Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories

Children's Favorite Stories

by Phuoc Thi Minh Tran, Dong Nguyen (Illustrator), Hop Thi Nguyen (Illustrator)

**Winner of Creative Child Magazine 2015 Book of the Year Award**
**Winner of Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2015 Gold Medal**

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." They make perfect new additions for story time or bedtime reading. 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. .

Genres: Fiction, Picture Books, Childrens, Short Stories, Fairy Tales, Anthologies, Folklore

96 pages, Hardcover

First published April 14, 2015

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very Vietnamese selection of folktales, centering around those familiar recurring themes of beleaguered Vietnamese pushing back against better-funded northern invaders, kings puzzling over whom among their gazillion sons to select as successor, the envious undercutting the virtuous, the poor struggling to eke out a living in the shadow of uncaring Nature's caprices, one thoughtless instant's lapse from perfect behavior ruining the remainder of an otherwise blameless life. Hardly anyone gets a second chance here: doze off for one second, make one miscalculation, come up one inch short, and you fall permanently from grace, cease to be the protagonist of your own story. The narrative eye just begins following another character instead, and that's the end of you! There's harshness in this worldview but also, of course, pockets of magic: I got chills reading the tale of an aging villager being supernaturally impregnated when she stepped in giant footprints that had mysteriously appeared overnight in a rice field. Also, the hand-painted watercolor illustrations by Nguyen Thi Hop and Nguyen Dong are iridescently gorgeous.

[mai-linh nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Vietnamese American, I grew up aware of my culture, but I was never told many traditions, holidays, or folktales. When I heard about cam and tam, I realized there was so much more about my heritage to learn! Since then, I have dedicated myself to teaching myself my culture. This book is exactly what I needed. I couldn't help but smile as I read through this book. I'm named after the tet mai flower, so opening the book and seeing bonsais of my flower was so lovely! Reading about the tale of the Mai flower healed my inner child, who barely knew what her flower looked like. From the bottom of my heart, I thank Tran Thi Minh Phuoc for their beautiful retelling and for being willing to write this for the younger generations.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars, a beautiful collection of stories and folktales.

[Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently, the author of this colorful, elegant picture book spoke at the library I was working at, explaining some of her methods of editing, translating, and compiling this collection of Vietnamese fairy tales. It sounded very interesting, but unfortunately, being at the desk, I was unable to listen. Still, I grabbed one of the library's copies and read it. This is, I feel, a book I would have really enjoyed as a kid. I loved world fairy stories, looking at similarities and differences in what a culture wanted their children to know about. The lush watercolors, filled with strange creatures, verdant landscapes, intricate costumes, and delicious looking food, compliment the stories wonderfully.

The stories themselves are archetypal for myths and legends, with its mix of fantasy and historical events; here, they are neither too "Disniefied," with more unpleasant aspects removed, nor are they overly "grim." The stories strike a nice balance in tone, showcasing the ancient culture in a way understandable by children. While preserving the Vietnamese names, on the other hand, characters encounter "fairies" and "genies," and I wondered how these beings were described in the originals. In any case, this is a lovely collection that will be appreciated by any kid interested in myths and legends.

[Annie Do · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book to read! The book is a collection of Vietnamese children's short stories, folktales, and legends. As someone who listened and read about these stories growing up, the book became very nostalgic to me. The fact that the authors wrote their name according to Vietnamese cultures of writing names with last name first gave the book an authentic feel. The stories were well written and offered an accurate perspective into the lives and the beliefs of Vietnamese people and their traditions. In addition, the artwork proved to be authentic to Vietnam's artwork because they resemble the ones I see in Vietnamese children's books when I was young. Just like how Dr.Seuss or Mr. Miyazaki has a unique artwork true to their work, this book contains artwork that was true to Vietnamese cultures. Overall, the book did a great job of displaying folktales as a way for Vietnamese children to connect to their heritage, and it offered a great perspective of Vietnamese traditions for foreign readers.

