Book review: Am Ddiwrnod, Margaret Johnson

I didn’t read a book in French until I’d been learning for five years, but I’ve just finished my first book in Welsh after five weeks.

Le Petit Prince was a great story, but I didn’t read it until AS-level, so I wasn’t expecting to try a book in Welsh eight units into the entry course.

The textbook assured me: “Dych chi nawr yn gallu darllen Am Ddiwrnod.”

Darllenais i lyfr yn Gymraeg yr wythnos diwetha.

The book recommended at the end of Uned Wyth of the Dysgu Cymraeg mynediad course is called Am Ddiwrnod, by Margaret Johnson. It means “what a day!”

Am Ddiwrnod, Margaret Johnson

Here are some other ways to practice Welsh

The book, published by Y Lolfa, is a Welsh adaptation of Big Hair Day by Meinir Wyn Edwards. It was first published in 2018 and is designed for Welsh leaners at entry level. The paperback costs £4.99 from Gwales.

According to the description: “This is a humorous romance about one memorable day in the life of Sophie Reynolds, film extra.”

Am Ddiwrnod is made up of six chapters and is 32 pages long. The chapters are short – about five pages each – which stops the text from being overwhelming.

The layout of the book is great, as any tricky words are written in bold, with their definitions at the bottom of each page and a glossary at the back. That makes it easy to glance down or flick through without losing your place. I also had Ap Geiriaduron open next to the book for the odd word I didn’t recognise.

My favourite bit? There are pictures! I hadn’t read a book with pictures since I was about nine. Seriously though, the pictures help a lot. If you’re struggling with the sense of a paragraph, they clarify the storyline and reassure you that you do understand what’s going on.

The vocabulary and language patterns joined up really well with what we’d learnt up to Unit Eight – starting a conversation, talking about likes and everyday activities, expressing a desire, coming and going, plus talking about the weather and other people.

Overall, it was very satisfying to be able to read a book in Welsh after just a few weeks. It was great revision and made me realise how much I’d learnt since September.