Cyfieithiad Saesneg o Campau Saith Cawr, casgliad o straeon am saith cawr o wahanol rannau o Gymru. 8 llun lliw a 7 llun du-a- gwyn. Mae fersiwn Cymraeg ar gael. Cyhoeddwyd gyntaf yn 1998.

An English translation of Campau Saith Cawr, a collection of tales about seven giants from all over Wales. 8 colour and 7 black-and-white illustrations. A Welsh version is available. First published in 1998.

Now – after reading this collection by Brenda Wyn Jones – I’m a believer: a believer, that is, of giants living and working in Wales. What other explanation is there for the geographical features of so many districts of the Principality – the muddy sandbanks of the Cleddau Estuary, and the strange mountain shapes of the Shropshire borderlands? Most children reading this collection will find themselves within giant-stepping-distance of the homes of one or other of these braggards and bullies, who, with the exception of the guardian of the Preseli Hills, prove that being brawny is not necessarily synonymous with being brainy!

Familiarity often breeds comfort as well as contempt, and there is certainly nothing to fear from these larger-than-life characters of myth and legend. It seems that Welsh lads like Ianto and Ffrancon have the same naïve cunning as Jack the giant-killer himself, who crosses the borders of English folklore to do away with the giant of Pumlumon in the traditional peasy-pudding manner.

It is an easy read, in a pleasant conversational style, which binds narrator and reader in a wealth of conspiratorial chuckles. There is a picture map to find helpful when sorting out locations, and a wonderful variety of personal features and habits to find repulsive in illustrator Peter Brown’s imaginative portrayals of these Giants among men from the mountains and valleys of Wales.

Chris S. Stephens

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.