*Scroll down for English*
"Llyfr hardd iawn am gariad a cholled."
"Beautiful book about love and loss."
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:: ◉◉◉◎◎
Addaswyd gan/adapted by: Mary Jones
Lluniau/illustrations: Cathy Fisher
Oed diddordeb/interest age: 5+
Oed darllen/reading age: 7+
Themau sensitif (marwolaeth) - awgrymir disgresiwn
Sensitive themes (death) - discretion advised
Fe gawson ni newyddion da’r mis yma, wrth i Lywodraeth Cymru a’r Cyngor Llyfrau gyhoeddi cynllun newydd i gefnogi iechyd a lles plant. Ariannir pecyn o 41 o lyfrau, wedi eu dewis gan arbenigwyr, sy’n helpu athrawon i drafod materion iechyd a lles yn well. Bydd y llyfrau ar gael yn Gymraeg a’r Saesneg gydag adnoddau i gyd-fynd. Gwych!
Darllenwch y datganiad i’r wasg yma:
Dyma’r catalog llawn sy’n rhestru llyfrau fesul thema yma:
Roedd y llyfr yma’n fwy dwys nac oeddwn i wedi’i ddisgwyl o edrych ar y clawr. Er ei fod yn trafod pwnc anodd iawn, cefais fy siomi ar yr ochr orau gan y llyfr emosiynol, grymus a theimladwy yma.
Yn syml, mae bachgen a’i dad yn paratoi i adeiladu pwll yn yr ardd, ond cyn i’r prosiect ddwyn ffrwyth, mae’r tad yn marw, gan adael twll gwag ym mywydau’r teulu, yn llythrennol.
Doeddwn i ddim yn disgwyl hynny o gwbl. Heavy stuff. Yn aml, mae llyfrau plant yn aralleirio neu’n siarad o gwmpas y pwnc, ond mae’r stori yma’n trafod marwolaeth y tad mewn ffordd uniongyrchol a phlaen- sy'n beth da.
Dwi wedi darllen sylwadau gan rai athrawon sy’n dweud na fydden nhw’n darllen y llyfr gyda’u dosbarth oherwydd fod y themâu dwys yn cael eu trafod mewn ffordd di-flewyn ar dafod. Dwi’n teimlo’n wahanol; bod y llyfr yn cynnig cyfle gwerthfawr i drafod pwnc pwysig iawn gyda’r plant lleiaf (pwnc sy’n aml yn cael ei osgoi). Fodd bynnag, mae angen bod yn ymwybodol o sefyllfa plant unigol, a chi sy’n nabod eich plant ar ddiwedd y dydd.
Yn fuan iawn ar ôl i’r adroddwr lenwi’r pwll â dŵr, mae’n torri ac mae’r dŵr yn llifo i’r tŷ gan wylltio ei fam, sy’n bygwth cael gwared ohono. Mae’r pwll anorffenedig yn amlwg yn creu tensiwn rhwng y teulu sy’n achosi i’r adroddwr sgrechian mewn cynddaredd ar ei dad am farw. Caiff poen y bachgen ei gyfleu yn hynod o real gan anrhefn, blerwch a thywyllwch y gwaith celf.
Er nad yw’r pwll yn ddim byd mwy na thwll moel a llwm yn y ddaear i gychwyn, wrth i amser fynd heibio, mae rhywbeth rhyfeddol yn digwydd. Fesul tipyn daw’r pwll yn fyw a chaiff ei lenwi gan fywyd gwyllt, pryfetach a blodau hardd fel Lili’r Dŵr.
Drwy gydol y llyfr, y pwll yw cyswllt y teulu gyda’r tad - rhywle y gallent fynd i fyfyrio, i siarad gydag o ac i gofio amdano. Ar yr un pryd, mae’r pwll yn adlewyrchiad o alar y teulu a’r teimladau cymysg a brofant wrth iddynt symud o’r lle tywyll a llwm ar ôl colli dad, at y gobaith a’r bywyd newydd a ddaw ar y diwedd.
Erbyn diwedd y llyfr, mae fel pe bai’r teulu wedi dechrau dod i delerau â’r golled, ac er eu bod yn ffarwelio â’r hen dŷ a’r atgofion chwerwfelys, mae nhw’n cario ‘syniad’ dad gyda nhw, gan ddatgan y bydden nhw’n creu pwll newydd. Yn union fel y tymhorau, lle daw gwanwyn ar ôl gaeaf, mae llygedyn o obaith ar ddiwedd y stori, sy’n ffordd addas iawn o orffen.
There was some good news this month, as the Welsh Government and the Books Council of Wales announced a new scheme to support the health and wellbeing of children. A pack of 41 books, selected by experts, has been funded which helps teachers to better discuss health and wellbeing issues. The books will be available in Welsh and English with resources to accompany. Great!
Read the press release here:
Here’s the full catalogue listing books by theme here:
The book was more intense than I’d first imagined from seeing the cover. Although this book discusses a difficult subject, I really enjoyed this powerful and moving book.
To put it simply, a boy and his father start building a pond in the garden, but the father dies before they get a chance to finish it, literally leaving an empty hole in the family's lives.
I wasn’t expecting that. Heavy stuff. Children's books often approach the subject of death indirectly or go round the houses, but I appreciated the way the author discusses the father's death very directly.
I've read comments from some teachers who say that they wouldn’t read the book with their class because of the themes. I feel differently – I think the book offers a valuable opportunity to discuss this important topic with young children (a subject that is often avoided). What I would say is, that you need to be aware of individual children’s circumstances, and use discretion - you know your children at the end of the day.
Soon after the narrator fills the pond with water, it breaks and the water flows into the house, causing the mother to threaten to get rid of it. Clearly a source of tension between the family, the narrator becomes very angry with his father for leaving – a very natural response. The raw emotion of the boy's pain is conveyed through the chaos and darkness of Cathy Fisher’s haunting illustrations.
Although the pond is initially bare and lifeless, over time, something remarkable happens. The pond comes to life and is soon teeming with wildlife, insects and water flowers.
Throughout the book, the pond is the family's connection with their father - somewhere they can go to reflect, talk to him and remember him. At the same time, the pond is a reflection of their grief as they move from the dark and bleak place after the initial loss, to the glimmer of hope at the end.
Towards the end, it is as if the family have started to come to terms with their grief, and although they are saying goodbye to the old house and the bittersweet memories, they carry their father's 'dream' with them, stating that they would create a new pond. Just like the seasons, where the warmth of spring follows a bleak winter, the story ends on a positive note.
Cyhoeddwr/publisher: Graffeg
Cyhoeddwyd/released: 2020
Pris: £7.99
ISBN: 9781912050086
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