugees, and the attitudes that Americans can sometimes have of those who are simply trying to make a better life for their families. One of the most captivating aspects of the this book is that it is based on Bao Phi's experiences with his father. They immigrated to the United States either during or after the Vietnam War and had to not only work multiple jobs, but also had to deal with blame that was inflicted upon them for the US's involvement in the war.
When I opened the picture book I thought that it was just going to tell the story of a little boy and his father who go fishing together, but I quickly learned that they were not going fishing for recreational purposes, but to make sure they had food on the table. The then emerge into the story of how his father misses Vietnam and fishing in a different pond and how the war cost him and his family so much. This was one of the most powerful picture books that I've read in a long time and it definitely gave me a new appreciation for those who give up everything for their families just so they can create a new life. I also respect parents and family members who share the darkest parts of their lives with their children not because the want to frighten them, but so they have an understanding of where the come from.
When I opened the picture book I thought that it was just going to tell the story of a little boy and his father who go fishing together, but I quickly learned that they were not going fishing for recreational purposes, but to make sure they had food on the table. The then emerge into the story of how his father misses Vietnam and fishing in a different pond and how the war cost him and his family so much. This was one of the most powerful picture books that I've read in a long time and it definitely gave me a new appreciation for those who give up everything for their families just so they can create a new life. I also respect parents and family members who share the darkest parts of their lives with their children not because the want to frighten them, but so they have an understanding of where the come from.
December 14, 2017
"A kid at my school said my Dad's English sounds like a thick, dirty river. But to me his English sounds like gentle rain."
The immigrant experience is both universal and unique, and this picture book for kids explores themes of displacement, family, and making sense of the world around you. I'm delighted that there is more diversity in books available for kids this days, and while I appreciated this one, I enjoyed the art more than the actual text. A question I'd ask parents who read this one to their kids: how do you explain that in America people can work one or two jobs and still not have enough money for food?
The immigrant experience is both universal and unique, and this picture book for kids explores themes of displacement, family, and making sense of the world around you. I'm delighted that there is more diversity in books available for kids this days, and while I appreciated this one, I enjoyed the art more than the actual text. A question I'd ask parents who read this one to their kids: how do you explain that in America people can work one or two jobs and still not have enough money for food?
November 11, 2017
A really different perspective on growing up in America. I loved how the father gently cared for his wife and son. Indeed, the bond between father & son is clearly communicated, and they truly appreciate their family culture. I am so very glad this book was nominated for best picture book of 2017 on Goodreads, as I might not have come across it and would have missed out on a wonderful read!
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December 3, 2017An important, meaningful story with beautiful drawings that convey the life of struggling immigrants. A perfect book to talk about diversity and life's challenges. I highly, highly recommend.
June 21, 2023
"You want to put a minnow on the hook?" Dad asks.
I want to help, but I shake my head no. I don't want to hurt that little fish, even if I know it's about to be eaten by a bigger one.
I loved the blue hues that give the whole story melancholic vibes. It's a story of immigration, poverty and family. It's simple but lovely. Really, what more can I say? Would recommend!
October 20, 2017
3.5 stars -- Set in 1982 and based upon the author's own life experiences, A Different Pond is a beautifully illustrated and pensive picture book about a little boy and his father's early-morning fishing trip. As Vietnamese immigrants, the boy's family is struggling to get by, and for them, fishing is a way to get food, rather than a recreational activity. Indeed, they must step over a "no trespassing" sign to access the waterway--so they are taking a risk to obtain the fish.
Veg*n parents note: POND is neither your typical fishing story nor picture book. As noted above, this family's impetus for fishing isn't the usual one; and this can lead to some good discussions even among families who dislike fishing and consuming animals as a principle. There is a sweet scene in which the boy refuses to put a live "bait" fish on a hook, feeling compassion for the tiny animal. (His father does it instead.) I hope the child holds on to his compassion, and someday will have enough choices in his life that he can elect not to hurt animals.
Veg*n parents note: POND is neither your typical fishing story nor picture book. As noted above, this family's impetus for fishing isn't the usual one; and this can lead to some good discussions even among families who dislike fishing and consuming animals as a principle. There is a sweet scene in which the boy refuses to put a live "bait" fish on a hook, feeling compassion for the tiny animal. (His father does it instead.) I hope the child holds on to his compassion, and someday will have enough choices in his life that he can elect not to hurt animals.
August 29, 2017
Bao Phi tells the story of an early early morning fishing trip with his father. The trip is not for recreation; it is for food. Bao's father and mother immigrated to America from Vietnam and worked hard to raise a family. A Different Pond is a quiet book, but it tells an important story. The lives of immigrants are frequently more challenging than those of natives - Bao talks about his father's English, how hard his parents have to work, how everything costs money and they stretch their resources. I love knowing that Bao Phi is a Minnesota author and this will make the book more approachable to MN students.
March 27, 2017
Beautiful in its simplicity. Highly recommended.
July 1, 2018
Love this one so much! Why have I not read it before now?!
