updated: April 12, 2016
A great première! HSK Academy is proud to announce the launch of “the dog who could fly”, an original book presented with multiple languages all at once: English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Hindi, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Mandarin Pinyin !
Discover the adventures of Xiao Heng, a dog who dreamed to fly.
Purchase it now on Amazon:
This story allows readers to practice their skills in any of these languages, without the need to purchase different versions. Designed for learners and also children with amazing pictures, any single learner, parent or child, can initiate himself or others to a given language with the same support.
The book has been designed, authored and translated by former MBA students from HEC Paris, one of the top ranked business schools in the world. They came to realize there is a lack of books for people from different backgrounds who would like to share common experiences and learn new languages. Especially, multicultural parents who want to teach their children their mother tongue, while talking a third between each other or with their child, face this need.
HSK Academy supports this project because it offers Chinese versions, a key feature for its users, and it also contributes with a share of the sales to an education charity. Learning can really contribute to the greater good too!
We are also glad to share with you an interview with Meghna Verma, illustrator and author of the story.
Interview (Paris, December 11th, 2015)
HSK Academy: Can you tell us more about yourself and the contributors to this project?_
Meghna: A marketer by profession and a storyteller at heart I have been writing and creating art since as far back as my memories go. I have always been fascinated by children’s stories, so much so that my favorite book even today is Alice in Wonderland. I moved to France 5 years ago to pursue my masters, fell in love with this country and its language and stayed.
I met all the people who have helped bring this project to life at HEC Paris. Jérôme V.G. worked on the design of the book and the translations to French and Chinese, with the support of our other MBA classmates: José C., Elena B., Christian S., Yukihiro Y., who volunteered to translate it in their respective mother tongues so that we could expand the reach of the book. This book is more than just a learning tool or children’s book for us. It reflects the values that all of us share; our common passion for education, culture and adventure.
Depending on how this book is received we hope to maybe translate it in more languages and reach out to kids and adults who are kids at heart all across the world.
H.A.: What does this book bring to readers?
M : Like many children's books ‘The dog who could fly’ is a book that is not only a fun, simple read but depending on the age of the reader it serves as an inspiration, a tool to give your imagination wings and to top it all a wonderful means to explore new languages.
H.A: What is your experience with multiculturalism?
M: I come from a country that is multicultural. Where people speak different languages, eat different cuisines and have very different traditions. On moving to France I joined HEC Paris which is one of the most culturally diverse business schools in the world. Working and studying alongside people who spoke a multitude of languages and had very different outlooks towards the same things has taught me to not only respect cultural differences but to cherish them. Every time one makes an effort to communicate with someone from a different culture in a their own language one learns something new. Languages have a beautiful ability of making two complete strangers bond.
H.A. : What about your knowledge of Chinese?
M: I, unfortunately, do not speak Chinese, yet. I am very fascinated by the rich culture and history of the Chinese language though and would love to give it a try. Perhaps I will start with my own book ;). The initiative taken by the HSK academy towards creating such a simple tool to learn such a complex language is wonderful and I will definitely be taking advantage of it.
H.A.: How did you decide upon donating the proceeds of this book to charity?
M: Education is a cause very close to my heart. Like they say give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and he will eat for life. I believe that education is the single most powerful tool we can give to mankind to solve most evils our society struggles with. I worked for a NGO, Paradada Pardadi Educational Society, that provides education to girl children in one of the poorest parts of India before I moved to France. I have seen up close the way it can change the life of not just a person, but a whole family, an entire village, even the community as a whole. Considering that this book was created to provide a means of learning not just languages but also the importance of dreaming it was a no brainer for us to donate the proceeds towards making someone’s dreams of learning come true.
H.A.: What are your next projects?
M: Aside from my day job, I am writing a second book on the adventures of Hendrix (Xiao Heng, in Chinese) which centers around the theme of friendship.
H.A: Thanks a lot for your time and explanations. We wish this book to be a great success.
M: Thank you and we hope that all of you have as much fun reading this book as we did creating it.
End of the interview.
Enjoy the adventures of The Dog Who Could Fly:
For more information about the project, interview requests, or any other question related to “the dog who could fly”, please fill the contact form.