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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.
"The book shows the interconnection of family and the inexorable way that generational history impacts the present." - TODAY, "7 books kids should read this summer, according to a school librarian"
May 24, 2018
"Nationally recognized spoken word poet and community activist Bao Phi, together with graphic novelist Thi Bui, recalls a story about waking up early to go fishing with his father at a small pond in Minneapolis before his father went to work. Unlike other fishermen, however, they were fishing to feed their family, not for fun. While fishing, Phi's father told him about another pond that he knew — one in Vietnam." - NBC News, Books Featuring Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders for Kids and Teens
May 30, 2017
"STARRED REVIEW! Graphic novel panels and strong figures give the pages the air of a documentary as Phi celebrates an unexpected superhero: a father who endures a strange new culture, works to support his family, cherishes time with his son, and draws no attention to the sacrifices he’s made." - Publishers Weekly
June 9, 2017
"STARRED REVIEW! Hours before sunrise, a father and son go fishing for that night’s meal. So begins this powerfully understated picture book, which shifts the focus of the refugee narrative from the harrowing journey to the reality awaiting the family members once they reach their destination (in this case, the United States). With evocative detail and a keen ear for metaphor...Phi hints at the family’s joys and struggles. . . .The father and son return home that morning with a fish but, more importantly, a fond memory that will help make this new country feel like home. The ponds may be different here, but the water reflects life just the same." - Horn Book
September 1, 2017
"STARRED REVIEW! A fishing trip is not just a fishing trip in this poignant, semiautobiographical tale. . . .Together, Phi's gentle, melodic prose and Bui's evocative art, presented in brushy and vividly colored panels and double-page spreads, rise above the melancholy to tell a powerful, multilayered story about family, memory, and the costs of becoming a refugee. Spare and simple, a must-read for our times." - Kirkus Reviews
June 15, 2017
"STARRED REVIEW! This gorgeous tale about a father/son fishing trip shows the interconnectedness of family and the inexorable way that generational history impacts the present. . . .Bui’s cinematic illustrations make use of panels and weighted lines, evoking the perfect background or facial expression for each piece of text. The text placement and composition of the illustrations allow each occurrence or observation to be its own distinct event, stringing together the small, discrete moments that make up a life, a memory, and a history into a cohesive whole. This gentle coming-of-age story is filled with loving, important aspects of the immigrant experience and is a first purchase for all libraries." - School Library Journal
August 1, 2017
"STARRED REVIEW! Phi’s bittersweet story of the resourcefulness of an immigrant family is lovingly illustrated in Bui’s evocative artwork. . . .This wistful, beautifully illustrated story will resonate not only with immigrant families but any family that has faced struggle." - Booklist
July 1, 2017
"Top 10 Diverse Picture Book. This wistful, beautifully illustrated story describes how a Vietnamese American man and his young son head out before dawn to fish for their supper in a nearby lake." - Booklist
February 1, 2018
"Top 10 Picture Books about Finding Home. On a predawn fishing trip, a boy learns about his Vietnamese father’s past, gaining an appreciation for his resourcefulness and their lives together in America." - Booklist
July 1, 2018
"STARRED REVIEW! A Different Pond isn't a story in the traditional sense--there's no wedge-like event to disrupt the narrative's flow. But conflicts that happened offscreen shape the narrative into one family's story. . . .Bao Phi, a poet, gives the narrator's words an occasional lyricism. . . .Playing off the writing's grace is Thi Bui's art, in which characters tend to be rendered more simply than their painterly backgrounds." - Shelf Awareness
August 4, 2017
"Despite the tinge of sadness, this tale (based on the author’s family experiences) is quietly uplifting. The family struggles, but it manages, and the shadowy predawn peace infuses the father/son relationship with contentment. The young audience will appreciate Bui’s visual transformation of a gritty urban waterside into a scene of moonlit adventure, but older children of a more thoughtful bent will also discern that many people are awake in the dark on a mission to get by. . . .In his author’s note, Phi offers background on his father and their fishing trips “for food, not for sport,” which he admits to appreciating more as an adult than he did as a child. That’s something worth talking about." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"...One of my favorite picture books of the last couple years because of its wonderful layers. Not only does it serve as a window into a Vietnamese American experiencefor me, it also serves as a window for the young protagonist in the story, as he wonders about his father’s life back in Vietnam." - Los Angeles Times