September 12, 2022
4.5 ⭐
A Book A Week Challenge, Book 2 of Week 35, 2022
A Book A Week Challenge, Book 2 of Week 35, 2022
July 28, 2017
In an age that is seeing an increase in the number of refugees fleeing their countries seeking safety comes a simple, but powerful semi-autobiographical story from poet Bao Phi. Phi, his parents and siblings were refugees from Vietnam who came to the United States in 1975. And as with most refugees, those early years were difficult.
Early one morning before the sun has even risen, Phi's father wakes up his son from a sound sleep to go fishing. His father has already made bologna sandwiches and packed up their fishing gear. After loading the car, they stop at the bait store and then on to the pond. Sometimes when they fish, they run into other fishermen - usually a Hmong man, a black man. This morning, they are alone.
But these fishing trips is not done as a fun sport. Even though his father has taken a second job in order to support his family, any fish caught will help feed them. As his dad explains, “Everything in American costs a lot of money.”
But fishing is also an opportunity for father and son to bond. Phi’s father is gentle, protective, and encouraging with his son. When Phi doesn’t want to bait the fishing hook with live minnows, his dad just smiles, and there is a compliment when Phi builds a fire, lighting it with one match.
As they eat their sandwiches, his dad tells Phi about fishing with his brother in a different pond in Vietnam, about fighting in the Vietnam war with his brother who didn’t return from the war. After catching two large fish, they head home, knowing there will be dinner on the table that night.
This may be Bao Phi’s first children’s book, but he has written one that is destined to become a classic. Phi is a poet, and his prose lyrical, really capturing the difficulties faced by immigrants when they migrate to another country, and have very little money and resources. A close reading reveals just some of the things refugees must do to survive beside working more than one job, or fishing for dinner. Notice the No Trespassing sign by the fishing pond, the mention of the callouses on Phi’s father's hands indicating hard, physical labor, the mention of his dad’s broken teeth and his poor English and what these things tell us about his life. Their life may be hard, and yet, the last page shows a happy family sitting about the dinner table.
Complimenting Phi's story are Thi Bui’s illustrations. She has used both graphic novel panels and full page illustrations done in deep blues and browns and beiges to capture the early morning light and highlight father and son.
Sometimes, these days, I feel like my spirit needs a little renewing and then I read this book. It certainly gave me a new appreciation of what my own father went through when he came to this country.
A Different Pond is a beautiful, elegantly written story about the importance of family, of hope, of tradition, and the challenges faced by refugees.
A Different Pond will be available August 1, 2017.
This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was provided to me by the publisher, Capstone
Early one morning before the sun has even risen, Phi's father wakes up his son from a sound sleep to go fishing. His father has already made bologna sandwiches and packed up their fishing gear. After loading the car, they stop at the bait store and then on to the pond. Sometimes when they fish, they run into other fishermen - usually a Hmong man, a black man. This morning, they are alone.
But these fishing trips is not done as a fun sport. Even though his father has taken a second job in order to support his family, any fish caught will help feed them. As his dad explains, “Everything in American costs a lot of money.”
But fishing is also an opportunity for father and son to bond. Phi’s father is gentle, protective, and encouraging with his son. When Phi doesn’t want to bait the fishing hook with live minnows, his dad just smiles, and there is a compliment when Phi builds a fire, lighting it with one match.
As they eat their sandwiches, his dad tells Phi about fishing with his brother in a different pond in Vietnam, about fighting in the Vietnam war with his brother who didn’t return from the war. After catching two large fish, they head home, knowing there will be dinner on the table that night.
This may be Bao Phi’s first children’s book, but he has written one that is destined to become a classic. Phi is a poet, and his prose lyrical, really capturing the difficulties faced by immigrants when they migrate to another country, and have very little money and resources. A close reading reveals just some of the things refugees must do to survive beside working more than one job, or fishing for dinner. Notice the No Trespassing sign by the fishing pond, the mention of the callouses on Phi’s father's hands indicating hard, physical labor, the mention of his dad’s broken teeth and his poor English and what these things tell us about his life. Their life may be hard, and yet, the last page shows a happy family sitting about the dinner table.
Complimenting Phi's story are Thi Bui’s illustrations. She has used both graphic novel panels and full page illustrations done in deep blues and browns and beiges to capture the early morning light and highlight father and son.
Sometimes, these days, I feel like my spirit needs a little renewing and then I read this book. It certainly gave me a new appreciation of what my own father went through when he came to this country.
A Different Pond is a beautiful, elegantly written story about the importance of family, of hope, of tradition, and the challenges faced by refugees.
A Different Pond will be available August 1, 2017.
This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was provided to me by the publisher, Capstone
February 3, 2020
Vietnamese-American poet Bao Phi makes his children's book debut with A Different Pond, a poignant autobiographically-inspired picture-book about a young boy and his early morning fishing trip with his hard-working father. As the father-son pair make their way to a local pond to fish - something they do for sustenance, rather than sport - the boy-narrator reflects both on his immediate physical experiences and on his relationship with his immigrant father. Holding the bait, setting up a little fire on shore, and listening to his father's stories about his youth in Vietnam, he has a quiet but deeply felt experience.
