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O diar! Cath + Llygod = Trwbl!!
Oh dear! Cat + Mice = Trouble!
Genre: ffuglen byr, / short fiction
Gwerth addysgiadol/educational value: ◉◉◉◎◎
Negeseuon positif/positive messages: ◉◉◉◎◎
Themau trist,anodd/upsetting, tough themes: ◎◎◎◎◎
Trais, ofn/violence, scary: ◎◎◎◎◎
Iaith gref/language: ◎◎◎◎◎
Rhyw/sex: ◎◎◎◎◎
Hiwmor/humour: ◉◉◉◎◎
Her darllen/reading difficulty:: ◉◉◉◎◎
**GWREIDDIOL CYMRAEG/ WELSH ORIGINAL **
Peidiwch â gofyn i mi pam, ond dwi wastad wedi hoffi cymeriadau llygod mewn storis ac ar y sgrin! Tra bod pawb eraill yn hoffi’r clasuron, fy hoff ffilm Disney oedd un obscure or 70au o’r enw ‘The Rescuers’ - grŵp o lygod bach anturus yn achub y dydd! Pam y ffilm yna o bob un? Ella am eu bod nhw’n fach, ac mae pawb yn hoffi dipyn o underdog story dydyn? Yn debyg iawn i’r Rescuers, mae Tomos Lygoden, er yn ‘gradur go fach o ran maint, yn llwyddo i gyflawni pethau mawr ac yn aml iawn yn achub y dydd. Mae cyfres boblogaidd Craig Russell a’r amryddawn Caryl Parry Jones yn cyflwyno byd y theatr (rhywbeth fydd efallai yn anghyfarwydd i nifer o blant) drwy lygaid yr anifeiliaid bach ciwt a fflwffiog. Dyma enghraifft da o le mae’r ‘sgwennu a’r gwaith celf yn asio’n berffaith i greu cyfres annwyl dros ben, ac un sy’n hynod o ddarllenadwy ar hynny.
First Impressions
Dyma lyfr reit swmpus er ei fod yn fach o ran maint -rydych chi’n sicr yn cael gwerth eich arian am y pris rhesymol o £4.95. Mae gwaith celf Leri Tecwyn yn draddodiadol, yn gynnes ac yn llawn patrymau a gweadau gwahanol. Gyda bron pob tudalen yn llawn lliw, ychwanega’r arlunwaith at y stori, drwy helpu’r darllenwyr ifanc i ‘ddelweddu’ beth sy’n mynd ymlaen. Mae’r ysgrifen wedi cael ei leoli’n synhwyrol hefyd o gwmpas y gwaith celf.
Beth sy’n digwydd yn y stori?
Mae Mr Meilir, y bos, yn gwneud cyhoeddiad fawr fod 'na ymwelydd pwysig yn dod i’r theatr. Hi yw Madam Blobfawr, cantores opera byd enwog, sy’n dipyn o ‘Diva’! Yn anffodus i lygod y theatr, mae ganddi anifail anwes sy’n teithio i bobman gyda hi... Crechwen y gath! O diar! Cathod + llygod = trwbl!
Sut mae Tomos yn mynd i stopio Crechwen rhag bwyta ei ffrindiau? Mae ganddo dipyn o sialens o’i flaen y tro hwn!
Beth sy’n dda am y stori?
Heblaw am y ffaith fod Covid wedi cau pob theatr am y tro, nid yw pob plentyn mor lwcus i gael profiadau cofiadwy o ymweld â theatr a gwylio sioeau. Mae straeon Tomos y Llygoden yn dod a thipyn bach o magic y theatr at ddarllenwyr ifanc ac yn eu cyflwyno i fyd newydd, felly mae hynny’n rhywbeth i’w ganmol.
Llwydda’r awduron i ddod a hiwmor i mewn i’r stori yn naturiol, ac o ganlyniad mae apêl y llyfr yn fwy – mae angen rhywbeth i wneud ni chwerthin bois bach, ac mae gweld pen ôl anferth Madam Blobfawr yn dod am Tomos druan yn ddigon i wneud i mi wenu. Trodd fy ngwen yn chwerthiniad llwyr pan ddarllenais amdani’n gwneud ei ioga. Ymlaciodd gymaint yn y sesiwn, nes gollwng “homar o rech” wnaeth wneud i Tomos a’i gyfeillion lewygu – doniol iawn! Gallaf weld dosbarth o blant ifanc yn morio chwerthin wrth gael stori ar y mat!
Unrhywbeth arall?
Mae ‘na dipyn o waith darllen ar y cyfan, ac mae’r wasg wedi anelu’r llyfr at y farchnad 5-8 oed. Mae oed darllen ac oed diddordeb yn reit wahanol, a dwi’n gwybod am blant iau na 5 oed fyddai’n mwynhau’r stori, ond mi fydd rhaid cael oedolyn i helpu gyda’r darllen baswn i’n deud. Roedd ambell ddarn lle'r oedd rhaid i mi ail-ddarllen i weld pa gymeriad oedd yn siarad, felly efallai fod hynny braidd yn ddryslyd. (neu mod i heb ddeffro’n iawn!)
