*Scroll down for English*
Y ci mwyaf pwdlyd yn y dre...
The grumpiest dog in town...
Oed darllen/reading age: 6+
Oed diddordeb/interest age: 2+
Addasiad Cymraeg/Welsh adaptation: Elin Meek
Sam, I know how you feel...
A hithau’n agosáu at fy mhen-blwydd yn 30, dwi’n dallt yn iawn sut mae Sam y ci’n teimlo! Dyna’n union sut fydda i’n edrych fory pan fyddai’n gorfod chwythu’r canhwyllau a sylweddoli fod fy twenties wedi mynd a dod!
Y clawr gloss a matt wnaeth dynnu fy sylw at y llyfr yn gyntaf. Ella mai’r gwynab deadpan ydi o, ond mi oni’n ei weld o’n debyg i Gromit, o Wallace & Gromit ond fersiwn mwy blin ella... ac yn sicr mae ei wyneb yn diffinio be dwi’n feddwl o 2020 yn reit dda!
Da chi’n nabod rhywun fatha Sam?
Hen gi blin ydi Sam a does ‘na ddim byd yn plesio. Dydi o ddim yn licio mynd am dro, dio’m yn licio gwneud ffrindiau, a dio’n sicr ddim yn hoffi pen-blwyddi! Pan mae ci bach newydd yn cyrraedd y tŷ (sef adroddwr y stori), yn ôl hwnnw mae ‘na newid yn Sam, ond wnes i ddim sylwi ar hynny fy hun chwaith! Yr un gwyneb pwdlyd a welwn ni dro ar ôl tro... tan i Sam ddod ar draws ei hoff beth yn y byd mawr crwn... Selsig!!
Er bod ‘na ddim llawer iawn o ‘sgwennu, dyma stori wnaeth i mi wenu - y lluniau sy’n cario’r stori mewn gwirionedd. Faswn i ddim yn dweud mod i’n morio chwerthin, ond roedd hiwmor sych yr awdur e.e. y defnydd o’r un llun pwdlyd yn gweithio’n dda.
Anodd iawn yw dweud sut mae Sam yn ymateb i unrhyw beth (heblaw am sosijis!) ac mae jest yn dangos dydi, pa mor anodd yw darllen ystumiau gwyneb rhai. Mae ‘na hefyd le i sôn am rannu, cyfeillgarwch a dysgu sut i gyfaddawdu.
Dyma lyfr dwyieithog sy’n gwerthu’n dda (wedi cyrraedd rhif 4 yn siart gwerthwyr gorau CLLC Mis Rhagfyr) ac mae’n boblogaidd dros ben gyda darllenwyr ifanc. Efallai bod rhai yn meddwl nad oes 'na ddigon o ‘gig ar yr asgwrn’ (lol) o ran y stori, ond os na’r cwbl 'da chi isio ydi llyfr i’w fwynhau, efo lluniau effeithiol sy’n debygol iawn o ‘neud i chi wenu, mae Dyma Sam yn aidial.
I know how you feel, Sam...
As I approach my 30th, I know exactly how Sam the dog feels! [It’s Gus in the original English version] That's exactly the face I’ll have on me tomorrow when I'll be blowing out those candles and realizing that my twenties have been and gone!
It was the gloss/matt cover that first drew my attention to the book. Maybe it’s the deadpan face, but I see some similarities with Gromit, from Wallace & Gromit, albeit an angrier version. His face certainly defines how I feel about 2020 alright!
Do you know a grump like Sam?
Sam is a grumpy old dog and there’s absolutely nothing that makes him smile. He doesn’t like going for a walk, he doesn’t like making friends, and he certainly doesn’t like birthdays! According to the new puppy that arrives at the house (also revealed to be the narrator) we see a change in Sam, but I didn't see it myself, mind. We just get Sam’s frowny face again and again until he comes across the thing he loves most of all…. wait for it…. Sausages!
Although there’s not a huge deal of text, this is a story that made me smile – and it’s the illustrations that actually carry the story. I wouldn't say I was laughing out loud, but the author's dry, deadpan humour certainly made me chuckle.
It’s hard to say how Sam responds to anything really (other than a pile of sausages) and it just goes to show how difficult it is to read some people’s facial expressions and feelings. Some of the themes are sharing, friendship and learning how to compromise.
This is a bilingual book that sells well (reaching no. 4 in the December best-seller chart) and is extremely popular with young readers. Some may think that there’s isn’t enough substance in terms of story, but if you’re just after a book to enjoy, with engaging pictures that will surely make you smile, then Dyma Sam/This is Sam is ideal.
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