The cover of 'Hip Hop and the Golden Forest', the latest story by Vietnamese-German writer Isabelle Müller. (Photo courtesy of HCM City General Publishing House) The book, lovingly told by Muller and beautifully illustrated by her brother,Daniel Gaucher, is recommended for all those who believe in true friendship. InViệt Nam, it has been published in three languages – Vietnamese, English andGerman.
The readers will follow Hip Hop, the little flea, and Little Leaf, on their journeyto the Golden Forest. A terrible storm has uprooted the huge solitary ginkgobiloba in the botanical garden near the Green Valley Zoo. Among many others,Little Leaf hopes to find her original roots in order to complete the cycle oflife.
To succeed, she must find the Golden Forest that’s far away. But it must bedone quickly as winter is on its way. Hip Hop volunteers to join her for thismission full of adventures.
Muller said, the world we are living in was her constant inspiration for thebook.
“I love observing everything around us, from the small to the big things, andto go inside myself to memorise my feelings," she said.
"I love sharing my emotions with people. The first time I saw a ginkgo biloba leaf, itreminded me of a butterfly. It is also lovely to see the wonders of nature andanimals too. Many animals hide and take the shape and colours of theirsurroundings in order to protect themselves. It is amazing to me.”
According to the writer, Hip Hop and theGolden Forest aims first to raise children's awareness of the elementssurrounding us. A huge tree is uprooted by the storm. How many years did ittake for this tree to grow and reach this size? This is just one example toinspire humility and respect for nature.
When Hip Hop meets the stray dog, the topic "loneliness" isaddressed. This dog is so lonely, that it has even forgotten its own name. Thetopics of friendship and cohesion are also discussed. Hip Hop is sensitive andempathetic. He takes on the concerns of those around him and looks for goodsolutions. Good listening and helpfulness are good qualities in life that youngreaders could learn about in the story.
Hip Hop and the Golden Forest also covers other meaningful topicssuch as “sense of belonging/affiliation” and “having roots”, or the issue ofmindfulness.
The author said: “Little Leaf wants to go back to her roots in order tocontinue the cycle of life. Children should think about the importance ofhaving roots. Do we go back to our roots after death? Is it comforting us toknow that if we have roots, we can go back to them?”
The book is Muller’s second works for children, following the success of herfirst one, Hip Hop in the Land ofEllsaby, published in Vietnam last year.
It is suitable for children aged between six and ten years old. All proceedsfrom the copyright of this book will be donated to the Muller’s LOAN Foundation(LOAN Stiftung) which aims to help Vietnamese disadvantaged children inmountainous areas have a better life./.
VNA
