CELEBRATING HIS 25TH – HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
JAC Y JWC!

Thousands of young children throughout Wales have received a special invitation to create birthday cards in celebration of Jac y Jwc's 25th birthday!

Jac y Jwc is one of the loveable characters created by Mary Vaughan Jones and Jac Jones, and he first saw the light of day in two books which were published by Cymdeithas Lyfrau Ceredigion in 1977. Llyfr Bach Jac y Jwc and Llyfr Mawr Jac y Jwc have sold by the thousands over the years.

The invitiation was sent out by Sbri-di-ri, the Welsh Books Council's book club for 3–7 year-olds, to every child, 'cylch meithrin' (Welsh-language pre-school playgroup) and school that receives the club's colourful leaflets regularly. There is also an exclusive offer to the book club's buyers this term: all the Jac y Jwc books that are bought through Sbri-di-ri's Autumn 2002 leaflet will contain his autograph!

By now, the Llyfr Bach, the Llyfr Mawr and Rhigymau Jac y Jwc are back in print and they are sure to be well received by a new generation of children in Wales. Certainly the parents of the last 25 years have derived great pleasure from sharing Jac y Jwc's stories with their children. Martyn Geraint, a very familiar face on stage and television in Wales, is one of those parents. A father of three, Martyn is fully aware of the importance of books and reading to a child's development. 'Jac y Jwc provides a wonderful example of the way one medium can promote another,' said Martyn. 'Through television series and live shows, S4C has brought this colourful and endearing character to life for thousands of children throughout Wales. This in turn has led the children to seek out and read the books about Jac y Jwc. And, to top it all, it's so nice to be able to call one of the most famous Welsh book characters a friend!'

Delyth Humphreys, the Welsh Books Council's children's book clubs officer, said, 'We're delighted that Sbri-di-ri, our book club for 3–7 year-olds, is part of the celebration of such a special birthday. I'm sure that we'll receive hundreds, if not thousands, of birthday cards and we very much hope that the books bearing Jac y Jwc's signature will sell like hot cakes!'

For further information please contact: Elwyn Jones, Head of Administration and Public Relations, Welsh Books Council, Castell Brychan, ABERYSTWYTH, Ceredigion, SY23 2JB.
Phone: (01970) 624151 Fax: (01970) 625385 : elwyn.jones@wbc.org.uk