Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories

Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories

This colorfully illustrated multicultural children's book presents Vietnamese fairy tales and other folk stories—providing insight into a rich literary culture.

Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories, is a charming collection of fifteen tales as told by prominent storyteller Tran Thi Minh Phuoc. In it, Tran—Minnesota's first Vietnamese librarian and an active member of the Vietnamese-American community—recounts cherished folktales such as "The Story of Tam and Cam" (the Vietnamese version of Cinderella), "The Jade Rabbit," and "The Legend of the Mai Flower." With beautiful illustrations by veteran artists Nguyen Thi Hop and Nguyen Dong, children and adults alike will be enchanted by Tran's English retellings. Stories in which integrity, hard work and a kind heart triumph over deception, laziness, and greed—as gods, peasants, kings and fools spring to life in legends of bravery and beauty, and fables about nature.

The Children's Favorite Stories series was created to share the folktales and legends most beloved by children in the East with young readers of all backgrounds in the West. Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories will keep Vietnam's folktales alive for them and the legions of young readers who enjoy multicultural children's books and stories set in faraway lands.

Other multicultural children's books in this series include: Asian Children's Favorite Stories, Indian Children's Favorite Stories, Indonesian Children's Favorite Stories, Japanese Children's Favorite Stories, Singapore Children's Favorite Stories, Filipino Favorite Children's Stories, Favorite Children's Stories from China & Tibet, Chinese Children's Favorite Stories, Korean Children's Favorite Stories, Balinese Children's Favorite Stories.

Review

"This story collection provides an opportunity for children of Vietnamese origin to find out more about the beauty and depth of the culture of Vietnam, through stories full of self nation, and is an opportunity for families of Vietnamese origin and transmission of conservation treasure tales Vietnam for the next generation." —Nguoi Viet Daily News

"Phuoc Tran's stories remind us of the depth and beauty of Vietnamese culture. The folktales help heal us all from the tragic history of the Vietnam War and bring the deep enduring cultural traditions back into the light to be shared by all." —David Zander, Cultural Anthropologist, Co-Founder of Asian Storytellers Alliance

"This well researched and lovingly written book is destined to be a children's classic." —Wendy Woodfill, Senior Librarian at Hennepin County Library, MN; Chair of the 2014 ALSC Notable Children's Books Committee

"The stories reflect the traditions, myths, and history of Vietnam, with trees and flowers frequently serving symbolic purposes. Works such as The Story of Tam and Cam, an adaptation of Cinderella, will be familiar to readers, while a story about why the sea is salty (it's due to a greedy man's magical salt grinder at the bottom of the ocean) will be new to many. The husband-and-wife Nguyens' modest watercolors include both spot illustrations and larger, ornamental images that fill pages and spreads, resulting in a graceful balance between text and pictures." — Publishers Weekly

"Ms. Phuoc Thi-Minh Tran has organized and taught hundreds of children and families with meaningful and outstanding programs that include storytelling, arts and crafts, music, food, traditions and holidays of Vietnam. Her personal connection to Vietnam along with her professional expertise provides great depth such wonderful stories." —Caroline Nguyen Ticarro-Parker, Founder & Executive Director, Catalyst Foundation

"These ancient and traditional Vietnamese stories are a compilation of both folklore and fairy tale in one volume. The folklore about animals explains the history of the natural world in Vietnam. The fairy tales depict humans striving against poverty and injustice with the help of magic and the aid of gods and goddesses. Children, and the adults who read these stories to them, will love the pacing and tone of Tran Thi Minh Phuoc's narrative and the beautiful watercolor palette of the book's illustrations. Images seem to float from page to page. This work should have a home in every public library, and will become a cherished gift at Tet, the Vietnamese New Year." —Maureen Millea Smith, librarian and Minnesota Book Award-winning novelist of When Charlotte Comes Home

"Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories is a rainbow sampling of a rich culture's traditions for children, appealing to children of imagination everywhere." —Midwest Book Review

"Attractive watercolor illustrations by two Vietnamese artists are scattered throughout, and the appealing cover should invite readers. A welcome addition to any collection of folk tales." — Kirkus Review

About the Author

Tran Thi Minh Phuoc spent ten months in a refugee camp in Malaysia before coming to America. In 1984, after a 50-hour Greyhound trip from California, she reached Minnesota, where she found life's most precious treasures: education and a safe environment. She became Minnesota's first Vietnamese librarian, and has been an active storyteller for over 20 years.

Nguyen Thi Hop and Nguyen Dong began their careers as young professional artists in the South Vietnam of the 1960s, exhibiting in Paris, Taiwan and in cities in Germany and the US as well as in Saigon. They have illustrated books published in numerous countries and have frequently illustrated the work of renowned Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.