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 was born in Vietnam and raised in Minnesota. His Caldecott Medal Honor Book, "

," highlights the sacrifices a father has made to support his family in a new and foreign place. 

, also born in Vietnam and raised in the U.S.

Both of them joined host Marianne Combs to discuss why they felt this story needed to be told, and the process of telling it.

Phi told Combs that he was contacted by Capstone Publishing after he wrote a review for the children's book, "

" which he and his daughter loved. Capstone asked Phi if he'd ever written a children's or young adult book and that's where "A Different Pond" got its start.

Phi credits Capstone with recognizing the importance of diversifying the authors it supports. 

, Ph.D., to talk about diversifying children's books, why it's important and how it can bring about books like "A Different Pond." Park Dahlen is a library sciences associate professor at St. Catherine University.

Dahlen said that the good news is that publishers are taking note of the lack of diversity in children's literature, but there's still work to be done. She recommended the following resources for finding books from authors of different backgrounds:

• Black feminist and writer Zetta Elliot's 

, American Indians in Children's Literature written by Debbie Reese. 

 produced books because of the lack of children's books in the Karen language to serve the city's growing Karen population.

, a project of Teaching for Change, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide teachers and parents with the tools to create schools where students learn to read, write and change the world.

, a website focused on Latino works in young adult and children's literature

, a website focused on LGBTQ topics in young adult literature.

, a website designed to highlight black voices writing for young readers. 

 a literacy program focused on Asian Pacific American and American Indian/Alaska Native through books, oral traditions, and art.

, a nonprofit aiming to increase access to books featuring diverse characters.

 honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for children and adolescents.

 is focused on discussing the portrayal of disability in middle grade and young adult literature

, an imprint providing Muslim children and families a positive reflection in published works. 

, a publisher with developing children's books focused on Indian heritage.

 Correction (Feb. 26, 2018): An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of Debbie Reese, the article has been updated. 

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"A Different Pond" portrays a father fishing to feed his family and bond that creates with his son. Marianne Combs spoke with the author and illustrator, then turned the conversation to diversity in children's literature.

"A Different Pond" portrays a father fishing to feed his family and bond that creates with his son. Marianne Combs spoke with the author, Bao Phi, and illustrator, Thi Bui, then turned the conversation to diversity in children's literature with Sarah Park Dahlen, who has done research on the subject.

Minnesotan writer captures father's love in new picture book

The award-winning children's book, "A Different Pond."

Minnesotan writer captures father's love in new picture book

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