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"Cer o 'na, Corona!"
Ychwanegiad amserol iawn i'r gyfres.
A timely addition to this long running series.
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:: ◉◉◎◎◎
Addas ar gyfer plant ifanc. (hyd at 7)
Suitable for young children. (up to age 7)
Dwi’n meddwl ei bod hi’n saff dweud fod Cyfres Rwdlan yn un o’r cyfresi mwyaf llwyddiannus erioed yn y Gymraeg! Mae’n frand hynod adnabyddus a chryf ac anaml iawn y dewch chi ar draws plentyn Cymraeg sydd heb gael rhyw brofiad o ‘Rala Rwdins.’ Cyhoeddwyd y llyfr cyntaf ym 1983 ac ers hynny rydym wedi cael llu o lyfrau, adnoddau amrywiol a hyd yn oed cyfres deledu. Mae’r llyfrau’n dal i fod yn boblogaidd gyda phlant ifanc, rhieni ac athrawon ac yn amlwg maen nhw’n dal i werthu’n dda. Rŵan, mae gennym ni lyfr arall yn y gyfres - rhif 17 - y cyntaf ers wyth mlynedd!
Does dim llawer o bethau da wedi dod o’r pandemig coronafeirws byd-eang, ond mae gennym ni un peth i fod yn ddiolchgar amdano - y ffaith fod Angharad Tomos wedi cael yr amser i ychwanegu llyfr arall at y gyfres fytholwyrdd.
Ar ddechrau’r lockdown (sy’n teimlo fel oes yn ôl) fe gawson ni e-lyfr wedi ei fraslunio â llaw ond rŵan mae’r Lolfa wedi penderfynu ychwanegu’r llyfr at y gyfres yn llawn – ac wedi gwneud hyn yn sydyn iawn ’fyd!
Tydi hyd yn oed Gwlad y Rwla ddim wedi dianc rhag y feirws felltith, ac yn anffodus aros adref sydd rhaid i Rwdlan a’r Dewin Dwl. Gan fod Rala’n brysur, caiff Ceridwen druan y dasg o ddysgu’r rhai bach. “Fydd hyn ddim yn hwyl,” meddai hithau cyn cychwyn - ac mae hi’n llygad ei lle. Wrth ddarllen, fedra i ddim peidio â meddwl am yr holl rieni a ffeindiodd eu hunain yn athrawon mwyaf sydyn, yn ogystal â thrio jyglo gweithio o adref a chadw’r heddwch ’run pryd! Tydw i ddim yn genfigennus o gwbl!
Nid yw Ceridwen yn fawr o athrawes, a chyn pen dim mae Rwdlan a’r Dewin Dwl wedi diflasu ac wedi ffeindio rhywbeth mwy diddorol i wneud. Tybed pa helynt a helbul fydd i ddilyn? Cliw i chi – mae o’n cynnwys paent! O na...
Petai chi’n trio esbonio sut mae llyfrau ‘Cyfres Rwdlan’ yn dal mor boblogaidd i rywun o du allan i Gymru, dwi’n siŵr y bydden nhw’n edrych arnoch chi braidd yn wirion. Mae’n wir nad ydi diwyg ac edrychiad y llyfrau wedi newid fawr ddim ers 1983, ond dwi’n meddwl mai dyma yw’r gyfrinach. Cysondeb. Mae’r lluniau yn lliwgar, yn llachar ac mae’r llyfrau’n syml. Yn hytrach na ‘hen ffasiwn’, dwi’n meddwl mai ‘retro’ yw’r gair priodol ac rwy’n cael rhuthr o nostalgia o’u gweld. Mae digon o hiwmor a giamocs yn y llyfr i blesio’r darllenwyr ifanc, ac mae'r ychwanegiad ddiweddaraf yn profi eu bod nhw'n dal i fod yn berthnasol heddiw. Yr un yw'r apêl yn 2020 a fu yno yn 1983! Mae Rala Rwdins yn ddi-oed a bydd hi’n parhau am flynyddoedd i ddod fel mae darllenwyr newydd yn ei darganfod.
