HCM CITY — Hundreds of new books for children of Vietnamese and international authors will be released during the summer.

The Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House will present 100 titles on arts, literature, history, and living skills.

Tớ Nghĩ Gì Khi Còn Bé (What I Am Thinking When I Am a Child) is an interactive two-book set by artist Biên Thùy.

It raised questions about family, friends, people and the environment for children aged six to 10.

“As a mother of two children, I know how to ask questions that encourage our children to share their feelings and thoughts about life, and learn more about living skills,” Thùy said.

The publisher will reprint a book set titled Cổ Tích Mới (New Fairy Tales) written by author Nguyên Hương.

The set consisting of eight books tells new stories inspired by Vietnamese and foreign fairy tales in a modern style.

The publication won the golden prize at the Việt Nam Publishers Association’s Best Book Awards 2016.

Nguyễn Minh Nhựt, director of the publishing house, said: “The Trẻ Publishing House worked hard last year to release 100 new books for children that increase the number of our books for children up to 700.”

Nhựt said that his company focused on books for children because “books provide children knowledge about people, nature and the world, as well as amazing adventures”.

He said that educators and psychologists agreed that reading books “is the best way to help children distinguish right and wrong”.

The publishing house hosted a children’s book fair at the HCM City Pedestrian Book Street in District 1 on Sunday. The event displayed thousands of copies of books for children and sell them at a 20-30 per cent discount.

The Nhã Nam Culture and Communications Company and the Writers’ Association Publishing House will introduce a set of four books on sex education for children and parents on International Children’s Day on June 1.

Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept was written by Jayneen Sandlers, an Australian teacher, author, mother of three teenagers and an active advocate for sexual-abuse prevention education both in the home and schools.

In order to raise awareness of parents about the importance of books for children, the publishing houses will host discussions with leading children’s book authors, educators and psychologists on the Pedestrian Book Street early next month.

Encouraging local writers

The Trẻ Publishing House launched a campaign “Vietnamese Writes Books for Vietnamese Children” to encourage local writers to provide more quality publications for Vietnamese children.

Nhựt said the publishing house had published hundreds of children’s books by foreign authors in recent years, and now wanted to see more books by Vietnamese authors.

“The market is lacking Vietnamese books for children. Foreign books impart general knowledge for both children and parents, but they may not be suited to Vietnamese tradition and culture," he said.

However, many young and veteran Vietnamese writers agreed that writing books for children was not easy.

“To me, writing books for children means telling about my childhood,” said veteran author and journalist Lê Văn Nghĩa.

Nghĩa has released two books for children, Mùa Hè Năm Petrus (Summer in Petrus), and Chú Chiếu Bóng, Tay Đánh Bài và Tụi Con Nít Xóm Nhỏ Sài Gòn Năm Ấy (Cinema Projectionist, Gambler and Children in Sài Gòn’s Alley).

They have received warm welcome from both children and adults.

Nhựt said: “Through the campaign, we hope to receive more and more drafts for children’s books from Vietnamese writers, especially from young writers. We hope to provide young readers quality books featuring Vietnamese culture, history and tradition.” — VNS