My First Book of Vietnamese Words: An ABC Rhyming Book of Vietnamese Language and Culture

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

My First Book of Vietnamese Words is a beautifully illustrated book that introduces Vietnamese language and culture to young children through everyday words. This Vietnamese children's book teaches in a playful waycombining the familiar ABC rhyming structure with vivid illustrations to encourage young children's natural language learning abilities. Words kids use every day in English are joined by words unique to Vietnamese culture to give kids a glimpse of Vietnamese life and to show how, despite cultural differences, children the world over have a lot in common. Linguistic and cultural notes are added to enhance the kids' adventure in a land that's modern yet filled with wonderful traditions.

My First Book of Vietnamese Words haswon an Honorable Mention in the Children's Literature category of Columbia University's 2017 Freeman Book Awards for Children's and Young Adult's Literature on East and Southeast Asia.

"Despite the challenges of Vietnamese language and uncertain meter, this book is a lovely tribute to a culture and its people. A valuable addition to a language and geography collections." School Library Journal

"Readers gain a useful introduction to the Vietnamese language, alphabet, and culture in this companion to similar books on Indonesian, Chinese, Korean, and other Asian languages supplemental cultural details, included in brief asides, add valuable context to a book with few competitors on bookstore shelves. " Publishers Weekly

Reviews

"This book by the team that produced the award-winning Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories, provides cultural tidbits, values, and traditions in captions, with rhymes (and occasionally strained meter) in large type for young readers Despite the challenges of Vietnamese language and uncertain meter, this book is a lovely tribute to a culture and its people. A valuable addition to a language and geography collections." --School Library Journal
"Alphabet books that reinforce the beauty and importance of learning about many languages and cultures." --Booklist
"Readers gain a useful introduction to the Vietnamese language, alphabet, and culture in this companion to similar books on Indonesian, Chinese, Korean, and other Asian languages supplemental cultural details, included in brief asides, add valuable context to a book with few competitors on bookstore shelves." --Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Phuoc Thi Minh Tran spent ten months in a refugee camp in Malaysia before coming to America. In 1984, a 50-hour Greyhound bus trip brought her from California to Minnesota, where she became the state's first Vietnamese librarian. She has been an active storyteller for over twenty years, visiting many cities across the US to share Vietnamese folklore with children and adults alike. She is the author of the Moonbeam Award-winning Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories.
https://phuocthiminhtran.wordpress.com

Illustrators Nguyen Thi Hop and Nguyen Dong began their careers as young professional artists in the South Vietnam of the 1960s, exhibiting in France, Taiwan, Germany, and the US as well as in Saigon. Since their marriage in 1968, they have collaborated on book and magazine covers, posters and illustrations for over one hundred titles for publishers around the world. Among their many titles are Thich Nhat Hanh's Each Breath a Smile and Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories.