Léigh mé an leabhar seo le rang a ceathair i nGaelscoil Mhachan, Corcaigh. Is leabhar álainn é, scéal gleoite, pictiúirí áille agus Gaeilge deas na Mumhan! Is annamh a fhaighim leabhar le Gaeilge na Mumhan. Cheap na páistí go raibh an leabhar oiriúnach do rang a dó nó rang a haon. Cheap siad go raibh an iomarca scríobh ar na leathanaigh le haghaidh naíonáin.
I read this lovely book to fourth class in Gaelscoil Mhachan. It’s a gorgeous book, lovely illustrations, rich Munster Irish and a sweet story. The children thoroughly enjoyed it . They felt it would be too difficult for the infant classes and perhaps would suit a first or second class.
There was an extensive vocabulary ranging from sea birds , a wide variety of direction words and exclamations ” Ó Bhó go deo !”. You could use the book to teach this vocabulary. We also had to check out the geography involved, the Skelligs, monastic cells and we went off on a Star Wars tangent!
It is a story that could be read to infants or first or second class in a Gaelscoil or Gaeltacht school (in spite of what fourth class thought!) Third or fourth could read it themselves. The junior infant teacher has read some of the other books in the series to her class.
This book lends itself to extension work easily – the children could research the birds, octopus, dolphins and other sea creatures and present their work orally, in a Powerpoint or Google Slides presentation, in art work, poetry, drama, frozen tableaux or write and perform a play. The possibilities are endless.
During the Covid lockdown, we had difficulty sourcing material in Munster Irish. It’s lovely to read authentic Gaeilge and give the children a text which is translated with regard to the language and meaning.
Le Máire Ni Bhrolcháin, Gaelscoil Mhachan, Corcaigh.
“An Puifín Beag agus an Ubh”, published by O’Brien Press, is on sale now for €11.99 (P/B).
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher, O’Brien Press, free of charge to Seomra Ranga for the purposes of this review.