August 10, 2018
"The beauty's in the subtle, evocative detail. This is a moving father-son story as well as an immigrant/refugee story, and a shining example of picture books at their best. . . .This tale is so artfully rendered in text and art, readers will be very glad they came along on this intimate family fishing trip." - Common Sense Media
"...Bao Phi delivers the story of an immigrant family that honors its past while navigating a new home." - Edutopia
June 18, 2018
"When I was a young kid in school, I would’ve loved to have read a story about other Vietnamese people. To be honest, I would’ve loved to have read anything remotely close to representing any Asian American experience. . . .Far too often, we neglect to tell the stories of the people who make up our schools and communities. When we do that, we are sending the message that you are not as important as others, that you live in the margins of the mainstream…that your story is not worth being told. After reading A Different Pond, it took me a while to process what this story meant to me as a reader, a Vietnamese American reader. I connected with the characters in ways that I’m not sure I can explain." - The Nerdy Book Club
April 30, 2018
"Solemn and truthful, A Different Pond gives us one day through which to view the life of a refugee family working to thrive in a new country. On an artistic level, A Different Pond is a collaborative success. Based on his own childhood experience, author Bao Phi narrates as a child would, with straightforward language, enhanced with moments of poetic description. . . .Graphic artist Thi Bui...tells a compelling story in the faces of her characters. Bui’s renderings are colorful but low-key, giving a sense of calm, of well-worn habits, of family sharing. . . .Bui and Phi’s book would fit perfectly into school units on multiculturalism and the refugee experience. We all have stories of difficulty and obstacles; A Different Pond is a profound reminder of what we do every day to lift our families up and how we tell—and cherish—those stories." - BookPage
"Like much of Phi’s poetry, this book is simultaneous, multiple, about class and race and family, thick with love and loud in its subtleties, themselves a significant piece of the collaborative work of author and illustrator. . . .As Phi explained, while on the surface A Different Pond presents as a simple parent-child narrative, it is, at heart, a refugee tale." - Kartika Review
June 30, 2017
"A Vietnamese American boy’s predawn fishing outing with his dad is the subject of a narrative shaped by an exquisite accounting of details. So much beyond the action is conveyed through beautifully weighted sentences. . . .The evocative art masterfully and movingly conveys details of character, setting, and action while superbly reflecting the warmth and intimacy of the story." - CCBlogC, Cooperative Children's Book Center
December 4, 2017
"The early scenes of father and son together under inky-blue skies studded with stars inspire awe. The lovingly drawn details of simple, crowded rooms call forth the warmth of home and family. You don’t quite realize that author and illustrator are building to a real conclusion, one of the many delights of this powerful immigration story." - Chicago Tribune
November 27, 2017
"The illustrations tenderly convey the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of the young boy as he spends this special time with his father." - Barnes & Noble Kids blog
March 20, 2018
"It’s a gift to witness Bao Phi’s storytelling spread from spoken word to children’s books in this beautifully told and illustrated story. . . .It touches a wealth of experiences—immigrant, refugee, Asian Pacific American, and the realities of the working poor. If the book doesn’t directly reference you or your family’s lived experience, it will strengthen your Solidarity Heart." - M is for Movement
December 12, 2017
"...one of the best picture books of 2017, period. This collaboration between graphic novelist Thi Bui and poet Bao Phi is the moving, heart-tugging work you’d expect. Through the experience of an early morning father-son fishing trip, this book beautifully depicts the difficulties many immigrant families experience." - Cool Mom Picks
June 13, 2018
