We hit 1000 copies! Yay! Please continue to support us on this road as we try to tackle a variety of requested items, such as:
- International logistics (we added shipping to Canada, Australia and UK, based on USPS lowest fee, but we hope to work with international bookstores to lower the shipping fee. PLEASE fill in our international interest form here👈)
- Audio, and dare I say, VIDEO?
STORY
🎵 Lovely rhymes, from childhood 👶
📚 Books for kids are plentiful. But as a Vietnamese American Mom, I couldn’t find one that speaks to the Vietnamese part of my identity. No wonder it is so hard for many of my friends to speak Vietnamese. Everything surrounding us, from birth, is in English. Vietnamese texts or books are far and few in between, and even when they are presented, it is often not in the most appealing manner.
🤞 I wish to change that for my baby. I have to start at a young age because that’s when the mind is the most receptive to languages. I sought out to create a book that is both visually appealing and culturally interesting for the youngest of our babies (0-5 years).
I decided to compile nursery rhymes – đồng dao 🎵.
🎵 Rhymes, because as that young age, children are the most receptive to rhythms and music. Rhymes get them excited and are easy to repeat.
🎵 Rhymes, because they showcase the beauty of the Vietnamese language: you can say so much with so little, and in a way that is very pleasing the the ears.
🎵 Rhymes, because my own childhood was filled with the verses: from my friends while we were playing games, to my parents, grandparents and relatives while they were telling me stories, to the playground, and the schoolyard. They are ingrained in my heart as part of the Vietnamese cultural identity.
🕊️ I hope that this book can spark some of that joy to our little readers, and instill in them:
- a familiarity and a desire to repeat rhythmic & tonal sounds from the verses
- a curiosity about the Vietnamese language
- a desire to explore more about the culture and way of life in Vietnam
💚 Made with compassion 💚
🧑🤝🧑 Joining me in this journey is an incredible team of family and friends across the globe. We hope to create something that all of us would be proud of to show off. Not just a book that parents would buy because it is the only Vietnamese text in the market, but something that all parents would pick up, because it is gorgeous and interesting.
I know, it’s a tall order, and we are trying our best!
Besides chi Mai, chi Vu, and Na Group is a network of friends, family, and early testers such as Khoa Nguyen (the music genius behind the video), Binh Nguyen (Philadelphia), Muôi Chan Cơm Illustration (Hanoi), Huong Vu (Singapore), Tyler D Smith (Minnesota), Mengheng Touch (Bay Area), etc.
📅 In progress since June 2020
We have been working hard on the book since June 2020.
🌸 Translation has gone through at least three revisions from both Vietnamese and English native speakers, and we are still looking to improve the verses.
🎨 Illustration has gone through several rounds of sketches and revisions, too. We are done with 60% of the sketches, but strive to revise and improve, because, again, we want to show you not only the rhymes, but also the Vietnamese universe.
Here is the preview of some of our team’s work:
sketch to color for one tentative page
Our goals are:
- Finish artwork and be ready for print by Oct 2020
- Printing work: Nov 2020
- Shipping: end of Nov/ early Dec 2020
- Book delivered to you before the holidays!
💰 Funding Goes to Book Printing, Shipping and Production
We’ve invested hundreds of hours into the book, and really hope to make it a reality. However, printing is expensive for board book format, which is more durable for a young audience. Board book cannot be printed on demand, and only a subset of printers can produce them. We contacted every printer in San Francisco (where I live), and wrote to a bazillion in other cities and countries to make sure the book can be printed at the right quality and price.
The funding goal allows us to meet the printer’s minimum order (500 copies), and covers mailing, shipping, Kickstarter fee and other operational costs. We will barely break even with this goal.
We do hope that we can get to 1000 copies, because it means more books available to our young audience!
Any support from you is greatly appreciated!!! Cảm ơn!
🌏If you are outside of the US and want to order, please fill out an interest form 👉here👈
an early test layout
🙏 Thank you! Cảm ơn các bạn! 🙏
For any question, feel free to contact our Facebook page 
10 Khúc Đồng Dao / 10 Nursery Rhymes
Acknowledgment: The promo video on this page used a few icons from The Noun Project, in particular, Cathedral Notre Dame and Ben Thanh market by Phạm Thanh Lộc, and Giac Lam pagoda by Made x Made, AU.
© Tinywrist, 2020. All rights reserved.