Written by scientist and environmental activist Trang Nguyen, Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear is an inspirational graphic novel adventure, based on a true story, about a young conservationist who overcomes the odds to save a sun bear.
When endlessly curious and tenacious Chang discovers a bear bile farm near her home in Vietnam, she decides to do everything she can to save wild animals – by becoming a conservationist! After teaching herself survival skills, documenting every rainforest plant and animal she sees in her field notebook, and disproving the critics who think she isn’t old or strong enough, Chang is finally accepted as a rescue centre volunteer. But her toughest challenge yet comes when she’s tasked with returning Sorya – the sun bear she raised from infancy – back into the wild. Because despite being a different species, Sorya is Chang’s best friend. And letting a friend go is never easy, even when it’s the right thing to do.
With breathtaking art and STEM facts galore, Chang’s daring story is for any young reader, animal lover, and intrepid explorer who’s ready for adventure!
Author Information
Trang Nguyen is a Vietnamese wildlife conservationist, environmental activist and writer, known for tackling the illegal wildlife trade in Africa and Asia. She graduated with her PhD in Biodiversity Management at the University of Kent, England. In 2018, Trang was featured in the documentary film Stroop: Journey into the Rhino Horn War alongside Jane Goodall. She was selected for BBC’s 100 Women of 2019 list and for the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. Trang is the founder and executive director of WildAct, an NGO that monitors the illegal wildlife trade markets and provides conservation education programmes for Vietnamese youth. She is also a member of the IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group, which promotes the conservation of bears living in their natural habitats around the world. Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear is her first children’s book.
Trang has given a TEDx talk about her struggle to become a conservationist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSxv0LTl0Lc&t=52s
Jeet Zdung is an illustrator who fuses traditional Vietnamese art with manga, using pencils, watercolours, ink and other digital means to create works of beauty and innovation. He has won several awards, including a Silent Manga Audition Excellence Award for his manga Stand Up and Fly. Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear is his first children’s book published in the UK. He lives in Hanoi, Vietnam.