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| Children’s books need to be creative to attract young readers. VNA/VNS Photo |
HÀ NỘI – In recent years, children’s books have been revived with history, culture, and life skills publications that bring diverse and engaging experiences to Vietnamese children and parents.
The boom of technology has significantly changed the reading habits of children. They prefer surfing the internet to reading books.
But after a long time of “market quietness”, children’s books, especially those about history, have impressively come back. The books have not only attracted children but also parents who choose to read with their kids.
Careful selection
Taking a look around the bookshelves of prestigious publishers such as Kim Đồng, Thái Hà, Nhã Nam, Education Publishing House or Literature Publishing House, it is easy to see that children’s books occupy a prominent position, as they are not only rich in form of expression, but also diverse in content, from classic literary works for children to history books, foreign comics, science and technology and life skills education.
A mother in Hà Nội said that before buying her children books, she had to do research on the internet and read reviews on social networks to learn the content and educational value of the books.
“For me, selecting books for children is not just about buying a product but about giving them ‘companions’,” she said.
Nguyễn Thị Chiều Xuân, director of Lionbooks – a publishing company, said that parents tend to select books for their children more carefully than before.
“They no longer buy books based on emotion or because they are cheap, but pay attention to both content quality and form,” Xuân said.
“Parents today are no longer as lenient with thin books, bad paper, spelling mistakes or sketchy presentation as before. They focus on books with educational value, beautiful form, neat presentation, standard writing style and most importantly, they must bring meaningful experiences to their children,” Xuân said.
Increasing competition in the publishing industry also forces publishers to make more efforts to innovate and improve quality, in order to win over young readers.
Creative products with real value will be welcomed by the market.
Talking about the changing trends in children’s books, Xuân said that books today are not only for reading but also for providng vivid experiences, contributing to awakening children’s senses.
Interactive books such as audio books, water books, colouring books, and pop-up books have brought a breath of fresh air to the market.
Children, especially pre-schoolers, love these kinds of books.
The price of interactive books is still quite high because local production is still inefficient, she said.
A good book is a combination of quality content, beautiful form and sustainable use value, the director added.
Revival of history, culture books
One notable point is the comeback of books on Vietnamese history and culture recently.
According to Lionbooks’ director, young parents pay more attention to fostering their children’s love for the homeland, culture, customs, and history through books.
Books about traditions, along with famoushistorical people and places are chosen more. Sales of these book series have grown steadily by double digits every year, she said.
Meanwhile, Ngô Hương Thảo, owner of Những Vì Sao book store in Hà Nội’s Nam Từ Liêm District, said that along with popular historical and cultural books, parents today tend to look for books that are practical and effective for their children’s development. Among them, books that teach life skills and those about successful businessmen stand out.
Many parents try to help children prefer books to smart phones.
According to the store owner, two factors make kids passionate about reading books.
One is environment. It means if a kid was born and nurtured in a family where parents love reading and regularly read books and tell them stories, they automatically love reading.
In this environment, parents themselves inspire their kids to read.
Second is the role of book publishers.
Books need continuous innovation. If books can offer children experiences as engaging as mobile phones do, children will certainly not be indifferent to books, Thảo said.
Clarity and discovery appeal to children
Writer and poet Hồ Huy Sơn, who has written many children’s works, said that clarity, uniqueness and the ability to evoke imagination are decisive factors in the success of a literary work written for children.
“The poems I have written recently always try to bring innocence and freshness. I want children to feel like they are adventuring in their own world,” Sơn said.
Thanks to this mindset, his works have been warmly received by parents as a beautiful gift in their children’s formative journey.
Admitting that children’s literature is facing fierce competition with many other forms of entertainment, Sơn still firmly believes that if written with true love, with an understanding of children’s psychology, and with an attractive, modern writing style, literature can still touch children’s hearts and have a special place in today’s diverse world of books.
“People talk about the role of literature in shaping children’s personalities. Children need kind stories, magical but familiar worlds, and especially characters they can relate to,” the writer said.
There is no standard formula for attracting child readers. But certainly, carefulness, understanding and responsibility in each word are indispensable for anyone who wants to accompany children through books, he added. VNS
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