"In the book a boy goes fishing with his father. That would normally be the kind of thing you’d find in a lot of father-son bonding books, but the difference here is that to get to the water they have to climb over road barriers. The two are in Minneapolis at a spot not specifically designated for fishing. They do it to supplement the parents’ income and refrigerator in a practical manner before the dad goes off to the first of his two jobs. Phi explains that his parents fled Vietnam after the war and faced prejudice and potential poverty when they settled in the States. Reading the book, I wondered how clear it would be to child readers what was going on. For an adult, the moment when they climb over the road barriers and go down the hill to the water is a big clue. For kids, they may or may not pay attention to the economics behind the father’s decision. They might just think it’s cool that a dad would go early morning fishing with his son before his job. Whatever the case, it’s a great book." - A Fuse 8 Production, School Library Journal
May 3, 2017
"When a boy and his father rise before dawn to fish for dinner, the father spends the time reminiscing about fishing as a child in Vietnam. This is another gorgeous narrative for comprehension strategy instruction that is also a great writing mentor text." - We Are Teachers
July 11, 2018
"Phi tells the story of an early morning fishing trip with his father in Minnesota, interwoven with subtle tells of the difficulty of their working-class refugee life, the trauma of war, and the warmth of family bonds. . . .Thi Bui’s illustrations bring the warmth and tenderness of Phi’s childhood memories to life. Together, the words and pictures combine to create a window to this young boy’s world, creating the possibility for empathy, understanding and care..." - Psychology Today, "Vietnamese American Refugee Stories Win Acclaim"
January 24, 2018
"I’m not usually all about the cover, but when I saw this cover, I stopped looking at all the other books near it and swooped in to check it out. It’s not your average picture book cover, right? Has more a feel of a graphic novel cover, maybe? It’s certainly unusual, and the cover is no bait-and-switch: that quality of freshness and originality continues after you open the book and begin to read." - Calling Caldecott, Horn Book
April 13, 2017
"Caldecott Honor Prediction What do you think of when you think of a pre-dawn fishing trip? Darkness. Quiet. The world slowly coming alive with color. Thi Bui captures all of this in her illustrations for A Different Pond. Bold brushstrokes echo the weight of this family story, as color builds to toward the conclusion." - 100 Scope Notes
December 19, 2017
"As told by poet Phi’s spare language, an unnamed Vietnamese boy joins his father for a predawn fishing outing on a Minnesota pond. The father’s fractured English sounds like “gentle rain,” even as he alludes to a different pond in troubled Vietnam, before he fled Saigon. Bui’s deep blues and slightly rough-edged illustrations perfectly complement this touching and hopeful story." - School Library Journal, "25 Titles and Resources To Explore the Vietnam War"
November 22, 2017
"What happens when a cartoonist/graphic novelist is tasked with illustrating a picture book? The result in this case is a phenomenal piece of work that intensely captures mood and tells an unforgettable story of endurance. . . .What a story of hope! But more importantly for the Caldecott committee, a perfect execution of combining picture-book techniques with those of graphic novels. I am impressed by how Bui seamlessly tells an authentic story of family and tradition, evoking a particular mood and theme, both of which last the length of the book and beyond." - Calling Caldecott, Horn Book
"A strong, quiet story about love, family connection, and the way community is built on small shared moments. Bao Phi’s clear prose tells a story where perhaps not much seems to happen, but in which the whole world is illuminated for a child by his father. Thi Bui’s illustrations bring the reader into the life of a boy, a family, and the community where they live." - Autumn 2017 Kids' Indie Next List
August 11, 2017
"Phi’s autobiographical picture book in verse explores the struggles of a Vietnamese immigrant family." - Publishers Weekly, "Children’s Books Exploring the Refugee Crisis"
July 13, 2017
"A seemingly simple tale about a boy getting up before dawn to go fishing with his father is gradually enriched by a wealth of small textual and visual details that vividly evoke the lived experience of growing up poor as the child of Vietnamese refugees. . . .What’s most impressive is how delicate a balance the story strikes. The painful necessity of a workday that begins before dawn, of what it takes to put food on the table, coexists with moments of adventure, peace, and intimacy between father and son." - Public Books
September 29, 2017
"A Different Pond raises awareness of the financial struggles some refugees face. . . .We see throughout the pages how hard the family works to live in America. We also see how much they love each other. Readers will feel compassion for refugees after reading this remarkable book." - Knowledge Quest, AASL
