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Y llyfr lluniau prydfertha i mi weld erioed!
The most beautiful picture book I've ever seen!
‘In this beautiful book children describe their own fantastical dragons, from the tiny, rainbow winged variety that whispers in ears to the dragon as big as a village with a tail as long as a river.’ Daily Telegraph
‘A breathtaking picture book that will fire the imagination of all who read it… Be inspired by this magical book to tell your own dragon stories.’ TBK Mag
Reit, cardia’ ar y bwrdd – hwn ydi’r llyfr plant prydfertha dwi ERIOED wedi ei weld!! YFMI (Yn fy marn i) mae o’n curo unrhyw beth arall dwi wedi dod ar ei draws! Mae o fwy fel darn o gelf na dim arall a dweud y gwir! Mae ei faint (anferthol o 365x270 mm) a’r cloriau caled yn bleser i’w ddal a’i drin.
Ok, mae o’n edrych yn anhygoel, ond ydi’r stori yn dal dŵr?
Wel, mi fasa fo, petai ‘na stori yna yn y lle cyntaf. Rhywsut, gyda’r llyfr yma, fe allwch ei ddarllen o glawr i glawr, ond does dim byd yn ‘digwydd’. Er nad oes plot a naratif, fel y cyfryw, fe gawn ddatganiadau disgrifiadol ar ffurf brawddegau sy’n llifo fel cerdd. Mae geiriau Jackie Morris, wedi eu cyfieithu gan Mererid Hopwood, fel petai nhw’n canu o un dudalen i’r llall. Gellir trafod rhai o’r ansoddeiriau difyr fel “igam-igamog” neu’r geiriau cyfansawdd fel “gwyrddloyw” a “melyngoch.” Teimla rhai, fod y diffyg ‘stori’ yn gadael y llyfr i lawr mymryn, ond dwi ddim yn meddwl y bydd plant yn poeni am hynny – mi fyddan nhw ar goll yn y lluniau...
Mae’r brawddegau yn disgrifio amryw o ddreigiau rhyfeddol. Fe gawn ein cyflwyno i ddreigiau o bob lliw a llun, rhai’n fawr a rhai’n fach. Fy hoff ddraig ohonynt i gyd oedd draig y dŵr – am ei fod o’n anghyffredin efallai.
Mae plant (ac oedolion) yn rhyfeddu ar ddreigiau, a finnau hefyd! Mae ‘na rywbeth hudolus am ddreigiau, sy’n symbolau o bŵer a nerth - creaduriaid bonheddig a mawreddog. Rydym yn dod ar eu traws ymhobman, mewn straeon, chwedlau, ffilmiau ac mae gan Gymru ddraig fabwysiedig ei hun! Mae’r ddraig goch bellach yn rhan o’n hunaniaeth fel cenedl. Dwi’m yn meddwl mod i erioed wedi dod ar draws person sydd ddim yn hoffi dreigiau!
Ar ôl ein tywys o amgylch y byd a thu hwnt yn gweld dreigiau a lleoedd rhyfeddol, fe gawn neges gan yr awdur fod 'na ddraig gan bob un ohonom ni, tybed sut ddraig fyddwch chi? Fel unigolion, mae pob draig yn wahanol iawn, ac mae gan bawb ddiddordebau a thalentau amrywiol, ac mae hynny’n rhywbeth i’w ddathlu.
Dwi wedi clywed am athrawon sydd wedi defnyddio’r llyfr yma gyda’ phlant ifanc iawn ac maen nhw wedi gwirioni’n lan gyda’r llyfr. Digon hawdd yw defnyddio’r llyfr gyda phlant hŷn hefyd achos mae 'na jest rywbeth am ddreigiau sy’n tanio’r dychymyg, dim ots beth yw eich oedran.
Credwch fi, mae ‘na bosibiliadau lu yn deillio o’r llyfr yma, gan gynnwys efelychu gwaith celf, ysgrifennu barddoniaeth neu ‘sgwennu straeon am ddreigiau. Fe allwch ddefnyddio’r llyfr fel sbardun i fynd i ymchwilio diwylliannau’r byd sy’n ystyried dreigiau’n uchel iawn eu parch, fel Tsieina. Gwahodda’r frawddeg olaf y darllenydd i feddwl am ddraig eu hunain: “A nawr ga i hanes dy ddraig di?”
Mae maint y llyfr yn berffaith ar gyfer cyd-ddarllen ac mae’r lluniau dyfrlliw yn hynod o weladwy a thrawiadol – mae defnydd yr awdur o liwiau yn fendigedig. Gallwch dreulio oriau yn astudio’r lluniau’n fanwl ac yn sylwi ar yr holl fanylion bach. Pwy sydd angen geiriau pan mae lluniau yn siarad cyfrolau?
Am bris o £20, fydd y llyfr ddim yn siwtio pawb, ond cofiwch, mae copi ohono ar gael ym mhob llyfrgell i’r rhai sy’n awyddus i gael sbec. Yn bersonol, mi faswn i’n talu i gael copi fy hun er mwyn cael edrych arno dro ar ôl tro – mae’r lluniau jest mor fendigedig.
Right, cards on the table – this is the most beautiful children's book I've EVER seen!! IMO it beats anything else I've come across so far. It’s more like a piece of art than a book if I’m being honest! Its massive size (365x270 mm), good quality paper and hardback covers make it a pleasure to have and to hold.
OK, it looks amazing, but does the story work?
Well, it would – if there was one! Somehow, with this book you can read it from cover to cover, and at the end, nothing has actually ‘happened’ as such. Although there’s no plot and narrative, in the traditional sense, what we do get is highly elaborate, elegant descriptive statement sentences that flow like poetry. Jackie Morris’s words have been translated by Mererid Hopwood, and the words seem to sing from one page to another. Some feel that the lack of a 'story' is what lets the book down slightly, but I don't think children will worry about that – they will be lost in the pictures…
The sentences describe various remarkable dragons. We come across dragons of all shapes and sizes, some large, some small. My personal favourite was the water dragon – perhaps because it’s more unusual.
Children (and adults) have always been fascinated by dragons, myself included! There’s something magical about dragons, which are not only symbols of power and strength, but can be gentle, noble and majestic creatures. We encounter them everywhere, in stories, legends, films and Wales even has a dragon of its own! The red dragon is now part of our identity as a nation. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a person who doesn't like dragons!
After taking us around the world and beyond to see Dragons of all sorts, the author shares with us the message that we all have a dragon. Which one would you be? Like individuals, each dragon is different, with diverse interests and talents, and that is something to celebrate.
I've heard of teachers who have used this book with very young children and they're been thrilled with the book. It’s also easy to adapt the book for use with older children because there’s just something about dragons that fires the imagination, regardless of age.
Believe me, there are many possibilities stemming from this book, including recreating artwork, writing poetry or tales about dragons. You could use the book as a springboard for the exploration of world cultures who hold the dragon in high regard, like China. The final sentence invites the reader to think of their own dragon…
The size of the book is perfect for reading to a class and the watercolour pictures are extremely visible and impressive – the author's use of colours is wonderful. You could spend hours studying the pictures in detail and noticing all the little details. Who needs words when pictures speak a thousand of them?
At £20, the book will not be to everyone’s taste, but remember, a copy will be available in most libraries for those who want a peek. Personally, I would pay for my own copy so that I could look at it again and again.
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