Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories

**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.

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.

"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

"Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories is a great example of what I often refer to as a parent's 'snuggle book.' This book with its magical stories provides the perfect invitation for parents to snuggle with their child to read and let their imaginations soar as they enter into a land and culture of untold Vietnamese generations." --Adoption Today Magazine

"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

"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