Was thrilled to find this title offered by Capstone and even more thrilled to read the contents. Phi's story is simple, sweet, and in a sparse tone, the realities of life are offered without judgement or recrimination. Added to the story is the artwork by Bui. Mostly dark but with a soft choice of medium, there are traces of light in key moments when characters smile (look for it). A wonderful note is included from both author and illustrator and high praise to Capstone for their commitment to reflecting windows and mirrors.

What a lovely graphic novel for kids to start to understand and get interested in their parents’ childhood and previous experiences!

Unique and touching book about cultural differences. I enjoyed it. I would share or buy it for others.

People ask me why I read children's books. It's because of books like 'A Different Pond' by Bao Phi with illustrations by Thi Bui. It is a children's picture book which uses a quiet power to tell a very deep story.

A young boy and his father go fishing. During the course of the trip, the father remembers another fishing trip in another time and country. In both stories, a caught fish means food on the table. Soon the father and son have to go home so that the father can get to work.

The author is an acclaimed poet, and the story feels like it is from his own experience. There is a depth and subtle sadness to this story that most children may not pick up on. A lost brother, a mouth of bad teeth, and an accent that is compared to a muddy river. There is also happiness to be found. A young boy makes a campfire, and a family eats a dinner together.

The art is by a graphic artist that I was not familiar with but I like her work here. The simple style fits the story beautifully. Anything more elaborate would have detracted from this quiet beautiful story of a father and son making and sharing memories.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Capstone Young Readers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

A kid of school said my dad's English sounds like a thick, dirty river.

But to me his English sounds like gentle rain.

This is a beautiful book with evocative illustrations and poetic language. It provides the perspective of a Vietnamese family who has immigrated to America and is told through a son and father going for a fishing trip.

I liked how the palette of colour used in the illustrations changes depending on the setting, with warm earth colours used for the scenes at home and cool blues used for the outdoor, night-time scenes.

I loved the small references to the hardship his father must have faced, the war that was his reason to leave. Both father and mother of the family work hard, but the fish is still necessary for them to eat. The references to the country his father came from and the comments his schoolmates make about English not being his father;s native tongue - all of these are experiences many children of immigrants will be familiar with.

I think it is important for stories such as these to be widely shared so children can learn about other persecptives and see themselves in the books they read.

Dad smiles, his teeth broken and white in the dark, because we have a few fish and he knows we will eat tonight.

I look at the trees as we walk back to the car.

I wonder what those other tress look like at that other pond, in the country my dad comes from.

What I liked: Beautiful illustrations, poetic language, subject matter - immigration, strong family relationships.

Even better if: Would love to see more from this perspective

How you could use it in your classroom: I will be reading it with my class and using it to spark discussion about immigration, culture and language. In the U.K. at the moment, as in many countries across the world, immigration is increasingly common and children are often aware that there is a reason for people to leave their homes and move to another country. However, most may not think about the true implications that can have. I hope that books such as these can help children to understand the trials many immigrants and refugees have been through and become more empathetic.

A beautiful story about the small shared moments between a father and his son. They may rely on the fish they catch to provide food for the family, but even the act of fishing is a small intimate moment that they would otherwise not have. It's a smart way to bring poverty, hunger, and the refugee experience to young children.

This was a wonderfully sad story about a young boy and his father. So little is written about Vietnamese refugees and this is a great one. It is quiet and simple, and although a picture book, it works. I could see older students, reading this with their teachers when learning about that time period as well as a tie-in with other refugee stories.

We have seen our dad and mom working day and night to give us our current lifestyle. The amount of hardwork they went through to give happiness to their kids is unparalleled to current generation's struggle.

This story take your through fishing incident of father and son, where son can feel what his father went through day-to-day.

One of the best book to explain how to value things that they take granted.

Powerful and poignant is A Different Pond by Bao Phi. The story is lovely, unpretentious with its down-to-earth style of telling the story if first generations immigrants. The title of a different pond conveys feelings the changes and displacement that the family that the family is going though in a new country. I so appreciated the author’s note and would consider it a must to include when reading this book to children.

