Introduce Children to Shakespeare
Reviewing Two Collections of Shakespeare Plays for Young Readers
William Shakespeare is known worldwide as one of the greatest playwrights in history. For new generations to continue enjoying his contribution to literature and performance, children need to be introduced to the plays in such as way that they become a joy to read rather than a fearsome task. The books reviewed here have found ways to ease children into Shakespeare’s works, but heir style, however, varies enormously. They are:
The Best Loved Plays of Shakespeare, Cherrytree Books, 1993, ISBN 0745151744
Stories from Shakespeare, Usborne 2004 (first available in America 2005), ISBN 0746047304
Which Plays?
Both books have at the core of their content the same, highly illustrated, ever popular Shakespearean plays. Both include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Hamlet. In addition, The Best Loved Plays of Shakespeare also includes a detailed retelling of Julius Caesar, King Lear and Othello, whereas Usborne’s Stories from Shakespeare includes instead The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest and The Winter’s Tale.
The Best Loved Plays of Shakespeare (Age 9-12)
The introductory pages attempt to provide details of interest to children regarding Shakespeare’s life and works and his relationship with Anne Hathaway, his wife. Beyond this, a chronological list is provided at the back of the book containing all of Shakespeare’s plays and a potted biography.
Each play is treated to a lengthy synopsis-style retelling in the third person present tense, and split into readable sections using appropriate subheadings. The narrative is interspersed with direct quotations from the plays. The way in which the stories are handled is particularly useful as a revision aid and reminder of the plot (useful to children and adults alike), or as a way into the play.
This book’s particularly special feature is the detailed character analysis at the end of each play. Enough of the hidden depths and traits of individual characters are given for children to understand how and why the characters are important to the plays. Again, this is supported by direct quotation from the plays, to highlight specific, important character traits.
Stories from Shakespeare ( Age 7+)
Each play is retold as a fictional narrative in its own right, using entertaining, easily accessible, contemporary language. The stories are rich in dialogue, which is a useful way-in for children, before tackling the dialogue of the plays themselves.
Where this book comes into its own as a comprehensive, informative reference for children is in its inclusion in the latter part of the book of a summary of every other one of Shakespeare’s plays. This includes a cast list of the main protagonists and their roles. A brief overview covering each category of play gives a clear explanation of the plot devices used in the Tragedies, Comedies, Problem Plays, Romances and Histories.
This book also includes a brief but informative discussion of Shakespeare’s life and works, contextualising his writing and personal life in Stratford, around the Globe Theatre and the Elizabethan period in general. His poetical works are not forgotten, either, and a very brief account of Shakespeare’s sonnets and the imagery used are included at the very end of the book.
Plot or People?
It is, therefore, a matter of style choice, when it comes to introducing children to Shakespeare. The Best Loved Plays of Shakespeare is a book for those interested in people as well as plot, whereas Stories from Shakespeare has the story form as the central focus. Both, however, provide a very useful, accessible and entertaining resource for creating a love of a superb playwright from a relatively early age.
