HCM CITY— A series of Vietnamese books that debuted this week to celebrate Children’s Day on June 1 are now available in bookstores around the country.

Young writer Nguyễn Lệ Chi’s first book, Bụng Phệ Nhanh Chân (Chubby Girl Runs), features lively pictures by talented artists from the Kim Đồng Publishing House. 

The 122-page work, for children aged five to 10, is about a little girl named Bụng Phệ and her mother.

Written in a simple but meaningful style, the book is about childhood, friendship and dreams.

On online forums, more than 15,000 readers, mostly teachers and parents, have commented about the book. 

On June 3, the writer will meet her fans at a signing ceremony at HCM City Book Street in District 1.  

For summer, Kim Đồng’s website, www.nxbkimdong.com.vn, has introduced 20 new Vietnamese children’s books in literature, history and arts. 

Featured books include Susu và Gogo Bước Ra Thế Giới (Susu and Gogo Reach the World), a collection of three books by female writer Dương Thụy.

The collection, for children aged six to 13, features two characters, named Susu and Gogo, and their adventures in Paris, Singapore and Tokyo.   

It includes stories about friendship, love and dreams, written with the authors’ typical flair and imagination.  

More than 7,000 copies of each book have been printed.

The General Publishing House, in co-operation with its partner, First News, a well-known publisher for children, have also released a book collection for children and teenagers by Vietnamese writers.  

One of its featured books is Từ Rừng Thẳm Amazon Đến Quê Hương Bolero (From the Amazon Rainforest to the Country of Bolero), a work for readers aged eight to 14, by Nguyễn Tập.  

The book has four chapters that feature the writer’s adventures in the Amazon, Mexico, Peru and Cuba.  

The work is about the author’s love for the natural world, animals, countries and people. It includes information and lessons about ethnic minority groups and their history, culture and lifestyle.  

“I wanted to capture the world through my writing for children,” said Tập, the book’s writer.

Another collection is Kho Tàng Truyện Cổ Tích Việt Nam (Treasure of Vietnamese Fairytales), which was first released in 2015 by the Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House.

The work includes five books of Vietnamese fairytales collected and rewritten by late professor Nguyễn Đổng Chi, winner of the Hồ Chí Minh Prize for literature awarded by the Government in 1996, and one of the country’s most popular cultural researchers.

The book was reprinted to meet children’s demand this summer, after more than 105,000 copies of each book were released for the first time.   

The collection includes five books and lively images featuring 150 stories about friendship, love and dreams, and the country’s history, culture and lifestyles.

Chi was born in 1915 in Hà Tĩnh Province. From 1977 to 1981, he worked at and later was named the director of the Institute of Hán Nôm (vernacular logographic Vietnamese script) Studies in Hà Nội.  

He has published 26 books and research collections in different fields of history, folk literature and culture.

Chi spent nearly 25 years collecting, rewriting and translating 2,000 fairytales originating from ethnic minority groups and others at home and abroad. — VNS