New picture book Sam’s Silent Disco bursts with music and movement
Abergavenny author Llinos Dafydd Carys Haf Glyn releases a rhythmic children’s book, with free bilingual workshops at Plas Newydd this October.
A new picture book that bursts with rhythm and movement has arrived from Abergavenny, as author‑teacher Llinos Dafydd Carys Haf Glyn releases Sam’s Silent Disco.
The story follows a dancing squirrel whose woodland friends are less keen on the noise, but the tale itself is a celebration of music, movement and the natural world.
Illustrated by Paul Nicholls, the book invites young readers to join the action, repeat sounds and even dance across the pages, a goal the author says was central to her creative process.
“I wanted children to really interact with the book,” she explained. “I wanted it to be something alive for them, something that almost jumped off the page.”
Glyn, who also teaches workshops that blend rapping, dancing and drawing, admits the book mirrors her own love of music.
“If I hear music, I just have to move to the beat,” she said. “It happens everywhere.”
Sometimes I’ll be in a shop and a song comes on and I’ll start dancing. Not everyone appreciates singing and dancing quite as much as I do, so I do get some funny looks.”
She added that the narrative felt autobiographical, apart from one key difference.
“I didn’t realise until after I’d written it, but it’s definitely a bit of an autobiography, apart from the obvious fact that I’m not a squirrel!”
The physicality of the story matters as much as the words, according to Glyn, who was struck by a description of picture books as “little poems”.
“The ability to perform the story, repeat it and have sounds that stay in the ear is really important,” she said.
In her classroom, the book has already passed a rigorous test.
“I’m always nervous sharing a story with children for the first time because they’re always honest,” she admitted, noting that her own pupils danced like Sam, mimicked forest sounds and created their own woodland music.
During the upcoming half‑term, Glyn will lead three free bilingual workshops at Plas Newydd, Anglesey, on Monday 26 October, at 11.30 am, 1.30 pm and 2.30 pm.
The sessions will feature dancing, rapping and activities inspired by Sam’s Silent Disco, known in Welsh as Disgo Distaw Wil.
“They especially love moving like Sam,” she said of the children who attend her workshops.
Nature has long been a cornerstone of Glyn’s work, with earlier titles in the Criw’r Coed series drawing on the mountains, rivers and woodlands of her home.
“There’s something genuinely amazing about nature that’s there for everyone to see,” she reflected. “Trees changing colour, a spider making a web, dew on the grass, leaves rustling in the woods, the colours of a sunset.”
These are incredible things and they’re free.”
While the book is designed to entertain, Glyn hopes it will also encourage a deeper awareness of the environment.
“I hope children stop and really wonder at the natural world around them,” she said. “To listen, not just hear, and to look, not just see.”
Beyond the picture book, Glyn has contributed the welcome poem Clywch for the 2027 Urdd Eisteddfod Fro’r Wenynen, further exploring how sound shapes emotion and identity.
Sam’s Silent Disco is published in English by Haf Glyn and in Welsh as Disgo Distaw Wil by Rily, offering bilingual readers the chance to experience the story’s lively beat.