Abstract:

Four-year-old Tran Ngoc Anh Thu (Bi) lives by Mekong river with her family. She attends school and enjoys spending time with her friends and older brother. Her parents work their farm and banana and papaya plantation in the morning, then set off on their "boat store," selling small livestock, fruits and vegetables and grains to customers out on the river. In Ho Chi Minh city, nine-year-old Le Thi Thanh Hong goes to school where she studies French, art and reading; plays games with friends; and enjoys a rest period. Her parents both work for the city. After school the family enjoys bowling, then Hong practices piano. Homework, with help from her brother, follows, and then it's off to bed with the growing anticipation of tomorrow's Vietnam's New Year. The next day Hong enjoys swimming at the community pool and the New Year Tet festivities, including the dragon dancing and fireworks. || Part of the award winning "Families of the World" Series -- "Family life in different countries is the focus of this live action series. Each video contains two segments that follow a different child from morning to bedtime. Narrated in the first person, in a child's voice, the segments show real-life activities, people and places... The videos make no comparisons or judgments, merely showing what life is like in a loving family in a foreign culture. Beliefs that shape family life are briefly introduced when appropriate... This excellent series will give children an intriguing taste of another culture, and allow them to compare and contrast it with their own. Teachers will find this a useful addition to the study of other countries, adding flavor to the facts." -- School Library Journal, October, 1997 || Teacher's Guide available at http://www.familiesoftheworld.com/teachers.html