A Different Pond

by Bao Phi

Other authorsThi Bui (Illustrator)

Paperback, 2017

Status

Available

Call number

J2H.107

Publication

Capstone Young Readers

Description

"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. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam"--

Collection

Juvenile

Barcode

513

Language

English

Original language

English

Original publication date

2017

Physical description

32 p.; 11 inches

ISBN

9781479597468

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User reviews

LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26

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 -

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LibraryThing member melodyreads

immigrant experience

LibraryThing member cbl_tn

A young boy and his father wake up before dawn to fish for the family's supper before his father goes to work. As they fish, the father tells his son about a different pond in his home country, Vietnam. The artwork in the story is lovely, with strong colors and delicate lines. The story speaks to

the immigrant experience in a way that many children will relate to. The bond between parent and child and the experience of the natural world transcend culture.

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LibraryThing member thornton37814

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.

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LibraryThing member lg503

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.

LibraryThing member ElizabethHogeland

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.

LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan

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.

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LibraryThing member Carlathelibrarian

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.

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LibraryThing member jstein31

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.

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LibraryThing member lispylibrarian

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

LibraryThing member RaeganZuyus

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.

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LibraryThing member jetangen4571

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!

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LibraryThing member Whisper1

This is a beautiful story with lovely illustrations depicting life in the United States through the eyes of those who no longer live in Viet Nam. When the small boy awakens to go fishing with his father, he questions why if the father has two jobs, do they have to continue to fish to feed the

family for dinner. The father replies that everything in America costs a lot of money.

Together they leave early in the cold morning air. The boy loves his father and is sad that a kid in his school said that his father's English sounded like "a thick, dirty river." The boy notes that his lauguage sounds like gentle rain. The father and son walk together in the dark as the stars in the sky are very bright.

Along the bank, the father holds his son's hand. As the little boy walks with his father, he feels the callouses on his hands. It is just the two of them as the stars are bright in the early morning sky. It is cold and the boy builds a father where they can warm their hands and eat the sandwiches packed for them. As they eat, his father tells of a pond where he fished in Viet Nam. As they fish, his father talks of the war where both fought side by side. Sadly, one day his father's brother does not return. His father rarely talks about the war. The son listens carefully.

They catch a fish and know they will have something to eat for dinner that night. The beauty of this book is found through the eyes of the child who loves his family, wishing they didn't have to work so very hard and the difficulty of making a living in this country where his family looks tired.

As both mother and father leave the house to go to work, they ride their bikes to the destination. The young boy also has a job to take care of his little brother. Feeling proud that he helped catch a fish that will be eaten for dinner that night when they all are together round a table.

There is a lot of respect and knowledge of how hard each member must work together as a team in able to live in this country. There was a different pond in Viet Nam, but now they fish in another pond in this country where they now live jointly.

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