The Artist

A young dinosaur artist (looking a bit like a T-rex but a cute one) sees the dinosaur world as full of joy and beauty, something that some dinosaurs are too busy to notice. She sees all that, draws and paints it and makes it into her art. Later she decides to go live in the city with lots of empty walls to paint so more people can see her art and really look. But she has a crisis of confidence when she starts to make mistakes and colour outside the lines - she almost gives up on art until she finds out it’s the heart in art that really matters.

This book is perfect to read with children who have started drawing but sometimes feel disheartened when their drawing doesn’t turn out exactly as they see it in their heads, as so often happens. It’s easy to start thinking you’re not good at drawing and a lot of children go through this and tragically stop seeing themselves as artists, losing the confidence to express that they had at first. This is a stunningly beautiful book with a message for young and old - and it makes readers look anew and refreshed at the world. Ed Vere is one of the most talented children’s books creators of our time and takes the care to make every word and every mark mean something, in or out of the lines. 

Mae deinosor ifanc sy'n artist yn gweld y byd fel lle llawn llawenydd a harddwch – rhywbeth y mae rhai deinosoriaid yn rhy brysur i sylwi arno. Mae hi'n tynnu llun ac yn paentio'r llawenydd a'r harddwch hwnnw ac yn creu ei chelf ohono.

Yn ddiweddarach, mae hi'n penderfynu mynd i fyw yn y ddinas gyda llawer o waliau gwag i'w paentio fel bod mwy o bobl yn gallu gweld ei chelf ac edrych o ddifrif. Ond mae hi'n colli'i hyder pan mae hi'n dechrau gwneud camgymeriadau a lliwio y tu allan i'r llinellau. Mae bron â rhoi'r ffidl yn y to â'i chelf nes iddi sylweddoli mai'r galon yn y celf sy'n wirioneddol bwysig.

Mae'r llyfr yn berffaith i'w ddarllen gyda phlant sydd wedi dechrau tynnu lluniau ond sydd weithiau'n colli calon pan nad yw eu llun yn troi allan yn union fel maen nhw'n ei weld yn eu pennau, fel sy'n digwydd mor aml.