*Scroll down for English*
“Delightful. Charming. Lovely. Timeless.”
Genre: #ffuglen #swreal #teigr #dwyieithog / #fiction #surreal #bilingual
Oed diddordeb/interest age: 2+
Oed darllen/reading age: 6+
Addasiad Cymraeg: Roger Boore
Nid pob llyfr sy’n cael ei wefan ei hun, ond mae The Tiger who came to tea yn llyfr eiconig a gafodd ei gyhoeddi gyntaf yn 1968, ac sydd newydd ddathlu ei ben-blwydd yn hanner cant. Mae’r ffaith ei fod yn dal i werthu miloedd o gopïau ar ôl cymaint o amser yn destament i’w lwyddiant a’i apêl. Mae’r llyfr yn dal i gael ei brynu’n rheolaidd i blant, gan rieni a neiniau a theidiau sy’n cofio darllen y llyfr eu hunain.
Ydi Y Teigr a ddaeth i de wedi dyddio erbyn hyn? Wrth gwrs ei fod o! Mae’r ffaith fod y dyn llefrith a bachgen y groser yn galw heibio’r tŷ yn dangos fod hwn yn perthyn i oes a fu, heb sôn am y ffaith mai ‘Dadi’ sy’n mynd i’r gwaith gan adael y fam adref i ofalu am y tŷ. Bydd, mi fydd rhai pethau yn anghyfarwydd bellach, ac mi fydd angen sgwrs i esbonio sut mae pethau wedi newid, ond dwi’n meddwl fod hynny’n beth da gan ei fod o’n ysgogi trafodaeth yn ei hun am gender roles ac ati. Dwi’n siŵr y bydd rhai yn dweud fod y llyfr yn twee, yn ystrydebol ac yn hen ffasiwn, ond, ydi hyn yn effeithio ar fwynhad y darllen yn 2021? Nac ydi wir.
Dyma stori annwyl, quirky, sy’n hynod o syml mewn gwirionedd. Gallwch esbonio’r ‘plot’ mewn ychydig eiriau: mam a merch yn cael te yn y gegin un prynhawn, ac mae teigr yn canu’r gloch ac yn gofyn os caiff o ymuno â nhw. A dyna ni fwy neu lai.
Mae’r teigr gosgeiddig yn beth digon clên, er ei fod o braidd yn farus, ac yn llwyddo i fwyta’r holl fwyd ac yfed yr holl ddŵr (ia, yr holl ddŵr yn y tap – oedolion, peidiwch â gor-feddwl) nes does dim byd ar ôl. Ac ar ôl iddo lowcio’r bwyd i gyd, mae’n ffarwelio’n reit handi a welwn ni byth mohono eto. Digywilydd ynte! Dwi’n synnu fod Dad heb fynd yn wallgof ar ôl sylwi bod y teigr wedi yfed ei duniau cwrw...
Cawn ein gadael gyda nifer o gwestiynau ar ddiwedd y stori. O ble ddaeth y teigr, ac i ble’r aeth o? Cwestiynau da i sbarduno sgwrs. Unwaith, mi welais i gyfweliad â’r awdur, lle dywedodd yr holwr ei bod hi wedi dehongli themâu cudd y llyfr fel ‘sexual awakening and ethnic difference in Suburbia.’ BE??! Dwi’n meddwl mai’r peth hawsaf yw mwynhau symlrwydd ac absẃrdrwydd y stori a pheidio gor-ddehongli. Athrawon - dyma lyfr perffaith ar gyfer dipyn bach o actio neu chwarae rôl yn y dosbarth...
Oedd ’na deigr go iawn? Ai dychmygu’r cyfan wnaeth y teulu? Pwy a ŵyr? A pha ots achos mae’r stori wedi llwyddo i swyno darllenwyr ifanc ers hanner canrif, a dwi’n siŵr y bydd yn parhau i wneud hynny am hanner canrif eto!
It’s not every book that gets its own website, but The Tiger who came to tea is an iconic book that was first published in 1968, and has just celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. The fact that it continues to sell thousands of copies after such a long time is a testament to its success and enduring appeal. The book is still regularly purchased for children, by parents and grandparents who remember reading the book themselves.
Is Y Teigr a ddaeth i de dated? Of course it is! The Formica tables, trilby hats, milkmen and grocer boys all tell you that this book belongs to a bygone era, not to mention the fact that dad is the only one who goes to work, leaving mum to look after the house. Some things will be unfamiliar to today’s children, and would probably benefit from a conversation to explain how things have changed, but I think that's a good thing because it starts a discussion about gender roles etc. I'm sure some will say that the book is twee, stereotypical and old-fashioned, but does this affect the enjoyment of the reading it in 2021? Not really, no.
This is a sweet, quirky story, which is actually very simple. You can explain the 'plot' in a few words: Mother and daughter having tea in the kitchen, when a tiger rings the bell and asks if he can join them. And that's pretty much it.
The graceful and majestic tiger is actually very pleasant, if not a little greedy. He succeeds in eating all the food and drinking all the water in the tap (yes, all the water! Adults- don’t over-think it) until there’s nothing left. And once he's guzzled down all the food, he swiftly makes his exit and we never see or hear from him again. What a cheeky tiger! Although I am surprised Dad didn't go crazy after finding out that the tiger had drank all his tins of beer…
We are left with a number of questions at the end of the story. Where did the tiger come from? Where did he go? Good questions to spark a conversation. Once, I saw an interview with the author, in which the interviewer said that she had interpreted the book's hidden themes as 'sexual awakening and ethnic differences in Suburbia.’ WHAT? I think the easiest thing is to just enjoy the simplicity and absurdness of the story and not to over-interpret things. Teachers - this is a perfect book for a bit of role play or improv in class...
Was there a real Tiger? Did the family imagine it all? Who knows? And who cares really, because the story has succeeded in charming young readers for half a century, and I am sure that it will continue to do so for another fifty years…
Wrth hunan ynysu gartref dros y Nadolig, roedd gen i fwy na digon o amser i wylio’r teledu. Sylwais fod ‘na animeiddiad o’r stori’n cael ei ddarlledu ‘lenni, gyda’r arwyddgân yn cael ei ganu gan Robbie Williams. Gwyliwch y trailer yma:
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