A DIFFERENT POND

Music, sound effects, and poet Bao Phi’s soothing voice transport the listener to a boy's early morning fishing trip with his father. The audible smiles in Phi’s tone and the evocative way he says “slimy” bring joy to a story that also describes poverty and xenophobia. For the boy's family, fishing means food on the table, not sport, and his parents work all day, even on Saturday. The father's past in war-torn Vietnam also comes through the edges of the tale. Sweet music helps maintain the glimmer of childlike wonder that overlays the somber elements. After the story, background information on Bao Phi and the picture book's illustrator, Thi Bui, explains how their childhoods as Vietnamese immigrants in America inspired the book. S.T.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2022]