PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
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.
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 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 The delicate and detailed watercolor illustrations elegantly enhance the appeal of this work. VERDICT A valuable and culturally authentic addition to folktale collections. --School Library Journal 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 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 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