Gwarchod, meithrin a magu’r ‘brand’ sydd angen ac efallai ei ddatblygu ar gyfer y genhedlaeth nesaf, achos dwi’n meddwl fod digon o fywyd ynddo i barhau am ddegawdau eto. Ydi hi’n amser i Rala Rwdins ddychwelyd i'n sgriniau teledu boed hynny ar ffurf cyfres newydd neu ail-ddarlledu’r gyfres wreiddiol? Dwi’n meddwl bod gofyn am gyfres o lyfrau Cymraeg gyda rhaglen deledu gyfatebol i blant ar hyn o bryd.
Sgwn i os ydi Angharad Tomos awydd ychwanegu mwy at y gyfres i’w gwneud yn gyfres o ugain...?!
I think it's safe to say that the ‘Rwdlan’ series (Rala Rwdins books in other words) is one of the most successful ever in the history of the Welsh language! It’s a very strong and well-known brand and you’d be hard pressed to come across a Welsh speaker who hasn’t had some exposure to Rala Rwdins. The first book was published back in 1983 and since then we’ve had a multitude of books, various resources and even a live action television series. The books continue to be popular with young children, parents and teachers and they’re still selling well. Now we have yet another addition to the series – number 17 – and the first in eight years. Exciting! I feel like I did when I heard the announcement that they were making new Star Wars films!
Not many aspects of the global coronavirus pandemic have been positive, but at least we have one thing to be grateful for- the fact that Angharad Tomos found the time to crack out another book in this long running series.
At the beginning of the lockdown (which feels like a lifetime ago) we first got a glimpse of Pawennau Mursen (Mursen’s paws) as a free, hand-drawn e-book but publisher Y Lolfa has now decided to add the book to the series officially – and has turned that around quickly fair play.
Even ‘Gwlad y Rwla’ (Rwla land) isn’t immune from the effects of the virus, and so our favourite young characters, Rwdlan and Dewin Dwl are forced to stay at home. As Rala Rwdins is busy with housework, poor Ceridwen is tasked with teaching the little ones. "It won't be fun," she says before getting started, as if she had some sixth sense that it would be a disaster! (which of course it is!) Upon reading, I can’t help but think of all the parents who suddenly found themselves as teachers – trying to juggle the demands of working from home with keeping the peace. I’m not envious at all! The author has been very quick on the pulse here, by integrating coronavirus into this popular series, which proves it can still be ‘current’ and relevant today.
Ceridwen's not a great teacher, bless her, and before long she gives up, leaving Rwdlan and her partner in crime to get up to no good. I wonder what mischief will ensue? I’ll give you a clue – it involves paint! Oh dear this can’t be good…
If you tried to explain to people outside of Wales how and why the ‘Rwdlan’ books are still so popular in 2020, they might look at you a little strange. Indeed, they haven’t changed at all really since 1983, but I think that’s the secret to their success. Consistency. Familiarity. The pictures are colourful, bright and the books are all-round simple. I won’t go as far as saying old-fashioned, because I think ‘retro’ is a more appropriate word. I certainly get this rush of nostalgia whenever I see them and it takes me back to crying my eyes out in Theatr Gwynedd when Strempan stormed on stage! There’s plenty of humour and mischief in this book to keep the young readers happy and the books still have the same appeal as they did when they were first released. I think they are simply timeless and will continue to be enjoyed for years to come as new generations of readers are introduced to them. I’m even going to go as far as saying it’s a right of passage to hear a Rala Rwdins story at some point in our childhood.
The ‘brand’ needs protecting, nurturing and perhaps even developing further for the next generation, because I think there’s plenty of life left in this franchise. Is it time for Rala Rwdins to return to our TV screens - whether that be in the form of a new series or even just re-airing the original series? I think that Wales is crying out for Welsh books with a corresponding tv programme. The author herself once said that books shouldn’t aim to compete with TV but work in tandem with it.
So, coming in at no.17, we get another strong entry in this ever-expanding series. But surely, she can’t just leave it there- how about rounding it up to an even 20?
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