Scan barcode
lispylibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
A simple and wonderful story of a boy going fishing with his father to catch their dinner.
deservingporcupine's review
4.0
I imagine it’s difficult to write about things that can be difficult for children to understand (war, immigration) in a beautiful and joyful way. This book achieved exactly that. The pictures were stunning.
ajaggers324's review
5.0
This is a wonderful book. I loved the illustrations so much. The watercolor skies especially.
intensej's review
5.0
Beautiful illustrations accompany this story of a young boy going fishing with his father to catch their dinner.
turrean's review
5.0
Gentle, beautiful look at the immigrant experience through a child’s eyes. The palette is muted, befitting a story of a pre-dawn childhood memory.
sydneycarr's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
Caldecott Award, Age level: 2nd-4th, published on August 1st, 2017. This book follows a little boy that is part of a refugee family from Vietnam. The boy's family struggles for money, as the adults work multiple jobs to make ends meet to provide for the family. To save money, the boy and his father wake up early to go fish for dinner. This experience with his father gives the boy a sense of worth by assisting in providing for his family in a world that is driven by wealth. I believe that this book would be very valuable to have in my classroom because it gives students a glimpse into the life of people who may not be as fortunate as them, or they could possibly relate to the story if they happen to be in a similar situation. I think that this book can give students a lot of hope and confidence in their ability to make an impact on their families at such a small age, even if that impact may not be in the same way as the boy in the story.
mat_tobin's review
5.0
Phi, a Vietnamese American poet living in Minnesota, recalls some deeply poignant and important moments from his childhood which tell of his future role in providing for his family whilst also understanding his cultural roots. In the story, a young boy accompanies his father to go illegally fishing in order to put food on his family’s plates. Having sought refuge from Vietnam, much like the illustrator’s own parents, Bui’s family here are poor and his father must work multiple jobs in order to get by.
Yet it is at the pond that the young boy and father bond. There they meet others surviving on the fringe of society: a Hmong man who tells funny jokes a black man with a colourful lure collection. It is here, at the river, that the boy’s father shares his stories of his own home and of times when he was a child, fishing. Although at the time, the boy may not understand the rite of passage that is happening here, Phi, now grown up, does and this is a beautiful, touching story.
Bui’s illustrations have always meant a lot to me since reading The Best We Could Do: a graphic novel depicting her own family’s move to America. Not only does she evoke the moment between night and the early dawn with real tenderness but she is extremely adept at capturing family relationships. She understands how landscape and space can help evoke a sense of being constrained and dwarfed by the world the young boy lives in just as well as she can capture those tight moments of intimacy.
Yet it is at the pond that the young boy and father bond. There they meet others surviving on the fringe of society: a Hmong man who tells funny jokes a black man with a colourful lure collection. It is here, at the river, that the boy’s father shares his stories of his own home and of times when he was a child, fishing. Although at the time, the boy may not understand the rite of passage that is happening here, Phi, now grown up, does and this is a beautiful, touching story.
Bui’s illustrations have always meant a lot to me since reading The Best We Could Do: a graphic novel depicting her own family’s move to America. Not only does she evoke the moment between night and the early dawn with real tenderness but she is extremely adept at capturing family relationships. She understands how landscape and space can help evoke a sense of being constrained and dwarfed by the world the young boy lives in just as well as she can capture those tight moments of intimacy.