Leabhar le Damhan-Allaidh
Nuair a bha mi òg, ghabh mi eagal gach turas a chunnaic mi damhan-allaidh. Nan robh fear nam sheòmar, bhithinn a’ sgreadadh gus a thàinig m’ athair bochd gus cuidhteas fhaighinn dheth. An àite an damhan-allaidh a mharbhadh, chleachd m’ athair poit phlastaig agus pìos chairt-bhòrd gus an damhan-allaidh a ghlacadh. An uair sin, leig e fa sgaoil e sa ghàrradh.
Dh’ionnsaich mi mean air mhean nach eil damhain-allaidh cunnartach agus gu bheil iad fiù ’s a’ dèanamh rudan feumail dhuinn leis a bhith ag ithe cuileagan. A chionn ’s gun robh an t-uabhas de eagal orm ro damhain-allaidh nuair a bha mi beag, tha e inntinneach leabhar cloinne fhaicinn le damhan-allaidh mar prìomh charactar. A leantainn air a’ chiad leabhar aice, ‘Casan Donaidh Dathach’, a bhuannaich Duais Litreachais ann an 2024, tha an leabhar ùr aig Gwen Bowie, ‘Casan Cugallach’, ag innse sgeulachd mu dhamhan-allaidh òg air a bheil an t-ainm Donaidh.
Ann an ‘Casan Cugallach’, tha dragh air Donaidh. Le ochd casan tha e doirbh dha ruith no ball-coise a chluich. Nach biodh e nas fheàrr nan robh ach dà chas aige? Chan eil Mamaidh ag aontachadh ge-tà, agus tha i a’ sealltainn dha gu bheil ochd casan uabhasach feumail aig amannan.
’S fior thoil leum na dealbhan beòthail agus dathach aig Gwen Bowie. Air gach duilleag, tha sinn a’ faicinn na faireachdainnean aig Donaidh agus na damhain-allaidh eile san teaghlach aige. ’S toil leam na rudan beaga ann na dealbhan, mar dà fhorca ’s dà sgian airson gach damhan-allaidh a’ chionn ’s gu bheil tòrr chasan aca. Tha coltas gu math milis air Donaidh fhèin agus tha e gu math molach. Nan robh leabhar mar sin air a bhith agam nuair a bha mi beag, ’s dòcha nach biodh an t-uabhas de eagal air a bhith orm ro dhamhain-allaidh.
’S e leabhar le duilleagan bog an àite duilleagan cruaidhe a th’ ann agus tha dà no trì seantansan air a’ mhòr chuid de na duilleagan. Mar sin, chan eil an leabhar seo ag amas air clann a tha fior òg. Chleachd mi ‘Casan Cugallach’ aig seisean Bookbug, agus sheinn sinn òran mu dhamhan-allaidh as dèidh làimh, ach cha do leugh mi a h-uile seantans gus nach biodh e ro fhada airson na clann fo aois 2. Chanainn gum biodh ‘Casan Cugallach’ uabhasach math airson clann aois 3 gu 5 agus bhiodh e freagarrach cuideachd airson clann ann na ìrean tràth sa bhun-sgoil. Tha teachdaireachd snog ann le Donaidh ag ionnsachadh a ghabhail ris fhèin mar a tha e.
A book with a spider
When I was wee, I was terrified of spiders. If one appeared in my room, I would scream until my poor Dad came to deal with it. Instead of killing the spider, he used a plastic tub and a piece of cardboard to capture it before releasing it in the garden. I gradually learnt that spiders aren’t dangerous and that they do useful things like eating flies. Given all my previous fears of spiders, it’s interesting to see a children’s book where the main character is a spider. Following her first book ‘Donaidh Dathach’ (Colourful Donnie), which won a Gaelic Literary Award in 2024, Gwen Bowie’s recent book ‘Casan Cugallach’ (Shaky Legs) tells a story about a young spider called Donnie.
In ‘Casan Cugullach’, Donnie is worried. With his eight legs, it’s difficult to run or play football. Wouldn’t it be better to have just two legs? Mammy doesn’t agree, however, and she shows him that eight legs can be very useful at times.
I really like Gwen Bowie’s lively and colourful illustrations. On each page, we see the emotions of Donnie and the other spiders in his family. I also appreciate the small details in the pictures, such as the fact that each spider has two forks and two knives because of the amount of legs they have. Donnie himself looks very cute and is covered in fluffy hair. If I had had a book like this when I was young, perhaps I wouldn’t have been so terrified of spiders.
This is not a board book and there are two or three sentences on each page, and so it isn’t aimed at very young readers. I read ‘Casan Cugallach’ at a Gaelic Bookbug session and we sang a song about a spiderafterwards. However, I skipped some of the text so that it wouldn’t be too long for the under-two’s. I think that ‘Casan Cugallach’ would be a great book for children aged 3 to 5 and and it would also be suitable for children in the early years of primary school. There is a nice message in the book, with Donnie learning to accept himself as he is.
Facal – Damhan-allaidh (sounds like davan alay) – This is a long, double-barrelled word for a wee creature like a spider, but I really like it. Allaidh, the second part of the word, means wild. So we are talking about wild spiders here. Not that I know of any tame ones. You also get madadh-allaidh, a wild dog, which is of course a wolf. The word madadh, by the way, appears in Loch nam Madadh, the Gaelic name for Lochmaddy in North Uist, the loch of the dogs. But I am digressing. If you want a Gaelic song about a spider try this one about a spider dancing, but watch out. You don’t know where he will end up!
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