A Different Pond

By Bao Phi and Elizabeth Raum

A 2018 Caldecott Honor Book that Kirkus Reviews calls "a must-read for our times," A Different Pond is an unforgettable story about a simple event - a long-ago fishing trip. Graphic novelist Thi Bui and acclaimed poet Bao Phi deliver a powerful, honest glimpse into a relationship between father and son - and between cultures, old and new. As a young boy, Bao and his father 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. Thi Bui's striking, evocative art paired with Phi's expertly crafted prose has earned this powerful picture books six starred reviews and numerous awards.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781623709419

Bao Phi

Bao Phi is an author, a poet, a community organizer, and a father. He was born in Vietnam and raised in the Phillips neighborhood of South Minneapolis.

Book preview

Reviews for A Different Pond

[thatonelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A Different Pond is a captivating, heartfelt picture book from Bao Phi and Thi Bui. Bao Phi tells the story of being a boy in America in the late 1970s, a refugee from Vietnam. He recounts getting up before dawn to go fish in the river with his father. His father works two jobs, but that isn't enough to support the family without finding their own food. While its clear that this is a difficult life, the boy also seems very content, surrounded by his loving family.

The narrative is thoughtful and simple, with so much meaning wrapped up in the concise phrasing. Thi Bui's illustrations are phenomenal, giving extra life to the tale. Bold line-work with deeply saturated colors (appear to be watercolor and ink) evoke a graphic novel, but in a way appropriate for the format and intended audience. While this might not be a picture book that children will pick up on their own, families will enjoy reading it together; it's a soft and warm bedtime story. Additionally, the depiction of refugee life is a timely and poignant one - one that should not go unheard. Highly recommended.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[librarianryan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A young boy and his father go on an early morning fishing trip. This story seems like a look at an immigrant family through the eyes of the oldest son. It’s quite somber, but with a bit of hope. I wish there was more about the family and their struggle, but sometimes kids don’t realize the struggle, all they realize is it’s Saturday and their parents have to work.

[melodyreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

immigrant experience

[elizabethhogeland · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a story about a boy and his father who go fishing for their dinner because they cannot afford to buy the fish. The story tells about their family dynamics and how the older kids watch the younger ones while the parents work to make ends meet.

[lg503-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of hard working family. Dad wakes up very early morning, way before the sun is out. He goes fishing with his son. They get a couple of fishes for dinner, and then dad and mom goes to work. They are a low income family so, dad needs to do that to be able to have dinner every day.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 incorporating some un-gentle realities -

[Glenn Hawley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes a dad just needs to take his son fishing! This is a sweet book that shows the love parents have for their kids as displayed through the daily choices they make.

[lispylibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A simple and wonderful story of a boy going fishing with his father to catch their dinner.

[jstein31 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book for various reasons. One thing that I really liked about this book was the point of view. In this story, it is in first person and the narration is by Bao Phi, a Vietnamese boy. By having the narration be in the point of view of the main character, readers often feel empathy for that character especially by reading their thoughts. For example, in this book, Bao Phi expresses his nervousness through his thoughts about putting a minnow on a hook when fishing. This small thought process from Bao Phi makes him more likeable because it shows his care and empathy for an animal, no matter how small. Since the point of view was in first person, we as readers were able to see into the main character’s thoughts as if we were him. This writing choice makes the story more personal, further connecting readers to it. In addition, I really liked the illustrations in this book. The illustrations were powerful because they set the tone for each page of the book. For example, on the second page of the book, one of the illustrations displays a bright lightbulb as a main focus, setting an optimistic tone as a start to their new fishing day. Another example is around the middle of the book,when the illustrations showed dark trees and a dark but starry sky. This illustration sets a deep tone for a father-son bonding time. Both of these illustrations strongly contributed to the tone of this story, making it more exciting and engaging for readers. The main message of this story is that family traditions are special and it is important to be grateful for the little things within one’s family.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Asian-Americans, Minnesota, memories, immigrants, cultural-assimilation, cultural-exploration, cultural-heritage, refugees, illustrated, food-fishing, father-and-son, sharing*****Beautiful in meaning, sharing, and illustrations. The publisher's blurb is quite good, but I see in this book the people of many countries around the world who are displaced. Even in the land to which they are born and have lived for generations. I cook and eat the fish I have caught as well. This book clearly deserved all the awards it earned!

[raeganzuyus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the most touching children books I have read yet. It shows a father sacrificing work time that would allow him to make money to go fishing and spend quality time with his son. It really shows that strong bond between a father and son and how even in those really troubling times of being an immigrant that is having to work so hard to get by there is still time for love. I would keep this book in my classroom library for students to read to use as a window into a new way of life and culture, and as representation for my students who may be familiar with the events in the book.