August 14, 2018
"Simple yet profound, A Different Pond, by poet Bao Phi, shares the quiet strength of a Vietnamese family struggling to put food on the table, in a tale inspired by his own childhood experiences as a refugee in the mid-1970s. The night sky sparkles as the sun gradually rises in Thi Bui’s expressive illustrations as a father shares a quiet moment with his young son, fishing under a city bridge while the town sleeps." - Foreword Reviews
"Bao Phi’s memories of getting up in the dark to go fishing with his dad earned starred reviews from every major literary journal. A native of Vietnam, Bao Phi began this book as a poem and was urged by fellow members of the local children’s lit community to turn it into a book. . . .Lovely prose, lovely pictures." - Pioneer Press, "Books from Minnesota authors you’ll want on your holiday gift li
November 26, 2017
"This book not only looks good and reads beautifully but it shows the practical day-to-day solutions of surviving in America for some families." - A Fuse 8 Production, School Library Journal
April 4, 2017
"Telling turns of phrase appear with every page turn. The father’s broken English “sounds like a gentle rain,” and “his broken teeth shine white in the dark.” Also lyrical are paintings, deep blue under a starlit sky. Insets add lovely detail that conjure up memories, struggle and dreams. Focused on just one day, this poignant story makes a powerful statement about what it’s like to be a refugee, an immigrant, a new American." - San Francisco Gate
January 25, 2017
"Minneapolis writer Bao Phi is a poet, and this lovely book — told through the eyes of the little boy — employs the same economy of language and vivid imagery as any fine poem. Themes of immigration, hard work, racism and the uniting power of nature are touched on lightly and naturally. Thi Bui’s nighttime illustrations glow." - Star Tribune
July 10, 2017
"Told through the perspective of a child character, A Different Pond echoes aspects of Vietnamese immigrant experience portrayed in The Best We Could Do in a way that’s accessible for a young audience. And most important for a picturebook: Bui’s detailed illustrations are captivating, conveying a distinct sense of time and place and capturing the quiet poignancy of Phi’s prose." - Boston Athenæum?
"A Vietnamese American boy’s predawn fishing outing with his dad is the subject of a narrative shaped by an exquisite accounting of details. So much beyond the action is conveyed through beautifully weighted sentences. . . .The evocative art masterfully and movingly reveals details of character, setting, and action while superbly reflecting the warmth and intimacy of the story." - Read On Wisconsin, Cooperative Children's Book Center
August 1, 2018
"A moving read. . . .It’s easy to tell Phi is a poet from his beautiful and powerful prose. He intricately weaves together the past and present while telling important and poignant stories." - Brightly, "17 New Authors of Color Writing Much-Needed Stories for Kids"
October 6, 2017
"A beautiful and powerful story about family, culture, sacrifice, memories of home, and life as a refugee. Phi's smooth prose and Bui's evocative illustrations combine to tell the story of a simple but profound fishing trip between father and son that carries with it so many of the hopes, dreams, and challenges of the immigrant experience." - Brightly, "The Best Children’s and YA Books of August 2017"
"This is a dignified portrait of new immigrants and how hard they work to get established in a new country. Despite working around the clock, the family is grateful for what they have and for their time together." - Pragmatic Mom
March 26, 2018
"...it gives quiet dignity to poverty experienced by new immigrants. . . .The illustrations impart a sense of tranquility with a minimalist color scheme. The expressions on the faces of the characters also tell the story of finding moments of happiness and joy in small moments despite hardship and poverty. In the final pages, the family quietly appreciates precious moments of time spent together, and this can summarize the Asian refugee experience: hard work, family, and gratitude." - Pragmatic Mom
December 13, 2017
"The illustrations and prose help us feel the stillness of the early morning hours and the strong bond between father and son. . . .This moving autobiographical picture book of an immigrant family gives us much to appreciate and ponder." - Imagination Soup
September 5, 2017
"Socially relevant, artistic, and lyrical, this book belongs on everyone’s bookshelf. A Different Pond is a story that needs to be told and both writer and illustrator render it with specificity and depth. This is an immigrant story like none I have read before and I am so glad books like this are available for young people." - Raise Them Righteous
October 26, 2018
