Pool

by JiHyeon Lee

Overview

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
A NPR.org Best Book of the Year
Gold Medal Winner - Society of Illustrators' Original Art Show, 2015

What happens when two shy children meet at a very crowded pool? Dive in to find out! Deceptively simple, this masterful book tells a story of quiet moments and surprising encounters, and reminds us that friendship and imagination have no bounds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452150383
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	03/22/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	56
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	1 - 12 Years

About the Author

JiHyeon Lee was born in South Korea, where she earned degrees in art, design, and illustration, and where she still lives today. Pool is her first book.

Editorial Reviews

Pool is similar thematically to gorgeous wordless fantasy stories like David Wiesner's Caldecott Medal-winning Flotsam, Aaron Becker's Caldecott Honor-winning Journey or Barbara Lehman's Caldecott Honor-winning The Red Book. It deserves a place among them. Lee's story opens the reader to miracles that can be uncovered in ordinary situations, both through the wonder of the imagination and the natural world. The wonder of friendship, too.

The New York Times Book Review - Emily Jenkins

"That arresting cover delivers on its promises. Beauty, whimsy, stillness, imagination."—This Picture Book Life

"That arresting cover delivers on its promises. Beauty, whimsy, stillness, imagination."—This Picture Book Life

"That arresting cover delivers on its promises. Beauty, whimsy, stillness, imagination."—This Picture Book Life

"The wide range of facial expressions on humans and fish alike encourage re-reading."-School Library Connection

"The wide range of facial expressions on humans and fish alike encourage re-reading."-School Library Connection

"The wide range of facial expressions on humans and fish alike encourage re-reading."-School Library Connection

"Makes you think, works on many different levels, and does it all without a single word, plunge right into Pool ."—Nerdy Book Club

"Makes you think, works on many different levels, and does it all without a single word, plunge right into Pool ."—Nerdy Book Club

"Makes you think, works on many different levels, and does it all without a single word, plunge right into Pool ."—Nerdy Book Club

"Expect something more exciting than a swim lesson."—The Horn Book Magazine

"Expect something more exciting than a swim lesson."—The Horn Book Magazine

"Expect something more exciting than a swim lesson."—The Horn Book Magazine

"An enchanting story of wonder and friendship. Dive right in."—BookPage

"An enchanting story of wonder and friendship. Dive right in."—BookPage

"An enchanting story of wonder and friendship. Dive right in."—BookPage

"This wordless book has details that urge storytelling and repeat examinations."—Raleigh News and Observier

"This wordless book has details that urge storytelling and repeat examinations."—Raleigh News and Observier

"This wordless book has details that urge storytelling and repeat examinations."—Raleigh News and Observier

"Combines imaginative power and emotional restraint... An auspicious and memorable debut."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Combines imaginative power and emotional restraint... An auspicious and memorable debut."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Combines imaginative power and emotional restraint... An auspicious and memorable debut."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Opens the reader to miracles that can be uncovered in ordinary situations."—The New York Times

"Opens the reader to miracles that can be uncovered in ordinary situations."—The New York Times

"Opens the reader to miracles that can be uncovered in ordinary situations."—The New York Times

"Will stay with you even after you close the book and resurface."—The Boston Globe

"Will stay with you even after you close the book and resurface."—The Boston Globe

"Will stay with you even after you close the book and resurface."—The Boston Globe

"A wordless masterpiece of space, scale, and silence... wonderful beyond words from cover to cover."—Brain Pickings

From the Publisher

2015-03-03
Two children with phenomenal lung capacity have an astonishing adventure in the neighborhood pool. A slim child clad in bathing cap, goggles, and trunks stands poolside; the water is smooth, blue, and empty. Then a throng of grotesque, mostly obese adults with inner tubes and rubber rafts descends, choking the pool's surface. The child enters the water anyway, diving below the paddling feet of the crowd, and is joined by another slender, capped, goggled child, this one sporting a skirted tank suit. Down the pair swim, past strange, birdlike fish to clusters of brightly colored tube worms. An uncluttered double-page spread suspends the two in an empty blue expanse; a turn of the page finds them eye to eye with a gentle, furred white whale. Readers will notice that Lee's palette takes on increasing vibrancy as the children explore; the first child's trunks, gray at the surface, are now bright blue, and the second child's suit is scarlet. The children retain their brilliant hues upon ascending and exiting, while the splashing crowd is still rendered in shades of gray. The message is wordless but clear: don't stay safely on the surface but dive deep to find friendship and wonder. While the contrast between the slender explorers and the fat intruders is unfortunate, Lee's control of palette and pacing makes this Korean import otherwise a delight. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews