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ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: Remember
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WEBSITE: https://dactrungart.com/
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COUNTRY: Viet Nam
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PERSONAL
Male.
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CAREER
Illustrator. Has also worked in public relation and marketing in Singapore.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 1, 2024, Miriam Aronin, review of Remember, p. 135.
Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2024, review of Remember.
A cubicle-bound office worker by day and illustrator by night, Dac Trung Tran (Trung) specializes in visual storytelling for children, many about Asian folklore and culture, and his books have been published in US, UK, Singapore, Vietnam, and China. He is based in Vietnam.
No bio
A corporate drone by day and freelance artist by night, I specialize in illustration for books and children literature. Working in Singapore, I have years of working experience in public relation and marketing while doing art part-time as an illustrator.
Tran, Dac Trung REMEMBER Paw Prints Publishing/Baker & Taylor (Children's None) $18.99 2, 4 ISBN: 9781223188683
Drawing from his own childhood in Vietnam, Tran tells the story of a boy navigating life, bolstered by his mother's words.
The young protagonist wakes to find a letter on his nightstand: "Dear son, Mom is going to work early today." The deceptively simple narrative consists of the contents of her missive, paired with illustrations that skillfully chart the boy's emotional journey. Using skewed, exaggerated proportions and splotches of shadow and color, Tran depicts the boy as doll-size--a choice that underscores his vulnerability and demonstrates how large, fantastical, and even frightening the world can appear to a child. When Mom tells the boy, "Remember to speak loudly when ordering breakfast," the accompanying image shows him gazing up at the towering, blue-hued crowd of adults bent over their bowls. The palette switches to warmer tones as the son dutifully waters the plants. Mom's words aren't limited to mere chores, however; she also reminds her son to appreciate life and to show consideration to others--"to find the sweetest melons by listening to their heartbeats," "to walk quietly" to avoid disturbing the slumber of napping rickshaw drivers, and "to feed your mind. And to play." Though the youngster cuts a solitary figure for much of the book, he's never truly alone; as the sky darkens, he heads home, where Mom's waiting with a hug, which brings the tale to a warm and loving close.
An elegantly told, compelling glimpse of childhood. (author's note)(Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Tran, Dac Trung: REMEMBER." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Dec. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A819570364/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7b1e1190. Accessed 8 June 2025.
Remember. By Dac Trung Tran. Illus. by the author. Feb. 2025. 32p. Baker & Taylor/Paw Prints, $18.99 (9781223188683); e-book, $18.90 (9781223188690). PreS-Gr. 1.
In this brief but beautiful picture book, a mother's reminders are a sign of love. When the mother has to leave early for work, she leaves her son a note with several instructions for the day. The child seems young to be left alone, and he becomes truly tiny in the illustrations, as if diminished by his mother's absence. As the world towers over the child, the note is a testament to how much she cares: she reminds her child how to find the sweetest melon, how to "feed your mind" (with books, as the illustrations show) as well as to play, when to be quiet, and how to stay safe and dry in the rain. The setting is not clearly defined but visually conjures an East Asian town. The mother's instructions, however, will be universally understood and resonate with young readers. The final reminder leads the boy home, where his mother is waiting. Bold illustrations with an interesting perspective bring to life the child's awestruck approach to the world and the safety of returning home.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Aronin, Miriam. "Remember." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 7-8, Dec. 2024, pp. 135+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A829740341/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fc09daa2. Accessed 8 June 2025.