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

The books are Những Đóa Hồng Bạch Dang Tặng Andersen (White Roses for Andersen); Chuyen Vui Về Chu Ếch Cốm (Funny Tales of the Green Frog); Be Rơm (Straw Doll); and Tiếng Mua Xuan (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 Ha Trang, Linh Vương, Trần Thuy 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 Hoai Dương was born Trần Bắc Quỳ in Hải Dương Province in 1942.

He released his first short story collection for children titled Em Be va 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 Viet Nam Writers’ Association for a short story collection titled Cuoc Phieu 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 Be Rơm won the best screenplay prize at the Viet Nam National Film Festival in 1983.

He worked at Tạp Chí Học Tập (Study Magazine), currently Tạp Chí Cong Sản (Communist Review); Văn Nghe (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