I had so many sources for this story that my editor asked me not to cite all of them in the picture book. Here, though, is a complete list.—Aaron
In retelling this popular Vietnamese legend, my references included:
“Le Cristal D’Amour,” in Légendes des Terres Sereines, by Pham Duy Khiêm, Mercure de France, Paris, 1951
“Truong‑Chi and Mi‑Nuong,” in Vietnamese Legends, by L. T. Bach-Lan, Saigon, 1957 (private printing)
“The Crystal of Love,” in Land of Seagull and Fox: Folk Tales of Vietnam, collected and retold by Ruth Q. Sun, Tuttle, Rutland, Vermont, 1967
“The Love Crystal,” retold by Mark Taylor, in Time for Fairy Tales, Old and New, by May Hill Arbuthnot, Scott, Foresman, Chicago, 1961
“The Love of a Fisherman,” in Folk Narratives from Vietnam, by Cong Huyen Ton Nu Nha Trang, Heinemann, Singapore, 1985
“The Love Crystal,” in Folktales from Vietnam, compiled by Glenn W. Monigold, Peter Pauper Press, Mount Vernon, New York, 1964
Inspiration to retell the tale came partly also from the excellent recording by Laura Simms, “The Magic Crystal,” on her audiotape Stories: Old as the World, Fresh as the Rain, Weston Woods, Weston, Connecticut, 1981.