The text is short but poetic making it a perfect read for a young child. although young and older could appreciate this book. Why, because there is so much for thought in this tale of a boy going fishing early one morning with his father.


The publisher through Net Galley provided a copy.

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.

This story of a Vietnamese refuge family adjusting to their new life in America in the 1970's is a must read.
It is beautiful on so many levels.
Thi Bui's illustrations are flat out gorgeous!
Together these two artists convoke a fragment of time that highlights a relationship between a young boy and is father that is so loving, it made my heart swell and my eyes water.
Bao's father wakes him up early one morning, before the sun is up, to go fishing. Each moment of this experience is captured in exquisite beauty, the waking up, the travelling along the dark and quiet streets, stopping in at the bait shop, hiking to the fishing spot, catching the fish and building a small fire before their return home in the dawn light. At the same time this experience is shadowed by memories of the father's other fishing trips with his lost brother.
The notes in the back matter tell us more about Bao and his father, and show a photograph of them together.

A beautifully illustrated book that gently handles the topic of struggling immigrant families. While fishing, a Vietnamese father connects the experience to his childhood. His young son recognizes that as an immigrant family there are challenges- his parents work at multiple jobs and their fishing trips are for food, not sport. I liked the feeling of a close family working together to make their way in the US. It is not often you get to step into the shoes of a Vietnamese immigrant from a very conflicted time period.

Simple, elegant story inspired by the author's childhood of the sacrifices parents make to offer their children a better life than the ones they had while growing up.

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.

A poignant story of a young boy's memory of fishing with his father, for food rather than recreation, and a necessary and insightful look into the hardships and experiences of refugee families. Realistic illustrations emphasize the feelings and emotional journey of the characters. A recommended purchase for your picture book collection!

"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."

This graphic novel effortlessly gives the reader a glimpse of different cultures that combine when their people come together, it's about how we're different but all the same - how a pond in one country can remind you of a pond you left in another country.

I strongly feel that the themes of the book are so appropriate and important for all the children in today's world; they wouldn't only understand immigration and the difficult aspects of living in poverty, haunted by the dreams of your homeland but will also learn to appreciate the hardships that their parents go through to make their lives better. The book will definitely help inculcate empathy for minorities and an understanding of their lives as well as be a treat for the all children who never get to see themselves in book characters. Children are hardly exposed to multi-cultural books and I think this is one of the most important, carrying an equally important message and will teach children and adults alike to see that there are different ways to life, than the one they are experiencing.

Thi Bui's illustrations were splendid, employing cool, soft muted colors; shades of blue for the scenes at the pond and a bright yellow for the home. Bao Phi's writing was a pleasant surprise; I had no idea he was a poet so the beautiful imagery left me visibly awe-struck!

"half a peppercorn, like a moon split in two, studded in between the meat"

It's a short, important read which will fill you with childhood nostalgia, highly recommended!

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.

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.

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.

One of the major themes of the story is his father’s hard-working nature, something we’re introduced to at the very beginning, when the young boy tells us his dad has been up for hours preparing their food and packing the car. Only a few pages later we learn they’re leaving so early because his father has taken a second job.

I received this ARC from Capstone and Capstone Young Readers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet, simple tale, reflecting on how life was like with the refugees from Vietnam, when they came to the states. But, really, it is the story of a bond between a father and a son, as told by the son, and from his point of view.

The father has to fish for dinner, because, as he explains to his son, things are expensive, despite him working two jobs, and the mother working a job as well.

The story reflects on the quiet time, before dawn, when the father takes his son fishing, and all the sights and sounds, and feelings that go along with is.

Beautifully illustrated by Thi Bui, whose book <em>The Best We Could Do</em> tells about her time growing up in California after her family were resettled in the US.

As Bao says, the story is based on his childhood, but the boy in the story appreciates and understands better than he ever did, and he wishes he had been more like him.

This story is so calming, so sweet, highly recommend it as a perfect slice of life, from the past. As I have said before, children need to see themselves, and also see that there are other ways to life, than the one they are experiencing.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Such an insightful children's story! This narrative sheds light on the challenges faced by refugees. It is a worthwhile read for young ages to understand their privilege and the history of others.