By Dylan Thomas, Helen Docherty (author) , Thomas Docherty (illustrator)
"Escape into a poet’s childhood adventures."
Paperback Pre-order. 31st May 2027 £8.99 £8.09
Hardback In Stock £12.99 £11.69
View All Editions (2)
The only words in this truly delightful picturebook are those of Dylan Thomas, taken from two radio broadcasts and from his poem, Should Lanterns Shine, but they have been skilfully edited by Helen Docherty to recreate the poet’s childhood adventures in Swansea’s Cwmdonkin Park which was full ‘of terrors and treasures’. Here he explored a world of imagination and play that will be familiar to any child, although modern children might envy Dylan the opportunity to stay out all day and roast potatoes around a campfire!
The park could contain robbers’ dens, pirate cabins or dragon’s lairs and yet ‘still the next day it remained as unexplored as the Poles’. The beautiful, painterly illustrations of the curly haired boy in his shorts and long socks and all the regular characters that the poet met, perfectly capture that bygone age and are seemingly suffused with the golden light of affectionate memories.
We have lost none of the lyricism of the poet’s words, which would be a pleasure to read aloud. Wonderful as an introduction to Dylan Thomas and to a real Welsh location, but also as a joyful celebration of outdoor play. The pandemic showed us that we neglect the importance of access to the outdoors at our peril. It also shows risk averse parents that children need freedom to escape into a world of imaginative adventure.
Edited by Helen Docherty, this picture book combines extracts from the works of Dylan Thomas that centre on his recollections of Cwmdonkin Park, Swansea.
Read the full description
Edited by Helen Docherty , this picture book combines extracts from the works of Dylan Thomas that centre on his recollections of Cwmdonkin Park, Swansea.
A boyhood adventure like no other, Dylan's words serve to bring to life the period, the environment and the very essence of what it is to be a child with a child's imagination.
This beautifully reimagined work pays homage to the timeless artistry of Dylan Thomas while offering a fresh perspective for a new generation of readers. It also serves as a valuable teaching resource, helping learners develop and apply their understanding of the cultural, economic, environmental, historical and linguistic characteristics of Wales.
Created by an internationally best selling author and illustrator, the book brings together Helen’s carefully edited selection of Dylan Thomas’s poetry with Thomas Docherty’s classically styled illustrations. The result is an engaging introduction to the works and style of Dylan Thomas, a useful resource for teachers, and a distinctive interpretation that will appeal to admirers of all ages. The book celebrates both literary heritage and contemporary creativity.
The inspiration behind Dylan’s Park by Helen Docherty
"The idea for Dylan’s Park came from my dad, Gareth Thomas, a lifelong fan of Dylan Thomas’s work. Dad was born and raised in Port Talbot, across the bay from the ‘ugly, lovely town’ that was, and still is, Swansea. A grammar school boy, he went on to become an English teacher and passed on to me his great love of Dylan Thomas’s stories. I grew up with A Child’s Christmas in Wales; Dylan’s Welsh aunties could have been mine.
When Thomas Docherty and I decided to move with our young family to Swansea in 2012, Cwmdonkin Park was one of the first places we visited, and we have since spent many happy hours there with our children. So, when Dad passed on his idea for a new picture book about Dylan Thomas’s memories of playing in Cwmdonkin Park as a child, using Dylan’s own words, we knew immediately that we wanted to make it happen.
The story is woven from edited excerpts from three original sources: Reminiscences of Childhood , originally a BBC radio broadcast; Return Journey , published in Quite Early One Morning , and a line from Thomas’s poem Should Lanterns Shine . Every word belongs to Dylan Thomas; all we have done is to shape his words to create a new illustrated story for children (and grown-ups) that celebrates the ‘world within the world of the sea town’ that is Cwmdonkin Park – ‘a country just born and always changing’ – and the ‘multitudes’ of a child’s imagination.
Thomas Docherty has brought this world alive with his lovingly observed, imagined and painted illustrations of the park and its characters, as well as the views of Cwmdonkin Drive and Swansea Bay. We have given the young Dylan two partners in crime; one is a girl, who we have imagined to be his childhood friend Vera Phillips.
We hope that every adult who reads Dylan’s Park will be transported back to their own childhood and experience the poignancy of Dylan’s return journey, and that every child will delight in the games and mischief that Dylan and his friends get up to in Cwmdonkin Park. Hopefully they will also feel inspired to visit their own local park, and who knows? Maybe they will even write their own story about it, or draw their own picture.
This book is a very personal project for our family. We hope it will resonate with people in Swansea and far beyond, and help to create a new generation of Dylan Thomas fans."
Helen Docherty is an internationally published children’s author. Her work, which includes the award-winning picture books The Snatchabook and The Knight Who Wouldn’t Fight , has been translated into 27 languages. Her books have been read on CBeebies Bedtime Stories and staged as plays and musicals in the UK, Germany and Canada. Helen lives in Swansea with Thomas, their two daughters and a dog called Tesni.
70 Children's Books Celebrating our Love of Poetry
Brilliant Children's and YA Books to Read this Summer
Thomas Docherty delivers picture books with style
the best books for 7-9 year olds
'Twas the Slice Before Christmas
Something in the Darkness
The Awesomely Adventurous Librarians
Total Tractor Sticker Encyclopedia
Edited by Helen Docherty, this picture book combines extracts from the works of Dylan Thomas that centre on his recollections of Cwmdonkin Park, Swansea. A boyhood adventure like no other, Dylan's words serve to bring to life the period, the environment and the very essence of what it is to be a child with a child's imagination.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Dylan's Park and determined it is suitable for children aged 5-8 years old
Dylan's Park features in the following genres: Featured Books for 5+ readers, Featured Books for 7+ readers, Recommendations, Adventure Stories, People / Places, Poetry Books for Children, Children’s: picture books, activity books, early learning concepts, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage poetry, anthologies, annuals, Children's and Young Adult Fiction
Paperback, Hardback. £11.69, down from the £12.99 cover price. In Stock.
Dylan's Park was written by Dylan Thomas, Helen Docherty and published by Graffeg
Dylan's Park has 32 pages
£11.69, reduced from £12.99. In Stock.
©PTC International Ltd T/A LoveReading is registered in England. Company number: 10193437. VAT number: 270 4538 09. Registered address: 157 Shooters Hill, London, SE18 3HP. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
The National Year of Reading starts here. Join thousands of families and schools supporting reading for pleasure across the UK.