Holl Anifeiliaid Y Goedwig

Inside the image.

A brightly coloured, hand-painted illustration fills the square cover. At its centre is a large, smiling figure with long orange hair and a green top, surrounded by woodland animals. The figure’s head sits near the top centre, framed by a spiky yellow-orange halo or crown-like shape. A tree and leafy branches fill the left background, while smaller branches and leaves enter from the upper and right edges. The pale blue background is mottled with soft patches of colour, and there is no separate border or large area of empty space.

The figure’s orange hair spreads around the shoulders and down both sides, merging visually with a yellow ground or garment at the bottom. A small bird perches on the figure’s left shoulder, on the viewer’s left; an owl sits on the right shoulder, its round eyes and brown-and-cream plumage clearly outlined. A badger, with a white face and dark bands, occupies the lower left foreground. A small green frog sits beside it, while a brown animal, possibly a beaver or similar woodland creature, appears across the lower middle. A red squirrel with a large, fan-shaped tail fills the lower right. Other small animals and plant-like details are tucked into the green clothing and around the group, including a dark bird near the centre and a tiny green creature on the right. Some of these smaller forms are difficult to identify precisely.

The cover uses vivid greens, oranges, yellows, reds and browns against the cool blue background. Colours have uneven, softly blended edges and visible brush-like variation; black or dark outlines define many of the figures and leaves. The composition is flat and crowded, with the large central figure behind the animals and the animals overlapping one another in front. The illustration has a naïve, storybook quality, with simplified faces, rounded forms and expressive features.

In the upper-left area, over the tree branches, the title reads “Plu” in large red serif letters with a pale outline and dark shadow. Beneath it, smaller yellow lettering reads “Holl Anifeiliaid” and “y Goedwig” on two lines. The lettering is aligned to the left and sits against the foliage and blue sky.