Roedd rhai o negeseuon y llyfr yn teimlo braidd yn forced ar brydiau. (e.e. pregeth Grav y Ci) Dwi’n deall pam ei bod hi’n bwysig cyfleu negeseuon fel hyn, ac yn gweld pam fod yr awduron wedi mynd â’r syniad fod Crechwen yn cael tröedigaeth ysbrydol erbyn y diwedd a bod pawb yn ffrindiau. (ia - y cwn, y cathod a’r llygod i gyd yn byw’n ddedwydd!) Ond y peth ydi, roedd rhan ohonof eisiau gweld Tomos a’i griw yn cael y gorau o’r g'nawes ac yn dysgu gwers go iawn iddi.. Ella byddai hynny wedi bod yn fwy o hwyl, er, wyrach ddim mor ‘PC’ erbyn hyn... Oes rhaid cael rhyw ‘neges’ ym mhob llyfr ‘dyddiau yma? Roedd perthynas Tom & Jerry yn un cymhleth!
Dwi’n falch fod plant (a’u rhieni debyg) yn mwynhau darllen am straeon Tomos Llygoden, a dwi’n ffyddiog y bydd na fwy o anturiaethau ym myd y theatr...
(Wel, dwi’n eithaf siŵr bydd ‘na fwy achos mae’n dweud hynny ar ddiwedd y llyfr! Ha ha!)
Don't ask me why, but I've always liked mice as characters in stories and on TV! When everyone else liked the classics, my favourite Disney film was a rather obscure one from the 70s called ‘The Rescuers’ - about a group of adventurous little mice saving the day! Why that one in particular? Maybe because the mice were small, with the odds stacked against them and everyone likes a bit of an underdog story, don’t they? Much like the Rescuers, Tomos Llygoden, although small in size, manages to achieve great things and very often saves the day. The popular Craig Russell and Caryl Parry Jones series introduces us to the world of the theatre (something that may be unfamiliar to many children) through the eyes of the cute and fluffy animals. This is a good example of where the writing and the artwork combine perfectly to create a very loveable series, and one that is extremely easy to read.
First Impressions
Like our main character, despite being small in size, it certainly packs a punch. You get your money’s worth for the reasonable price of £4.95. Leri Tecwyn's artwork is traditional, warm and full of different patterns and textures. With almost every page full of colour, the illustrations really add to the story here, helping the young readers to make sense of what’s going on. The text itself has also been sensibly located and blends into the artwork.
What happens in the story?
Mr Meilir, the boss, makes a big announcement that an important visitor is coming to the theatre. That visitor is Madam Blobfawr, a world-famous opera singer, who is something of a 'Diva'! Unfortunately for the mice, she has a pet that travels everywhere with her... a cat called Crechwen (smirk) Oh dear! Cats + mice = trouble!
How is Tomos going to stop Crechwen from eating his friends? He’s got his work cut out for him this time!
What's good about the story?
Apart from the fact that Covid has closed all theatres for the time being, not all children are lucky enough to get to visit theatres. The Tomos Llygoden stories bring a little bit of theatre magic to younger readers and introduces them to a new experience, so that's something to be commended.
The authors succeed in bringing humour into the story naturally, and as a result the book's appeal is greater. We need a bit of humour in our lives these days, and seeing Madam Blobfawr’s huge backside coming towards poor Tomos was enough to put a smile on my face. My smile soon turned into laughter when I read about her yoga. She relaxed so much in the session, that she dropped a huge fart that made Tomos and his pals faint! Very funny! I can see a class of young children crying with laughter when they get to this bit during story time!
Anything else?
There is quite a bit more reading than you think, and the Publisher has aimed the book at the 5-8-year-old market. Reading age and interest age are quite different, and I know of children younger than 5 who would enjoy the story, but you’d need an adult to help with the reading. There were a few bits where I had to re-read to see which character was speaking, so maybe that was a bit confusing (either that or I hadn’t woken up properly!)
Some of the book's messages felt a bit forced at times. (e.g. Grav , the dog’s speech) I understand why it's important to convey messages like this and see why the authors chose to go with the idea of Crechwen having a complete epiphany at the end and making friends with everyone. But the thing is, part of me wanted to see Tomos and his crew get the best out her by teaching her a real lesson. Maybe that would have been a bit more fun, though, probably not ‘PC’ these days.... I wonder, do we always have to have some moral message in every book? Tom and Jerry always had a complex love-hate relationship!
I am pleased that children (and their parents) enjoy reading about Tomos the Mouse, and I am confident that there will be more adventures in his theatrical world.
(Well, I'm pretty sure there will be more because it says so at the end of the book!)