Meant, according to the author's afterword, at least partially as a tribute to Bao Phi's immigrant parents, this lovely book features a gentle narrative that incorporates some un-gentle realities, from poverty to the trauma of war and leaving one's homeland. The loving nature of the relationship between the boy and his father, and between them and the rest of their family, is captured throughout, as the deceptively simple text depicts the father carefully waking his son, so as not to disturb the mother, or smiling in understanding, when the young boy doesn't want to put the minnows on a hook. The artwork by Thi Bui, herself a childhood immigrant from Vietnam, is beautifully expressive, with a subtle but deep color palette that captures the enchantment of the early morning adventure. There are visual elements here that suggest a graphic novel, particularly the artist's use of at least one square inset panel on each two-page spread, which makes sense, as Bui's previous work includes a graphic novel memoir about her family.
All in all, a lovely, poetic, deeply felt picture-book debut from Phi and Bui, one I would recommend to anyone looking for children's stories about family, about immigrants, or about the Vietnamese-American experience.
Meant, according to the author's afterword, at least partially as a tribute to Bao Phi's immigrant parents, this lovely book features a gentle narrative that incorporates some un-gentle realities, from poverty to the trauma of war and leaving one's homeland. The loving nature of the relationship between the boy and his father, and between them and the rest of their family, is captured throughout, as the deceptively simple text depicts the father carefully waking his son, so as not to disturb the mother, or smiling in understanding, when the young boy doesn't want to put the minnows on a hook. The artwork by Thi Bui, herself a childhood immigrant from Vietnam, is beautifully expressive, with a subtle but deep color palette that captures the enchantment of the early morning adventure. There are visual elements here that suggest a graphic novel, particularly the artist's use of at least one square inset panel on each two-page spread, which makes sense, as Bui's previous work includes a graphic novel memoir about her family.
All in all, a lovely, poetic, deeply felt picture-book debut from Phi and Bui, one I would recommend to anyone looking for children's stories about family, about immigrants, or about the Vietnamese-American experience.
March 26, 2017
A young boy wakes early in the morning, on a weekend day, to join his father for a couple of hours for fishing in a pond nearby. The time spent together is an opportunity to share life stories, especially from the 'old country', but also short remarks about life. 'Everything in America costs a lot of money, he explains. I feel callouses in his hand when he squeezes mine'.
Both the writer and the illustrator were born in Vietnam and arrived in the USA following the civil war, and one can seize the nostalgy after a world they don't necessarily know but was created through adults stories and memories. In a couple of words, and powerful simple images, a story about longing, hard life and first generation of immigrants was created, which can help us, the readers, regardless our age, to better understand the feeling of displacement and the need to stay connected with your roots, especially in a dramatically new environment. Children and adults need to nurture the memories of home and it is the power of story to invoke emotions and remember the past.
'I look at the trees as we walk back to the car. I wonder what the trees look like at the other pond, in the country my dad comes from'.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Both the writer and the illustrator were born in Vietnam and arrived in the USA following the civil war, and one can seize the nostalgy after a world they don't necessarily know but was created through adults stories and memories. In a couple of words, and powerful simple images, a story about longing, hard life and first generation of immigrants was created, which can help us, the readers, regardless our age, to better understand the feeling of displacement and the need to stay connected with your roots, especially in a dramatically new environment. Children and adults need to nurture the memories of home and it is the power of story to invoke emotions and remember the past.
'I look at the trees as we walk back to the car. I wonder what the trees look like at the other pond, in the country my dad comes from'.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
June 2, 2018
I was fortunate to receive this Caldecott Honor Nominee at BEA 2018. This simple story of a father/son fishing trip is powered by the emotionally detailed artwork, specifically the endearing facial expressions of the characters. This is a quiet story about family, immigrants, culture, home and hope that transports the reader. Both the writer and illustrator were born in Vietnam and raised in the US. Adults should also read illustrator Thi Bui’s stunning graphic novel memoir, The Best We Could Do.
June 15, 2020
This is one of those books I love SO much that I hesitate to even write a review. I'm afraid I could never do it justice. Simply put, this book is a delight. It's important, too. A Different Pond is beautiful in spirit, in illustration, in the simple story, and the way the words are strung together quite carefully. It may sound odd to say, but this is a book with a gentle, mighty heart. Read it.
May 8, 2018
A Vietnamese immigrant father and his son go fishing before sun-up. Unlike most Americans who fish for sport, this family fishes because it provides food for the table. The father works multiple jobs, and even the mother works to meet the high cost of living in the United States. It could provide interesting discussion moments for children as they savor the beautiful illustrations.
November 21, 2018
Important, interesting, enlightening... but I have to admit that I didn't find it engaging. The author's and illustrator's notes are fantastic, however. I do recommend this to educators, including homeschooling families.
March 4, 2017
"A kid at school said my dad's English sounds like a think, dirty river... But to me his English sounds like gentle rain."
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