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Dio'm yn fawr! Dio'm yn dal! Ond mae o'n ddewr!
He's not big! He's not tall! But he's brave!
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:: ◉◉◉◎◎ Dyfarniad/Rating: ★★★★☆
Pwy sy’n cofio Ifan Bifan?
Un o fy atgofion cyntaf o’r ysgol gynradd, oedd eistedd yn y neuadd (gan groesi coesau a phlethu breichiau, wrth gwrs!) a gwrando ar yr athrawes yn adrodd straeon Ifan Bifan…
Dwi wrth fy modd gyda lluniau cain Gunilla Bergström, sy’n ‘retro’ iawn erbyn hyn, ond dwi’n meddwl mai’r gyfrinach ydi cadw pethau’n syml. Dyna pam fod nhw’n gweithio. Mewn byd lle mae ‘na gymaint o liwiau a chyffro ar y sgriniau teledu ac ipads, tydi hi ddim yn ddrwg o beth i ddod a phethau lawr fymryn weithiau. Less is more fel maen nhw’n ddweud. Mae’r awdur, sy’n ‘sgwennu’r straeon ac yn eu harlunio’n defnyddio cyfuniad o luniau syml a chollage. Pan dwi’n gweld y lluniau, dwi’n meddwl am y 70’au ac IKEA. Mae llyfr newydd Lleucu Lynch, ‘Y Dyn Dweud Drefn’ yn defnyddio lluniau syml tebyg.
Yn y stori yma, mae Ifan wedi mynd at ei Nain i aros ac mae ei gefndryd hŷn yno hefyd. Tydyn nhw ddim yn gadael i Ifan chwarae cardiau gyda nhw ‘am ei fod o rhy fach i ddeall pethau.’ Dwi’n siŵr fydd na nifer o blant yn gallu uniaethu gyda hyn! Er nad ydi o’n cael chwarae cardiau, mae o’n ddigon clyfar i wybod sut i fynd i ben stôl er mwyn nôl y cacennau o’r tun ar y silff uchaf! Yndi wir - mae Ifan Bifan YN un cyfrwys! Dwi wrth fy modd efo’i wyneb o pan mae o’n llwyddo i gyrraedd y trîts ar ben y silff!! Dwi’n nabod y teimlad o lwyddiant yna’n iawn - mae fy ngwyneb i’n rhywbeth tebyg ar ôl ffeindio a chwalu’r Milk Chocolate Digestives sy’n cuddio yn y cwpwrdd!
Daeth y llyfr cyntaf allan yn 1972 yn yr iaith wreiddiol o Swedeg dan y teitl Alfons Åberg. Mae o bellach wedi cael ei addasu i mewn i nifer o wahanol ieithoedd gan gynnwys Saesneg (o dan y teitl Alfie Atkins). Maen nhw’n dilyn straeon yr hogyn bach direidus a dwi’n meddwl byddai Ifan Bifan yn gweithio'n debyg i gyfres fel ‘Na Nel!’ ! Mae gan yr awdur ddiddordeb mewn ymddygiad bodau dynol, ac mae hi fel arfer yn gweithio rhyw negeseuon i mewn i’r llyfrau. Perffaith ar gyfer cynulleidfa ifanc. Mae’r “brand” erbyn hyn yn un mawr iawn, ac nid yn unig wedi gwerthu dros 8 miliwn copi, ond hefyd mae o wedi cael ei droi’n gyfres deledu AC yn ffilm yn 2013.
Bechod fod copis o’r llyfrau bellach allan o brint, ers cael eu cyfieithu gan y Dref Wen yn yr 80au. Dwi’n meddwl basa ‘Ifan Bifan’ yn gwneud brand da yng Nghymru, yn enwedig os fasa ‘na lyfrau, cartŵn a ffilmiau i gyd-fynd. Dwi’n meddwl fod ‘na brinder o hynny yn gyffredinol yng Nghymru - cyfresi teledu a llyfrau sy’n cyd-fynd. Dwi’n cofio pethau fel ‘Look and Read’ ers talwm gan y BBC ac roedden nhw’n wych. Cyfresi fel ‘Earth Warp’ a ‘Geordie Racer.’ Bosib fod 'na ddim digon o bres yng Nghymru ond mi fase hi’n grêt gweld gwasg yn cymryd risg a datblygu llyfrau sy’n cyd-fynd a rhaglen deledu, er mwyn creu ‘brand’ adnabyddus. Teganau meddal? Apiau? Cyfleoedd di-ri!!!
