Website points to wealth of Welsh reading for children
A PhD student from Bangor University has launched a new website to open the door to Welsh literature for youngsters during the coronavirus crisis.
The Sôn am Lyfra (Talk About Books) website created by Morgan Dafydd offers bilingual reviews of Welsh children’s books to help them develop a passion for reading in Welsh.
The former primary school teacher said children studying Welsh as a second language often struggled to grasp Welsh literature which affected their confidence and enjoyment of reading.
The aim of the website is to make it easier for parents and young people to find the perfect book.
The new venture has been launched amid the Coronavirus lockdown as parents struggle to entertain their children and deliver home-based learning.
It features a wealth of resources including useful reviews, guest vlogs and educational tools and introduces children to an array of exciting authors.
Welsh-speaking Morgan, 29, who lives in Llandudno Junction, is currently studying a PhD at Bangor University’s School of Education and Human Development.
The three-year research project, funded through a scholarship from the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and match-funded by Bangor University, will examine the extent to which different types of bilingual books contribute to children’s enjoyment, understanding and willingness to read in Welsh as well as improve their vocabulary.
Morgan, who previously taught at Ysgol Dolgarrog in the Conwy Valley, has created the free resource in support of the Welsh Government’s ambitious goal to achieve a million Welsh speakers by 2050.
“It’s all stemmed from my background as a teacher,” he explained. “There are lots of children and parents who don’t engage with Welsh literature at all. It can be a confusing area for them.
“The children I taught were from non-Welsh speaking backgrounds and they found reading in Welsh difficult. I once did a show of hands and nobody in the class had ever been to the Welsh book shop down the road. I thought this website would be a good idea to specifically support children and their parents on which books to buy.
“At the moment, Welsh literature is something a lot of children and young people only associate with school and they would not necessarily buy and read in their own time. We want to get them enjoying it.”
Morgan built the website with the help of his partner, Llio Mai Hughes, a Welsh language officer with Gwynedd Council, but without any external funding.
www.sonamlyfra.cymru/