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Stori ddoniol am gyfeillgarwch annisgwyl!
Funny story about an unusual friendship!
Gwasg/publisher: Atebol
Cyhoeddwyd/released: 2019
Addasiad: Mari George
Pris: £6.99
ISBN: 978-1-912261-97-0
Lefel her/challenge level: ❖ ❖
Pan welais i’r llyfr yma am y tro cyntaf, roeddwn i’n meddwl mai llyfr plant arferol fyddai hwn. Roeddwn i’n hollol anghywir!
Mae stori draddodiadol am arth a chwningen yn cael twist gwbl fodern yn y llyfr yma. Mae yna erthygl ddiddorol iawn yn sôn am sut a pham aeth yr awdur ati i ysgrifennu’r stori: .......... <https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/mar/24/julian-gough-i-wanted-to-mash-up-winnie-the-pooh-and-david-attenborough>. Roedd wedi cael llond bol ar lyfrau plant boring, ac aeth ati i ‘sgwennu un gwell! Dwi’n hoff o’r ffaith fod y prif gymeriad yn ferch - rhywbeth annisgwyl.
Mae’r arth yn cael ei deffro o’i gaeafgwsg oherwydd bod 'na leidr sy’n dwyn ei bwyd yn sefyll ar ei thrwyn. Mae’r arth yn hynod o optimistaidd a does dim byd yn mynd i’w digalonni. Wrth fentro allan a gweld yr eira, mae hi’n penderfynu gwneud y gorau o’r sefyllfa ac adeiladu dyn eira.
Mae’r gwningen yn ymddangos - creadur digon sarrug a does ganddo fawr o fynadd gyda’r arth. Er hyn, mae o’n gwningen wybodus iawn ac yn gwybod llawer am ddisgyrchiant, eirlithradau ac arferion bwyta cwningod. Dyma ddarn amusing o’r nofel sy’n trafod (mewn cryn fanylder) y ffaith fod cwningod angen bwyta eu bwyd ddwywaith. Ydyn, maen nhw’n bwyta eu pŵ eu hunain!! Bydd plant wrth ei bodd gyda’r darn yma, ac yn dysgu ffeithiau gwyddonol newydd ‘run pryd!
Mae ein cwningen gelwyddog yn teimlo braidd yn euog am ddwyn bwyd yr arth, felly mae’n rhoi moronen iddi! Ond dim ond un llipa, du, wedi pydru!
Wrth i’r stori fynd yn ei flaen, mae’r arth yn amyneddgar ac yn gyfeillgar, ond mae’r gwningen yn swta, yn feirniadol ac yn gystadleuol! Dim yn ffrind da iawn o gwbl! Pan mae blaidd yn ymddangos ac yn ffansio cwningen i de, mae’r arth yn fwy na pharod i helpu ei ffrind newydd! Ar ôl i’r ddau gael hwyl yn adeiladu dyn eira, mae gan y gwningen gymaint o gywilydd, mae’n cyfaddef beth mae o wedi gwneud. Beth fydd ymateb yr arth tybed?
Mae ‘na lot yn mynd ymlaen yn y llyfr yma. Mae’r awdur yn sôn am gyfeillgarwch, gonestrwydd, bod yn hapus yn eich croen ac edifeirwch. Mae gwybodaeth wyddonol ddiddorol wedi cael ei blethu gyda hiwmor, cymeriadau hoffus, stori annwyl a lluniau gwerth chweil. Dwi wrth fy modd gyda’r lluniau du a gwyn, gyda mymryn o las. Mae’r llyfr yn un sylweddol ac mae lluniau bendigedig yn cyd-fynd a BOB tudalen! Mae’r tudalennau’n drwchus iawn ac mae’n amlwg fod hwn yn llyfr o ansawdd uchel.
Fel oedolyn yn darllen y llyfr yma, mi roeddwn i’n gwenu drwyddo, a dim yn aml mae hynny’n digwydd gyda llyfrau plant ifanc. Dwi’n meddwl fod hwn yn glasur modern ac mi wnes i wir ei fwynhau. Y llyfr plant ifanc gorau i mi ddarllen yn 2019.
Mae’r stori’n addas ar gyfer plant 5-7 oed, ond dwi hefyd y meddwl fod o’n llyfr da iawn i’w ddefnyddio fel nofel ddosbarth ym mlynyddoedd 3 a 4. Byddai ganddo ddefnydd gyda phlant hŷn yr adran iau hefyd ar gyfer darllenwyr dihyder.
When I first saw this book, my first thoughts were, ‘here we go… yet another typical children’s book.’ How wrong I was!
The traditional animal partnership story about a bear and a rabbit has had a revamp and a totally modern twist. Here is a very interesting article where the author discusses why he wrote the story in the first place: https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/mar/24/julian-gough-i-wanted-to-mash-up-winnie-the-pooh-and-david-attenborough. His daughter was fed-up with average, run-of-the-mill children's books, so he decided to write one himself! The bear, our main character is actually a female. This makes a refreshing change as the larger animal is almost always male.
The bear is woken up from her hibernation when a food thief stands on her nose. Rather than get angry and upset about it, this bear is extremely optimistic and decides to make the best of the situation. On seeing the snow, she decides to make a snowman.
The rabbit appears – a grouchy creature who makes numerous snide remarks. Despite coming across as a bit of a know-it-all, he really is quite knowledgeable about gravity, avalanches and rabbit eating habits. We then get a very amusing part that describes (in some detail) the fact that rabbits need to eat their food twice. Yes, they eat their own poop! Children will love this bit, and will also learn something new at the same time!
Our lying rabbit with a dodgy moral compass feels a bit guilty about stealing the bear's food, so feels compelled to give her a consolation carrot (of bear’s own food!) Not a nice, fresh one, but a black, withered and rotten old carrot! The cheek!
As the story progresses, bear is patient and friendly, but rabbit is grumpy, critical and competitive! Not a very good friend at all! When a wolf appears and fancies some rabbit for tea, bear wastes no time in helping her new friend! Once the two have fun building a snowman, the rabbit feels extremely guilty about stealing the food, and admits what he’s done. How will bear react I wonder?
There is a lot going on in this book. The author talks about friendship, honesty, remorse and being happy in your own skin. Interesting scientific information is perfectly woven with endearing characters, a charming story, humour and brilliant illustrations. I love the black-and-white pictures with hints of blue. The book is a substantial one and ALL the pages are accompanied by some wonderful pictures! The paper itself is thick and it feels like a very high-quality book.
As an adult reading this book, I smiled all the way through and that's not often the case with young children's books. I think this is truly a modern classic and I really enjoyed it. This is my favourite young children's book of 2019.
The story is suitable for children aged 5-7, especially for bedtime reading with adults. I also think that it would make an ideal book to use as a class novel in years 3 and 4. It could also be used with older children in the juniors for newly independent readers lacking in confidence.