[Amanita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good selection of stories with beautiful illustrations. Unfortunately it contains some errors — what did the author mean by "the ninth of April of the lunar calendar"? My main problem is with the changes to the traditional folktales. Changing folktales to be more in-line with modern sensibilities is common, but that doesn't stop me from HATING it (please, kill Cám with boiling water and turn her into fermented paste!). More disturbingly, they also change the folktales to be more in-line with a Western storytelling understanding. Why give Tấm a shoe!? Just to make it more similar to Cinderella?

[Terry]

The illustrations bring Vietnamese culture to life for those who are culturally or historically unaware. Beautiful, magical illustrations bring these stories to life and engage young readers to keep listening while you read.

There's more to our review. Visit the the Reading Tub to see why we recommend this book. You can add your review, too.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It was short but I enjoyed the tales and legends. My favorite were the beautiful illustrations!! There was even a retelling of Cinderella called Tam and Cam which I liked comparing to the other retelling I have previously read. I love fairy tales and these stories had great lessons for children and adults alike. If you love fairytales, legends and myths from others cultures and countries this is a great read. Highly recommend!

[Kay Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter 8 year old loves this book a lot. Its a must has for your child to find out more about the cultures and people of Vietnam.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the stories. My only complaint is that I wish they had included the diacritics to to the Vietnamese words and names used instead of anglicizing the language.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful stories and artworks. I liked the ones with happier endings the best. But then I'm always a sucker for happily ever afters. I enjoyed Le Loi and the Magic Sword. Reminds me of King Arthur actually with the lady of the Lake. But I'm loving the fact the sword was on loan from a Dragon King. Although why the sword didn't have a hilt in the first place puzzles me.
the orgin story behind the monsoon season, Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh- the Mountain Lord and the Sea Lord was fun as well. although I was like dude, your fault you were late, get over it
I feel as though no collection is complete without their version of Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast in this one we have the Story of Tam and Cam.
Overall a great collection.
Recommended? Sure
Buy/Borrow? Borrow

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh, I just really love folk and fairy tales. In this collection of Vietnamese stories, each tale is short (5 pages at most) and beautifully illustrated. Sometimes fairy tales can be dark or unsettling but these are well suited to young children. I highly recommend these as a bedtime story collection and a valuable tool for learning about Vietnamese culture.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful stories (even a Cinderella-esque tale) from a wonderful culture. They are great for any child or adult!

[Ramarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gift from ESL student-always intriguing to read legends and lore from other cultures. The story of Tam and Cam is a Cinderella tale.

[Niyyah Ruscher-Haqq]

Lovely illustrations and well written, my favorite was "The Tale of the Mosquito."

[Mabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meant for children but the stories are easy to understand and interesting to see what is important to Vietnam culture and their life in Vietnam.

Some sounded familiar but overall, a fun easy read.

[Elizabeth Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know nothing about Vietnamese stories, but was immediately smitten with this book. The color pictures intrigued me and brought the characters alive for me.
Tran Thi Minh Phuoc's writing is simple and clear. As I read the stories I became emotionally and spiritually moved.
I recommend Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories for children and adults alike.

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Synopsis- Vietnamese folklore is rather extensive, but author Phuoc Thi has gathered several of the more well-known children’s folklore, and put them into one book. There is a wide variety of tales, but some revolve around the Vietnamese New Year. It also includes some Vietnamese vocabulary.

What I Thought- This was a cool collection of stories. I love how the stories helped explain Vietnamese traditions and culture. I learned about the Vietnamese new year celebration, and why a certain flower is popular, and why they don’t sweep their houses during the celebrations. These are great stories for bedtime, and are wonderful for a multicultural unit. There is even a story similar to our Cinderella. The illustrations are gorgeous. They catch the feel of the story perfectly, and they really bring the tales to life.
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Irene Widyaningrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

good and helpful book

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

~ Set in Vietnam.
A book for my grandson, Porter, to embrace his heritage.