A Different Pond

Acclaimed poet Bao Phi delivers a powerful, honest glimpse into a relationship between father and son and between cultures, old and new. A Different Pond is an unforgettable story about a simple eventa long-ago fishing trip. 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. 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. The New York Times has said that Bao Phi’s poetry rhymes with the truth. Together with graphic novelist Thi Bui’s striking, evocative art, Phi’s expertly crafted prose reflects an immigrant family making its way in a new home while honoring its bonds to the past.

About the Author :
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. Thi Bui was born in Vietnam and grew up in California and New York. Now all these places are a part of her. She draws and writes and teaches. She recently completed her first graphic novel, The Best We Could Do (Abrams, 2017), which is about her mother and father.

Review :
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"" 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"" 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" 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"" 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" 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"" Phi's autobiographical picture book in verse explores the struggles of a Vietnamese immigrant family.-- "Publishers Weekly, "Children's Books Exploring the Refugee Crisis"" 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"" 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""