In this gloriously illustrated story with an equally glorious, poetic text, we meet a family in pieces over the death of the husband and father. The boy who tells the story explains that dad had wanted to build a pond, a pond with wonderful wildlife and water lilies and ducks. But when he dies, there is only a messy, muddy hole in the back garden, a hole too big for their small garden, and this hole reflects the holes in the hearts of mum and the two boys. It is full of rubbish and dead leaves, and when, one day, a duck flies into the hole and begins to quack, the boy gets the hosepipe and fills the hole for the duck. Mum is very angry when the duck flies away and the hosepipe floods the kitchen; she threatens to fill the hole in. The boy runs to his room and 'screams and screams at Dad for dying.' Life goes on for the sad family until the boys come home one day to discover that mum has had the pond lined and an edge put around it. This should be a good thing, but as the boy fills the pond, he can only think that it is 'just a hole with water in it'. Sometime later, the older boy discovers things moving in the pond, and when they look under the water, they find all sorts of lovely, lively creatures swimming around. They add some water lilies, and the boy telling the story relates that he likes to sit by the pond and talk to his dad about it and all the things flourishing there. When they must leave the house for another, mum promises they will have a pond there too, and the boys know their relationship with the natural world and with their dad will continue in a very special way. This is an exceptional story, and the illustrations are outstanding - full of light and darkness, sadness, and, ultimately, joy. The duo of Davies and Fisher is magical, and long may they collaborate!