Mae adroddiad Rosser (2017) gan y Cyngor Llyfrau’n dweud y dylia ‘ni wneud mwy o addasiadau o lyfrau amrywiol o dramor. Pam ddim atgyfodi Ifan Bifan o’r Sweden? Dwi’n meddwl fod nhw’n llyfrau grêt fel ma’ nhw ond mae ‘na wastad sgôp i’w moderneiddio fymryn! Mae angen ychwanegu mwy o gymeriadau benywaidd ac amrywiol sy'n fwy cynrychiadol o fywyd yr unfed ganrif ar hugain! Mae hi wedi ‘sgwennu llwyth o lyfrau yn y gyfres erbyn hyn, felly dim ond angen eu haddasu a'u 'tweakio' sydd...
Plîs gawn ni ddod ac Ifan Bifan yn ôl fel cyfres llyfrau a chartŵn ar S4C? Mi wnâi gyfieithu’r llyfrau fy hun os wneith o helpu!
Anyone remember Ifan Bifan? (or Alfie Atkins)
One of my first memories from primary school, was sitting in the hall (with arms and legs crossed of course!) listening avidly to the teacher recount the everyday adventures of Ifan Bifan…
I love the retro, minimalist drawings of Gunilla Bergström, which I think are so successful because of their simplicity. I think that’s the secret. In a world where there’s so much colour and excitement and over-stimulation on television and ipad screens, it is a bad thing to tone it down sometimes? Less is more as they say. The author, who not only writes but illustrates her own stories uses a combination of simple pictures and collage. When I see the pictures, I think of the 70's and IKEA. Lleucu Lynch’s new book, 'Y Dyn Dweud Drefn’ uses a similar drawing style I think.
In this story, Ifan has gone to his grandmothers to stay along with his older cousins. They don’t let poor Ifan play cards and join in because he’s ‘too small to understand things.’ ' I'm sure many children will be able to relate to this if they have older brothers and sisters! Although he can't play cards, he’s clever enough to figure out how to use the stool to get to the cake tin on the top shelf. Yes, what a sly one you are Ifan Bifan! I love that picture of his face when he gets his hands on those top shelf treats! That’s very much like my face when I get hold of that pack of Milk Chocolate digestives that have been hidden from me!
The first book out became 1972 in the original language of Swedeish under the title Alfons Åberg. It has now been adapted into a number of different languages including English (titled Alfie Atkins). They follow the everyday adventures of mischievous little boy Ifan Bifan. The author is interested in the behaviour of human beings, and she usually works some sort of message into the books. Perfect for a young audience. The international "brand" is now a very large one, and has not only sold over 8 million copies, but it has also been converted into a TV series and a film in 2013.
It’s a shame that copies of these books are now out of print, since they were translated by Dref Wen in the 80s. I think ' Ifan Bifan' would make a good children’s brand in Wales, especially as a package of books, cartoons, merchandise, apps etc. I think there’s a general shortage of well-known brands in Wales. Especially multi-platform ones. I remember things like 'Look & Read ' by the BBC and they were fantastic. They were programmes that also came with educational resources. I remember 'Earth Warp' and 'Geordie Racer' being my favourites. It may be that there is no longer enough money in Wales but it would be great to see a publisher bite the bullet and have a go at developing books that could sit alongside a television programme in order to create a well-known ' brand.’
The Rosser report (2017) by the Books Council of Wales says that we should be adapting more international and foreign books into Welsh. Why not resurrect Ifan Bifan from Sweden? I think they are great books as they are but I’m sure there’s always a bit of scope to give them a re-vamp. For example, it could do with more female characters and a more diverse cast that better represents 21st century life. There are loads of books already written – they only need a bit of 'tweaking' and translating!
Can we please bring back Ifan Bifan as a book series and accompanying cartoon on S4C? I’ll translate them myself if it helps!
Cyhoeddwr/publisher: Gwasg Y Dref Wen
Rhyddhawyd/released: 1980