Review (Plus): Pool by JiHyeon Lee
Words are not needed in this beautifully illustrated children’s book, Pool by JiHyeon Lee. As we approach summer time this book is an empathic tale of a shy child who meets another shy child at an overcrowded pool. The images express scenes we have all encountered when visiting a public pool–too many people of all sizes and shapes. Our young protagonist is overwhelmed by this scene as shown in the crafted details of his face. Even at a crowded pool, friendships can be found and a summer of dreams becomes reality. The simple pool becomes an ocean full of exotic fish which he shares with his new friend.
In the store:
SUMMER! Do you have a display of summertime activities for your young patrons? Do you have books about fear of swimming, learning to swim, nonfiction ocean books? Pull them all together and have a water-themed display. You may even want to showcase some water toys–water balloon fight anyone?
In the classroom:
Inevitably, your students will encounter some sort of water in the next few months. This book is illustrations of a pool turned into ocean. CCSS has not adopted an official standard for Pre-K, but many states have adopted domains to follow. One of them is the Cognition and Knowledge of the World. The cool aspect for the classroom with this book is the ability for your own students to create their own story. If they are too young to write they can dictate the story line allowing them to form cognitive thoughts based on the illustrations and discussing water in a global sense. Pairing this book with an art project making a fish would be a simple and easy assignment.
Pool by JiHyeon Lee (Chronicle Books | 9781452142944 | May 5, 2015)
