Children and parents visit the HCM City Book Fair for Children at the Pedestrian Book Street in District 1. — Photo courtesy of the organisers

HCM CITY — The second HCM City Book Fair for Children to promote the habit of reading among young people is being held on HCM City's Pedestrian Book Street till July 26.

The event, themed “Open up the Book – Build the Dream”, is organised by the HCM City Department of Information and Communications and its partners, including the Book Street Company.

The fair offers more than 10,000 copies of book titles by local and foreign authors, mostly literature and comics, from 20 local publishers and distributors, including Kim Đồng Publishing House, Phương Nam Book Company, and Trẻ Publishing House.

Trẻ Publishing House is introducing an exclusive Vietnamese version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with colour illustrations by English artist Jim Kay.

Kay, who won the Kate Greenway Medal in 2012 for illustrations for the book A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, was selected personally by J. K. Rowling to do illustrations for every title in the Harry Potter series.

The Phụ Nữ (Women) Publishing House is presenting the Vietnamese version of novel Zinky Boys by Belarusian investigative journalist, essayist and oral historian Svetlana Alexievich, who was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Bestselling title Thư Gửi Con - Bao Giờ Cho Hết Yêu Thương (From Mom and Dad with Love), which includes touching letters that doctors Vũ Minh Đức and Trần Thị Hồng Ân wrote for their child, is featured as well.

Comic books, colouring books and reference books are also being offered at the fair.

An exhibition of 40 paintings about Vietnamese children's thoughts about life during the Covid-19 pandemic is being held. Some of these have won top prizes at domestic painting competitions for children.

The highlights are paintings on the world’s battle against the coronavirus by Nguyễn Đới Chung Anh, a fourth grader from Hà Nội. Anh and her paintings were featured in a story published by Reuters on June 12.

Talk shows discussing books for children and promoting reading among children will feature participants like writer Văn Thành Lê, poet Phong Việt, and critic Bùi Thanh Truyền.

Book readings and reviews, and a kids’ corner are also included.

Flute performances by students from the city-based MPU School of Music are being held daily during the fair.

Book Street is located on Nguyễn Văn Bình Street in District 1. — VNS