*Scroll down for English review and comments*
19 stori fer am fachgen direidus a'i ffrindiau!
19 short stories about a mischievous little boy!
Genre: ffuglen, doniol / fiction, funny
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: ★★★☆☆
Dwi’n falch fod 'na fwy o lyfrau’n cael eu haddasu o ieithoedd eraill heblaw ‘r Saesneg o’r diwedd! Mae hyn yn beth da iawn ac yn sicrhau fod 'na ddigon o amrywiaeth o ddeunydd darllen. Mae Direidi Nicolas yn gyfres o straeon pytiog gan awdur y gyfres boblogaidd Asterix.
Ar yr edrychiad cyntaf, mae’n edrych fel clamp o lyfr, ond peidiwch â phoeni, achos 19 o straeon byrion sydd yma, felly gallwch eu darllen fel ac y mynnwch - un y noson cyn mynd i’r gwely er enghraifft!
Straeon am Nicolas a’i ffrindiau sydd yma. Bachgen bach direidus a drygionus sydd, ynghyd a’i ffrindiau, yn gwneud bywyd yn anodd i’w athrawes druan, Miss Evans. A dweud y gwir, mae Nicolas a’i griw yn llwyddo i roi cur pen i’w rieni ac unrhyw oedolion eraill sy’n dod ar eu traws!
Dwi’n hoffi’r ffaith fod yr awdur yn ysgrifennu o safbwynt Nicolas ei hun, felly rydym ni’n gweld popeth drwy lygaid plentyn. Tydi Nicolas druan byth yn gallu gweld safbwynt yr oedolion- ac mae hyn yn ddoniol yn ei hun! Mae hiwmor sych yr awdur yn gryf yn y llyfr ac mae’r asides bach (siarad gyda’i hun ar yr ochr) yn reit amusing gan ei fod o’n pwysleisio rhai o’r pethau drosodd a throsodd bob yn ail stori bron. e.e.
“Mae’n wir taw Aneurin yw’r gore yn y dosbarth ( a taw fe yw ci rhech Miss Evans, ei ffefryn hi) , ond dyw e ddim wir yn un o’r bois achos mae e’n lefen drwy’r amser…. a gan ei fod e’n gwisgo sbectol, dyn ni ddim yn gallu pwno fe.”
Fel ‘da chi’n gweld – tydi’r stori ddim yr un mwyaf ‘P.C’ erbyn heddiw (rhaid i chi gofio mai yn y 50au y mae’r stori’n digwydd) ond mae’r drygioni’n ddigon diniwed – yn ddiniwed iawn os ydych chi’n ei gymharu hefo ymddygiad mewn rhai ysgolion heddiw!
Mae bechgyn y dosbarth yn cambihafio drwy’r adeg a dim ots faint o weithiau y cânt nhw eu cosbi (fel arfer drwy orfod sefyll yn y gornel) tydi eu hymddygiad byth yn gwella! Mae’r cymeriadau yn blant drwg, ond ar yr un pryd, maen nhw reit charming hefyd. Yn sicr, mae’r awdur yn llwyddo i greu sefyllfaoedd ysgafn a doniol heb orfod defnyddio hiwmor toiled, budreddi a rhegfeydd fel sydd yn nifer o lyfrau modern. Wedi dweud hyn, mae rhai o’r sefyllfaoedd o’r straeon yn annhebygol neu anghyfarwydd erbyn heddiw, ond dwi ddim yn meddwl fod hyn yn amharu ar y stori. Mae’n fy atgoffa i o hunangofiant Roald Dahl, Boy - y math yna o straeon drygionus.
Mae Nicolas a’i gyfeillion yn llwyddo (bron heb drio weithiau) i achosi helynt a stŵr - maen nhw’n cael y gorau o’r arolygwr ysgolion, yn weindio eu hathrawon i fyny, yn smocio sigâr, derbyn adroddiadau ysgol wael, sbwylio drama, torri ffenestr, creu llanast a chwarae triwant ymysg pethau eraill!
Mi oedd rhaid i mi ganolbwyntio wrth ddarllen y llyfr achos roedd iaith y De yn drwm yn y llyfr ac roedd nifer o eiriau anghyfarwydd i mi. Ar y cyfan, mi wnes i fwynhau’r hwyl ddrygionus, ddiniwed. Roedd arlunwaith cartwnaidd, syml Jean-Jaques Sempe yn siwtio’r llyfr i’r dim. Does ‘na ddim straeon emosiynol, dwys a fawr ddim o ddatblygiad cymeriad - dim ond casgliad o straeon ysgafn, light-hearted. Dwi’n meddwl y bydd nifer o blant tua 8-11 oed yn mwynhau’r llyfr yma, heblaw am y rhai mwyafstreetwise, - efallai y bydden nhw’n gweld yr hwyl mymryn yn hen ffasiwn, diflas ac yn rhy ddiniwed. Dibynnu ar y plentyn, bur debyg.
Mae gwasg Dalen yn gado fod mwy o anturiaethau Nicolas ar y ffordd yn fuan!
I’m very pleased that there are more books being adapted into Welsh from languages other than English at last! This is good news and ensures that there is sufficient variety of reading material. Direidi Nicolas is a series of short tales by the author of the popular series Asterix.
At first glance, it looks like a substantial book, but not to worry, because it’s split into 19 short stories, so you can read them as and when you like. How about one a night before going to bed for example?
What we get are stories of Nicolas and friends. A little mischievous boy, who, together with his friends, makes life difficult for his poor teacher, Miss Evans. In fact, Nicolas and his crew manage to cause a headache for their parents and any other adults who come their way!
I like the fact that the author writes from Nicolas's own perspective, so we see everything through a child's eyes. Poor Nicolas can never see the adults' viewpoint-and this is funny in itself! The author's dry humour is and the small asides (speaking with himself on the side) are quite amusing because he emphasizes some things over and over, such as his ‘fat’ best friend and the teacher’s pet who they can’t beat up because he has glasses.
As you see – the story isn't the most ‘P.C.’ by today’s standards, but you must bear in mind that the story takes place and was written in the 50s) The misdemeanours are innocent enough though – very innocent if you compare it with standards of behaviour in some schools today!
The boys misbehave all the time and no matter how many times they are punished (usually by having to stand in the corner) their behaviour never improves! The characters are naughty, but at the same time they're quite charming too. Certainly, the author manages to create mildly funny situations without having to resort to toilet humour, swearing and crassness found in many modern books. Having said this, some of the story situations seem unlikely or unfamiliar by now, but I don't think this impacts the story. I mean, does it really matter that the kids write with ink pots on their desks – especially if it results in funny situations! It reminds me of Roald Dahl's autobiography, Boy- it’s that type of thing.
Nicolas and his friends succeed (sometimes without trying) in causing trouble and they get up to all sorts. They get the better of a school inspector, wind their teachers up no-end, smoke a cigar, receive terrible school reports, ruin a play, smash a window, create a mess and play ‘hooky’ (skipping school) amongst other things!
I had to concentrate on reading the book as the Southern dialect was strong and there were a number of unfamiliar words to me. On the whole, I enjoyed the mischievous, innocent fun. Jean-Jaques Sempe's simple scribblings really suit the book. There are no deep, emotional stories here and little- if any character development- just a collection of light hearted, fun stories. I think a number of children around the age of 8-11 will enjoy this book, except for the most streetwise, - maybe they would see it as being a bit outdated, naïve and tepid. Depends on the child, I guess.
Dalen press promises that more of Nicolas's adventures are on the way very soon…
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