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| Speakers exchange views at the seminar "Empowering Child Authors: Do Adults Really See Children as Creators or Just Readers?" Photo: Thuy Trang |
Nurturing the ecosystem around books.
Publishing is no longer simply about publishing a book to sell it; today's publishers are nurturing an ecosystem around books, sharing positive values and kindness in life. Through numerous projects, seminars, and roundtables, publishers and book companies are conveying a deeper message: spreading knowledge and reading habits, especially in the current context where social media and technology are significantly overshadowing traditional reading culture.
At the seminar, book lovers heard the story of the collaboration between the Book Window Project and the Vietnam Women's Publishing House Branch. Ms. Vu Thi Thanh Tam, Director of the Book Window Reading Culture Development Company, recounted: “During the 'Storytelling on the Clouds' program for children during Covid-19, I often posted information about storytelling sessions, and the leaders of the Vietnam Women's Publishing House Branch contacted me, inquiring about the works featured in the program. From then on, the Vietnam Women's Publishing House became a sponsor for Book Window's publications through two methods: purchasing copyrights for direct distribution, or collaborating on publishing, supporting the completion of the editing process and legal procedures to jointly launch works created by children with Book Window.”
Children become creative subjects.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, while isolation and disconnection occurred, children and those who love children connected more through community programs and projects. The "Storytelling on the Clouds" program ran weekly for about a year, from the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak until children returned to school. A challenge for storytellers, including Ms. Tam, was the dwindling supply of stories and the need to protect copyright. This led Ms. Tam to come up with the idea of using stories from the Covid-19 pandemic, as told by children, and then adding humorous and touching elements to present them in storytelling programs. “At that time, the stories originated from the children's ideas. The children became the creative subjects. In the context of having to release the stories very quickly for the program, I let the children take on the drawing part as well. From some drawings created using Canva, some that the children added themselves, later they drew everything by hand and published the book,” Ms. Thanh Tam shared.
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"The meaning is born from the text" and "The meaning is derived from the text"Reader Le Giang (Hac Thanh - Thanh Hoa) asks: “In the article “On the interpretation of the word “trong” in the word “trong tai” in Le Van Hoe’s Etymological Dictionary,” author Man Nong mentions the phrase “Vong van sinh nghia” (Looking at the text gives rise to meaning). Specifically, he commented: “The reason is probably because the author ‘vong van sinh nghia,’ relying on the homophones of Sino-Vietnamese elements to deduce meaning without comparing it to the original text.” I understand the general meaning of this phrase, but not thoroughly. I also suddenly remembered another phrase commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is “Vong van van van thiet.” Therefore, I request that the “Ca ca chuyen nghia” (Talking about words and meanings) column explain in detail the concepts of “Vong van sinh nghia” and “Vong van van thiet” so that I and other readers can understand them. 
Dong Nai City calls for investment in developing a system of elderly care facilities.(Dong Nai) - On the morning of June 26th, Mr. Le Truong Son, Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Nai City, chaired a seminar on the topic "Developing Elderly Care Facilities in Dong Nai City". The seminar, organized by the People's Committee of Dong Nai City, was attended by leaders from various departments, agencies, and localities, as well as many businesses and investors. From initial experimental books, through many ups and downs and obstacles, the members of the "Book Window" group have persevered on their path. The young authors have published more books, especially achieving great success by winning prestigious awards. The book series "Covid in the Eyes of Children," published at the beginning of the year, reached the top 8 of the Cricket Children's Award and the Promising Children's Award in April 2023. In 2024, author Sinh Hung received the Cricket Aspiration Award at the age of 14, and author Trong Hieu won third prize in the Fairy Tale Flower Award at the age of 12. Recently, author Nha Uyen reached the final round of the 2026 Cricket Children's Award at the age of 10… “I always have a strong belief that one day, publishers will invest in the quality of my books,” shared Ms. Thanh Tam.
These works accurately reflect the age, psychology, and aspirations of children.
Affirming that picture books created by children are not perfect or flawless from the perspective of professionals, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu, Head of the Southern Branch of the Vietnam Women's Publishing House, emphasized: "The children draw for themselves; they are the creative subjects, so their drawings are innocent, simple, not heavily focused on technical elements, but rather on emotion, reflecting their age, psychology, wishes, and shared experiences. That is the value we strive for and always support."
“I am very proud of the picture books drawn by my children, especially in this age of digital illustration and the rise of artificial intelligence. I don't feel ashamed of their messy coloring; on the contrary, it's a testament to their creativity, their simplicity, and I believe it's the hallmark of my book series. I also create opportunities for them to freely express themselves. Of course, during the editing process, there must be the role of an editor, such as making minor corrections to the text and images, but these corrections must be small and not significantly alter the children's work,” said Ms. Thanh Tam.
Sharing about this topic, Ms. Hong Anh, the moderator of the seminar, said: "While serving as a member of a children's book evaluation committee, I invited some young readers to participate in the evaluation. As a result, the children voted for their favorite books by the young authors of 'The Window of Books'..."
The stories shared at the seminar revealed differences in how adults and children perceive and think about picture books. Respecting and encouraging children to read, draw, and create picture books is one of the effective ways for adults, especially parents, to nurture the souls, personalities, and intellect of young children.
Vietnam encourages US businesses to expand investment in high technology.On the morning of June 26th, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung received Mr. Jeff Place, Supply Chain Director of Coherent Group (USA). During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam encourages US businesses to expand investment, especially in high-tech, innovation, and semiconductor industries. Thuy Trang
Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202606/trao-quyen-cho-tre-sang-tac-97023ab/
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