The comic book for children titled ‘Chiec dep that lac - The lost sandal’ by two foreign authors living and working in Vietnam - Geralda De Vos (Belgium) and Sofia Holt (Sweden) has been introduced to readers in Vietnam by the Kim Dong Publisher.
| Geralda De Vos - author of the comic ‘Chiec dep that lac - The lost sandal’. Photo courtesy of Geralda De Vos |
The book tells about Linh's story as she falls asleep on the back of the motorbike. Unnoticed, her favorite sandal slips off her foot. Oh no! Will she ever find her dearest slipper again?
Then, the story about little Linh’s journey to find her beloved sandal begins. Linh manages to look for her sandal in many ways: announcing the sandal’s lost on the grocery store; writing notice of loss to neighbors, among others. Finally, the Miss Fairy Sandals has appeared to give Linh a hand to find her ‘treasure’.
In addition to the humorous story, with beautiful design and fun illustrations, ‘The lost sandal’ also contains a profound and humane lesson that everyone should love and cherish things; they should share their sympathies and be helpful.
The authors also want to remind young readers that by just a small action like picking up and returning a slipper, you will bring joy and happiness to the person who lost it and reduce plastic waste in the living environment.
| Little Linh manages to look for her sandal in many ways, then, Miss Fairy Sandals has appeared to give her a hand to find her beloved sandal. Illustrator: Sofia Holt |
Besides, with a sufficient amount of English vocabulary, a clear and simple writing style, the book would help children improve their English.
Geralda De Vos, the writer of the book, grew up in Belgium and came to Vietnam in 2017. Passionate about reusing trash, she started picking up lost sandals from the streets. She stacked them all on the back of her bicycle and began to imagine a collector of sandals. That’s how Linh, Gingerella, and ‘The Lost Sandal’ came about.
Sofia Holt is the illustrator for ‘The lost sandal’ book. Grew up in Sweden with a father who is a painter and a pottery-making mother, she arrived in Saigon in 2014 and worked as a furniture and interior designer. Today she designs fashion, furniture and illustrations, with an expectation to improve people's awareness of a happier and more sustainable world. Wherever she goes, Sofia loves collecting the beautiful trash "treasures" that cross her path.
Although she can't read and write Vietnamese, the artist still draws Vietnamese for the illustration of posters and letters in the book.
