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The story of Ann Griffiths

You have to be Welsh?

THE STORY OF ANN GRIFFITHS
By Ann Gruffydd Rhys
Bryntirion Press. 28 pages. £6.24
ISBN 978-1-85049-227-6

The story of 18th-century Welsh hymn writer Ann Griffiths is attractively presented here in a picture book for children aged 8-13, colourfully illustrated by the author herself.

Ann was a lively girl who loved having fun and dancing. I suppose in modern terms we might see her out ‘clubbing’ and doing a lot of the things many 17-year-olds do. Although the majority of people in those days went to church, it apparently meant very little to them and they continued to live in a godless way. However, this was the time of the great Welsh revivals and Ann’s heart was first stirred by hearing an open air preacher. She was deeply affected and began to join with the Methodists where she understood for the first time the real truth of the gospel. Ann often went to hear the Methodist leader Thomas Charles preach at Bala and she grew in her faith and understanding, turned her back on her former lifestyle, and found her great joy in reading the Bible and writing hymns.

I won’t say you have to be Welsh to enjoy this book, but I do think it helps! I have to confess here to not being familiar with Ann Griffiths and her hymns, lines of which are quoted throughout the book. It is a lovely story, rich in cultural detail of 18th-century Wales and I hope children will engage with it as the message is timeless. I think it will appeal mostly to children from Christian homes, especially if they are Welsh!

Wendy Mason,
Park Evangelical Church, Stoke- on-Trent