Super Star Children's Book Reviews: A Different Pond

Welcome to the monthly children’s book review feature with a focus on diverse books here at Bird Meets Worm! My team of reviewers—Joan Charles, Laurie L. Young, Sarah Orgill—and I are so excited to be championing books celebrating everything from gender diversity, people of color, the LGBTQ community to ethnic, cultural and religious minorities, people with disabilities and developmental challenges to controversial topics, unique family situations and anything and everything I did not include. It is to say we take a rightfully broad view of diversity! We aim to shine a light on books that bring both familiar experiences to those who do not often see themselves represented in books and new experiences to those looking to expand their worldview. Here at Bird Meets Worm we believe in the power of story to build empathy and thus a better world for you and me and everyone. Look for a new review on the second Wednesday of every month.

             

A DIFFERENT POND
By Thi Bui • Illustrated by Bao Phi
Picture Book (ages 6-8) • 32 pages
Published by Capstone Young Readers • 2017
ISBN 978-1-6237-0803-0

A Different Pond is a beautiful, yet haunting, testament to the Vietnamese refugee experience in America in the early 1980’s. The story, presented in graphic novel style, begins with a father waking his young boy very early in the morning to go fishing. The boy observes the darkness and quiet of the early morning as they drive to the pond, and then we realize the father needs to fish in order to provide food for his family. While the father is fishing, the boy builds a fire on his own, and his father freely shows his approval. The boy beams with pride. After catching two fish, the pair drive home, and present two fish to their family. The whole family happily eats the fish together later that evening, after the mother and father return from work.

While the story is seemingly simple, throughout there are many details that reveal the difficulties the family face in America. We see the bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling, and hear the bait shop owner asking why they are so early, to which the father reveals he has taken a second job to make ends meet. When they arrive at the pond, a “No Trespassing” sign is posted. Clearly, the American dream is a struggle for the family. While they are fishing, the father tells stories of the war and of his brother who one day “didn’t come home.” The family is still overcoming the trauma of war while having to acclimate to an entirely new culture. On the way home the boy wonders about “that other pond, in the country my dad comes from.” The father’s stories are told and shape the boy’s world view.

Bui and Phi have created a lyrical, evocative story that juxtaposes the tenderness between the boy and his father with the harsh realities surrounding them. A Different Pond is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit and the refugee experience.

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Reviewed by: Sarah Orgill