A Child's Dylan Thomas - Softcover

Phil Carradice is a freelance writer, consultant and broadcaster. He regularly holds creative writing workshops in various schools, colleges and societies. A former teacher and headteacher, he hails from Pembroke Dock, but now lives in the Vale of Glamorgan.

In the year of his centenary teachers may be wondering how to introduce the work of Dylan Thomas to children for whom the world of pre-war Carmarthen is as distant in the imagination as the Garden of Eden. He is not much anthologised these days and often considered too difficult for pupils, many of whom have scarcely ever seen apple boughs to be green and carefree under, let alone house high hay. Approaching writers through their life stories may not suit the purists but in the case of Thomas, there is plenty of material to arouse interest. He explains the decision of Dylans parents not to speak Welsh to their son, something which contemporary children may find strange, given the change in attitudes to the language in recent years. Carradice also describes Dylans love/hate relationship with Swansea, his ugly, lovely town, and hints at the stifling respectability which surrounded the cosseted child who longed to be a bad boy and who revelled in creating the anarchic world of Llaregub. His father developed Dylans love affair with words by reading the Bible and Shakespeare to his uncomprehending but responsive son. Then there was the less than perfect school record, the episodes of shoplifting and the later reputation as a wild poet. In this little introductory book, the text is clear with a good mix of fact and anecdote; it is well illustrated with photographs of Dylan himself, significant places from his life and work and, of course, the iconic writing shed. Carradice does not talk down to his readers or gloss over the less savoury aspects of Dylan behaviour, but he does make it clear why Thomas became a writer whose work is still worth reading. He is honest but humane in explaining the problems in the Thomas relationships and the impact of the war on his life and career. The only text included is 'Fern Hill' but there are some suggestions about what children might enjoy reading and where to find more information, as well as some ideas for how they might develop their own autobiographical material. I enjoyed the light touch of this book and recommend it to anyone wanting to enhance a school or classroom library. Wendy Crockett 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 defnyddior adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council