I highly recommend this book for elementary schools. Teachers, parents, and students will enjoy reading, or staging this play. (Rosemary Anderson Resource Links )
"What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?" These famous lines from Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing delightfully show the verbal sparring between the reluctant lovers, Beatrice and Benedick who are happily brought together at the end by the schemes of their friends. And, no story is complete without at least one evil character, Don John, who unsuccessfully tries to tear apart the wedding plans of Hero and Claudio, the other lovers in this sparkling tale.
Written in rhyming couplets, Much Ado About Nothing, the eighth book in this successful series, captures all the exciting elements of the original story, and is truly a delightful read for both adult and child.
Lois Burdett has been a teacher at Hamlet Public School in Stratford, Ontario, for over twenty years and her expertise in bringing Shakespeare to life for children as young as seven is reflected in the children's clever insights and wonderful drawings which complement the play.
Her success has resulted in an ever-increasing demand for workshops as far afield as Europe and Australia where she instructs educators on how they too can familiarize young children with Shakespeare.
From the Foreword by Denzel Washington
"[Lois Burdett's] delightfully entertaining text is complemented by her students' thoughtful interpretations and charming artwork which make Much Ado About Nothing come alive in a whole new way."
Much Ado About Nothing for Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun!)
A Midsummer Night's Dream for Kids
Grade 1-3?An adaptation of the play retold in rhyming couplets. The greatest strength of the presentation is in the contributions of Burdett's elementary-age students. The obviously neatened-up drawings of the characters in various scenes are done in brightly colored markers on white backgrounds and retain many stylistic traits unique to young creators. So, too, do the diary entries of the characters, letters between them, and other documents supplied by the youngsters and reproduced (complete with their creative spelling) on most pages. The charm of this precocious output will appeal more to adults than to children. The verse (the actual story of the play) does manage to scan throughout without noticeable forcing, but is rather heavy-handed. The most graceful phrases are the few that are direct quotes from the play. Unfortunately, nothing in this book distinguishes Burdett's words from the Bard's. This book is one of the end results of an extensive learning project that includes a performance by the children. Unfortunately, the active experience of all this creation is only hinted at on the page.?Sally Margolis, formerly at Deerfield Public Library, IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Reading level: Ages 7 and up
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: Firefly Books; annotated edition edition
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1552091244
ISBN-13: 978-1552091241
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.7 x 0.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
A Midsummer Night's Dream for Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun!)
