The tales chosen for this book share the Vietnamese five great virtues: Nhan (Compassion), Le (Rituals), Nghia (Righteousness), Tri (Wisdom), and Tin (Trust). The author notes that her parents used traditional stories to teach children values and morals. Now the author, who is a story teller, uses the same tales to help Vietnamese children learn their traditional culture and values.

"Intended for Vietnamese language students or heritage learners, the stories in this volume present the everyday vocabulary and grammar in use in Vietnam today. Forty folk stories have been edited and simplified for learning purposes and are presented in parallel Vietnamese and English versions to facilitate language learning"--Back cover.

A collection of five Vietnamese fairy tales, including "Little Finger of the Watermelon Patch" and "The Lampstand Princess."

"When Jade Emperor drops two gems from heaven, he sends his daughter and son to retrieve them. On their journey, the children witness the darkness and struggle around them. After petitioning their father to bring light into the world, each gem is transformed into the sun and the moon, where to this day sister and brother hold them up in our sky"--Publisher's description.