A collection of four short stories for children by late author Trần Hoài Dương is being reprinted by the Kim Đồng Publishing House. Photo courtesy of the Kim Đồng Publishing House

HCM CITY — Four short stories by late author Trần Hoài Dương has been reprinted to offer more reading options for children this summer.

The books are Những Đóa Hồng Bạch Dâng Tặng Andersen (White Roses for Andersen); Chuyện Vui Về Chú Ếch Cốm (Funny Tales of the Green Frog); Bé Rơm (Straw Doll); and Tiếng Mùa Xuân (Call of the Spring).

All four books are magical, meaningful adventures into the world of animals, plants and kids.

The latest editions have been illustrated by four young artists Hà Trang, Linh Vương, Trần Thùy My and Miny Nguyễn, adding freshness to the captivating stories.

The four books are reprinted by the Kim Đồng Publishing House, which specialises in children’s books, to celebrate the 65th anniversary of its establishment.

Trần Hoài Dương was born Trần Bắc Quỳ in Hải Dương Province in 1942.

He released his first short story collection for children titled Em Bé và Hoa Hồng (The Child and the Rose) in 1963, and then published 24 short stories and novels.

He won top prizes at national contests like Literature Awards given by Việt Nam Writers’ Association for a short story collection titled Cuộc Phiêu Lưu Của Những Con Chữ (The Adventure of Letters) in 1968, and for his novel Miền Xanh Thẳm (Green Land) in 2001.

He also wrote scripts for animation films and puppet shows.

His script for animation film Bé Rơm won the best screenplay prize at the Việt Nam National Film Festival in 1983.

He worked at Tạp Chí Học Tập (Study Magazine), currently Tạp Chí Cộng Sản (Communist Review); Văn Nghệ (Literature and Art) newspaper; and Măng Non (Bamboo Shoot) Publishing House, now Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House, before becoming a freelance writer in 1992.

Dương died in 2011 after suffering a heart attack. — VNS