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Llyfr lliwgar, hudol am uncorn ryfeddol!
Colorful book with magic and a remarkable unicorn!
Genre: ffuglen, hud a lledrith, fiction, magic Gwerth addysgiadol/educational value: ◎◎◎◎◎
Negeseuon positif/positive messages: ◉◉◉◎◎ Themau trist,anodd/upsetting, tough themes: ◎◎◎◎◎ Trais, ofn/violence, scary: ◎◎◎◎◎ Iaith gref/language: ◎◎◎◎◎
Hiwmor/humour: ◉◉◎◎◎ Rhyw/sex: ◎◎◎◎◎ Her darllen/reading difficulty:: ◉◉◎◎◎
Dyfrarniad/verdict: ★★★☆☆
Dwi’n cofio pan oeddwn i yn yr ysgol yn y 90’au – yo-yo’s oedd y ‘craze’ gynta i mi ei brofi, wedyn Pogz, Mini skateboards, Pokemon Cards, Powerpodz, Beyblades a.y.y.b. Mae ‘na wastad ‘crazes’ newydd mewn ysgolion – a tydyn nhw byth yn para’n hir iawn. Yn ddiweddar, roedd y plant i gyd yn dod i’r ysgol gyda ‘sleim’. Roedd nifer o’r genethod wrth eu boddau gyda uncyrn ac yn enwedig y ‘sleim’ amryliw sy’n gysylltiedig â’r uncorn – sef y pw, wrth gwrs! Fel nifer o bethau, dwi’n meddwl mai o America ddechreuodd yr obsesiwn gyda uncyrn ac mae Dref Wen wedi gwneud penderfyniad doeth o addasu llyfr i’r Gymraeg i fodloni’r galw am bethau uncorn-aidd.
Ar y cyfan, dwi’n meddwl mai genethod yw’r target audience ar gyfer y llyfr, ond does dim byd yn bod gyda bechgyn sy’n hoffi uncyrn chwaith, a dwi wedi clywed am sawl bachgen ifanc (o dan 5) sydd wedi mwynhau’r llyfr. Mae’r tudalennau amryliw’n cynnwys lot o liwiau - yn enwedig pinc.
Lleolir y stori yn Llanllon-ge-y-lli, sef lle hudol yn llawn cymeriadau difyr chwedlonol o bob math – dreigiau, gwrachod, coblynnod, tylwyth teg a mwy. Un diwrnod mae ymwelydd yn dod i’r ardal ac mae’r newyddion yn trefeillio’n sydyn. Uncorn hardd yw’r ymwelydd- sy’n digwydd gwneud pw yn y fan a’r lle! (efallai fod o’n nerfus!)
I ddechrau, mae pawb mewn sioc ac yn heglu hi i ffwrdd yn reit handi, ond cyn hir daw pawb i sylweddoli fod y pw yn hudol gyda arogl bendigedig yn dod ohono! Yn wir, mae’r baw yn hudol ac yn llenwi pobman gyda lliw ac enfysau! Mae pawb yn mwynhau’r pw gymaint, mae nhw’n anghofio am yr uncorn druan- sy’n teimlo dipyn bach yn unig ac yn left-out. (fod nhw mond eisiau hi o gwmpas am y pw)
Yn y pen draw, mae’r trigolion yn sylweddoli fod yr uncorn yn drist ac maent yn gwneud pethau’n ‘iawn’ drwy gal parti mawr - mae pawb yn ffrindiau erbyn diwedd y llyfr. A dyna ni’r stori.
Mae’r lliwiau dros-ben-llestri fflwfflyd yn MYND i apelio at blant ifanc a dwi’n siŵr y bydd hwn yn ddewis poblogaidd mewn siopau a llyfrgelloedd. Mae’r tudalennau’n brysur ac mae digon o bethau i’w trafod ym mhob llun. Er nad oes fawr o stori a dweud y gwir, dwi’n falch fod yr awdur yn llwyddo i gynnwys o leiaf un neges reit bwysig am gyfeillgarwch– a hynny ar ffurf mydr ac odl. Byddai’n ddiddorol gofyn i ddarllenwr ifanc beth oedd eu dehongliad nhw o’r prif neges ar ôl darllen.
Mae’n binc, yn llachar, yn ddoniol, yn gandi-fflosaidd ac yn gyffredinol dros ben llestri – ond credwch fi, mae o’n sicr o werthu!
I remember when I was in school in the nineties – yo-yo’s were my first proper ‘craze.’ Then came Pogz, and these were promptly followed by mini skateboards, Pokemon Cards, PowerPodz, Beyblades etc. By their very nature, 'crazes' are short-lived and often will move on to the next ‘big thing’ in no time. Recently, whilst teaching, I noticed many of the children coming to school with slime of all kinds. Many of the girls loved unicorns and especially unicorn related slime- which would naturally be their poo! As with a number of these things, I think the unicorn fad has been imported from America and Dref Wen made the sensible decision to capitalize on this current trend with a Welsh adaptation of this book about unicorns, magic and rainbows.
On the whole, I think the target audience for this book will be girls, but there's nothing wrong with boys who like unicorns and I 've heard of several young boys (under 5) who have really engaged with the book. It’s very multi-coloured and contains lots of sickly pink. Perfect.
The story is located in Llanllon-ger-y-lli, a magical place full of mythological characters of all kinds – dragons, witches, fairies, etc. One day a mysterious visitor comes to the area and news travels fast. The visitor is none other than a beautiful unicorn- which happens to make a poop right there and then! (perhaps it all got a bit much and it got nervous!)
To begin with, everyone is shocked, appalled and disgusted and they quickly vanish, but soon everyone comes to realize that the poop is indeed magical and very sweet smelling! In fact, it’s so good it fills everywhere with unending colour and rainbows! They all get a bit addicted to the good stuff and very soon, everyone is enjoying it so much; they forget about the poor unicorn- who starts feeling left out, rejected and used.
Eventually, the residents realize that the unicorn is sad and they make things right by holding a large party. Basically, everyone is friends again by the end of the book. And there you go, the story.
The over-the-top colours and its general fluffiness are GOING to appeal to young children and I'm sure this will be a popular choice in shops and libraries. The pages are busy with plenty of things to discuss on each one. Although there is little actual serious story going on, I am pleased that the author at least manages to include one important message about friendship – and doing so through rhyme. It would be interesting to ask a young reader what their interpretation of the main message was after reading.
It's pink, bright, funny, candy-floss-ish and generally over-the-top but believe me, it's going to sell!