"This book reads well for grade-schoolers of all ages. It provides intimate insight into both the sacrifices made by the protagonist's parents and the bond with his family and the family culture within his home." - This Story is Our Story
September 27, 2021
"This Caldecott Award winner is a masterful, quiet testament to the immigrant experience by way of a boy’s journey to a fishing pond with his father at dawn. Part of what makes this book so special and unique is the specificity of the descriptions of Vietnamese American life—as well as the evocative illustrations that capture so vividly that sense of hope and grief, intermingled." - Encyclopedia Britannica, "10 Children’s Books Featuring AAPI Characters"
May 12, 2022
"As deep and quietly moving as a fishing pond, Bao Phi’s tribute to family, parental sacrifice, and the profound understanding of children wrenches your heart with its beautiful and honest language and touching details. Phi uses the fishing trip—which at first seems to be simply a fun outing for father and son, but is in fact an act of survival—to relate one family’s relationship with their adopted country while also delving into the universal bond between children and parents or other adults. . . .A Different Pond is an exquisite story with wisdom and insight that will impact readers during quiet story times at home and in the classroom. The book would be a warm and welcome addition to home, school, and public library bookshelves." - Celebrate Picture Books
February 14, 2018
"“A Different Pond” is written to be read by school-aged children, but can and should be enjoyed by adults as well. The discussion that will most likely follow is an important one that could lead to some big questions. That is, in large part, the beauty of what makes “A Different Pond” more than just another kid’s book. Both Phi and Bui should be applauded for their successful efforts in tackling an important and sensitive subject in a way that breeds a deeper understanding of an often overlooked struggle." - Forest Lake Times
November 28, 2017
"The story is quiet and gentle. . . .In the author’s note, Phi, whose family came to Minnesota as refugees from Vietnam, says he has written the story to honor the struggles of his parents, and to acknowledge the history which was a part of their lives. . . .These books encourage us to reflect on a difficult and divisive part of our recent national history. They also encourage us to think about recent immigrants in a time when their presence in the United States is part of a national debate." - Park Rapids Enterprise, "Two new books urge reflection about immigration"
September 23, 2017
"Strong similes and poignant details reveal the warmth shared by a father and son on a cold early morning fishing adventure. The first-person narrative describes the family’s impoverishment, the father’s peaceful fishing in “another pond” and his refugee flight from Vietnam." - News & Observer (Raleigh, NC)
August 7, 2018
"This 2018 Caldecott Honor Book brings together issues of diversity, culture, and immigration without using platitudes. The personal story offers many positive messages about family values that highlight the relationship between father and son and between cultures, old and new. Illustrator Thi Bui’s art offers a striking exhibit of Phi’s prose through illustrations with depth and a quiet, moving emotion." - Christian Library Journal
July 2, 2018
"What an exquisite book about immigrant family life, aching through lovingly rendered details. From the peeling labels on the reused Miracle Whip jars, to the Spanish/English signs on the 24-hour bait shop, to the young boy who asks why his father must work two jobs – this is a picture book unlike most others I’ve ever seen. . . .From poet Bao Phi’s lovely descriptions of minnows that swim “like silver arrows” to Thi Bui’s gorgeous, emotive illustrations in muted blues and greens, this is a quietly powerful book that will resonate across and beyond immigrant and refugee families." - International Examiner
February 28, 2018
"What impresses me most about reading Bao Phi’s A Different Pond is the intertwining of important values of Vietnamese culture throughout the pages: family, faith, food, hope, and belief. The bonding between father-son is incredible and inspiring. The young boy feels trusted, important, smart, strong, capable, and loved. His father has shaped who he will become later in life and to always DREAM BIG. . . .A “Picture Perfect” and welcome addition to any refugee families and beyond." - Phuoc Thi Minh Tran, storyteller, and award-winning author
June 29, 2017
2018 Marion Vannett Ridgway Award
January 1, 2019
2019 Picture This Recommendation List
February 1, 2019
Bao Phi was born in Vietnam and raised in the Phillips neighborhood of South Minneapolis. He is an author, a poet, a community organizer, and a father.
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