The Joy Bringers

Disgrifiad Cymraeg / Welsh Description

Mae'r llwynogod a'u ffrindiau cellweirus yn casglu'r holl wreichion llawenydd ac ysbrydoliaeth sy'n llenwi'r byd wrth inni ddawnsio, nofio, chwarae ac adrodd straeon yn ystod dyddiau cynnes yr haf. Maent yn cuddio'r gwreichion ar draws y byd er mwyn i eraill eu darganfod. Yn y cyfamser mae Mamgu Broch yn gwylio'r cyfan ac yn hau yr hyn a wêl.

Disgrifiad Saesneg / English Description

The foxes and their tricksy friends collect up all the sparks of joy and inspiration that flow out into the world as we dance, picnic, swim, play and tell stories in the warm summer days. They take the sparks and hide them around the world for others to find. Meanwhile Grandmother Badger watches over it all and sews what she sees.

Dosbarthu

Byddwn yn dosbarthu eitemau sydd mewn stoc o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith, fel arfer drwy Royal Mail Tracked 48. Ar gyfer archebion o flaen llaw, byddwn yn dosbarthu’r eitem o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith ar ôl ei derbyn gan ein cyflenwr.

Dispatch

In-stock items will be dispatched within 3 business days, usually by Royal Mail Tracked 48. For pre-orders, we’ll dispatch within 3 business days of receiving the item from our supplier.

Bywgraffiad yr Awdur / Author Biography

Karin Celestine lives in a small house in Monmouth, Wales. In the garden is a shed and in the shed is another world. The world of Celestine and the Hare. It is a place where kindness, mischief and beauty help people smile. Karin is an artist and author who creates needle felted animals of charm and character, including the stars of their story books published by Graffeg.

Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

This beautifully illustrated fable tells us how sparks of joy from summer fun are collected and hidden by woodland animals to leap out for us at just the right moment. Taking inspiration from ancient customs that celebrate the summer, Karin Celestine has woven a tale that reminds us of the joy that can be found in the smallest things, if we only take the time to notice them. In late summer, the foxes collect “all the sparks full of inspiration, stories and summer joy” (p.20) in their newly-woven baskets and, when they are full, pass the sparks to their friends who “scatter them across the lands” (p.24) for us to find. Meanwhile, Grandmother Badger “watches, stitching and sewing all she sees” (p.40) in a lovely embroidered quilt. Great creativity and skill have been used in fashioning all the characters in the photos, as well as their settings and the choices of when and where to photograph them. The attention to detail is extraordinary – each one has its flower, basket, headdress or (fox) gloves, whether they are enjoying tea with a friend or a delicious picnic with all the neighbours. These are pictures to go back to time and again, as you will always find something new in them, from the smallest bee and tricksiest pine marten to the happiest badger. Grandmother Badger’s finished quilt captures many of the images you will see in the story, and Kathy Anderson thoroughly deserves the thanks given for embroidering it. After the story, Pamela Thom-Rowe provides a brief overview of Midsummer customs through the centuries, such as Morris dancing and lighting bonfires, with suggestions about why people celebrated in these ways. She points out that many traditions were lost due to suppression in the 16th and 17th centuries, but reminds us that there are still places where people take part in Midsummer revels today. It would be lovely to read this book with a young child – have fun marvelling at all the detail, spotting new things in the pictures and finding everything on Grandmother Badger’s quilt elsewhere in the book – as well as talking about what joy is and where it comes from. An older child or confident reader could enjoy the book alone. I suspect many teens will not be interested in it, but plenty of adults will appreciate its message of joyfulness and taking time to find pleasure in small things.