Pool by Jihyeon Lee, Hardcover

The New York Times Book Review - Emily Jenkins

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.

Publishers Weekly

★ 03/09/2015
In this wordless debut, Korean artist Lee combines imaginative power and emotional restraint. With a murmur of shaded pencil, she draws a boy in a bathing cap and goggles standing alone beside a public pool. Swimmers arrive suddenly and crowd the water—some are all but indistinguishable from the blubbery inflatable toys they carry—taking up every available bit of space. Diving beneath them, the boy heads straight down. Now, Lee draws the boy and the world he discovers in full color. A girl his age swims toward him, and together they play and explore, swimming among schools of wildly improbable fish of scarlet and blue, fish with snouts like snorkels and fins like ferns. They play hide-and-seek among the sea vents, encounter more threatening fish, and then, deeper still, find themselves eye-to-enormous-eye with a placid, whalelike behemoth. When the two surface and exit the pool, they exchange a shy, intimate glance, silent testimony to all they’ve shared. It’s perhaps the quietest, least remarkable-seeming people, Lee suggests, who see what’s below the surface of the ordinary world. An auspicious and memorable debut. Ages 3–5. (May)

From the Publisher

"The message is wordless but clear: don't stay safely on the surface but dive deep to find friendship and wonder.. a delight."—Kirkus Reviews"

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

http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/pool-by-jihyeon-lee/Wherever you are, whatever your background, that first open page will surely be beckoning you to dive right in."

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

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." - Fort Worth Star-Telegram Best Books of 2015"

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

A masterful wordless book that celebrates quiet moments and new friendship."—Creator's Syndicate"

So many sweet little surprises in this story!"— Design Mom"

Perfect for preschoolers (and anyone with an imagination!)."—Good Housekeeping"

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

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"

Diving into the unknown can be an exhilarating and magical experience"—T: The New York Times Style Magazine"

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

Brilliant. Lee's debut picture book is a swan dive."—School Library Journal, starred review"

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

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

A wondrous, wordless tale of a girl and boy and the magical world they discover once they brave the depths of a pool."- New York Times Notable Book of The Year"

A wonderful addition to any library, home or classroom."—Montreal Gazette"

A quiet tribute to the beauty of hidden depths."—The Wall Street Journal

Children's Literature - Wendy Miller Kibler

A young boy stands before an empty pool, but before he can get in, a crowd of people—some young, some old, some wearing swim rings, some carrying balls and inflatable boats—rush in to completely fill the pool. The boy finally dives in, away from the crowd, and meets a young girl. Together they explore a world of colorful sea creatures. Now friends, when they surface, the boy helps the girl out of the pool just as the others are getting out of the water too. The final page shows a girl looking back in alarm at the sight of a few sea creatures visible above the surface of the pool water. This delightful wordless book shows children, especially quiet or shy or lonely children, the rewards of just diving in (literally and metaphorically), the joy of friendship, and the wonderful world of imagination. The lack of text only strengthens this story. Children will enjoy poring over the detailed drawings, many of which are wonderfully expressive and amusing. Readers will love how the illustrator uses black-and-white drawings of the crowd throughout the story; as well as the boy before he enters the pool. Rendering the boy in color once he dives in reminded this reviewer of that marvelous transition between black-and-white and color in The Wizard of Oz. Wallpaper downloads of art from the book are available through the publisher’s website. Reviewer: Wendy Miller Kibler; Ages 3 to 6.

School Library Journal

★ 05/01/2015
PreS-Gr 2—This unique and elegant wordless adventure follows a timid boy's foray into a crowded public pool. Due to the crash of humanity cramming the water with their comical bulk and myriad of blow-up gear, the goggled hero dives deep and discovers a female counterpart, who leads him to a forest of fantastic aquatic creatures and plants. Some fish are friendly enough to pat; others embrace the children into their school. A group of fiercer-looking fish flee, allowing the humans to enjoy a white whale's visit. The tamer underwater inhabitants lead the children back to the surface for their return to the deck. Lee's artistic choices are brilliant. The rowdy crowd is depicted in black, white, and gray line drawings and contrasts with the joyful aquatic world in colored pencils and pastels. The large format and the artist's generous use of solid space greatly expand the journey's vistas. VERDICT Lee's debut picture book is a swan dive.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Kirkus Reviews

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)

Pool

Hardcover

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