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ljrinaldi's review against another edition
3.0
Does it matter if this beautiful language, below
becomes this:
The second is clearer, and that is what this book is for, to make the stories clearer, and easier to understand. Still, I miss the flowing language, that makes Shakespeare so quoted in modern English that we don't even notice that that is what we are doing any more.
On the other hand, they have kept: "By the prickling of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes".
And so it goes through all the rest of the plays. The story is well retold, in modern English, and some lines are kept, and others are made more clear, such as Juliet's lament about Romeo being a Montague.
This book is good for teaching the contents of the plays, and making them easy to read, and understand, but is no substitute for seeing or reading the real thing, and I hope that anyone reading this book, would realize that.
With that caveat, I would recommend this as a good introduction to Shakespeare.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
"Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
35I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain?"
becomes this:
Are you real or are you a dagger of my mind?
Fate must has sent this vision to lead me
The second is clearer, and that is what this book is for, to make the stories clearer, and easier to understand. Still, I miss the flowing language, that makes Shakespeare so quoted in modern English that we don't even notice that that is what we are doing any more.
On the other hand, they have kept: "By the prickling of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes".
And so it goes through all the rest of the plays. The story is well retold, in modern English, and some lines are kept, and others are made more clear, such as Juliet's lament about Romeo being a Montague.
This book is good for teaching the contents of the plays, and making them easy to read, and understand, but is no substitute for seeing or reading the real thing, and I hope that anyone reading this book, would realize that.
With that caveat, I would recommend this as a good introduction to Shakespeare.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
critterbee's review against another edition
3.0
This was a difficult one for me to make a decision about. Shakespeare for children. The stories and amazing, but the language that Shakespeare used is also amazing. Do we familiarize children with the story and then read the actual wording to them or let them read the original language later? Or do we introduce the original language to them instead of a re-worded version? Or should we introduce the work as they were intended- on the stage?
The stories are compact and cover the gist of the originals, but the language used is pretty far from the beauty of the original. The photos are colorful and give the appearance of ancient art.
eARC Netgalley
The stories are compact and cover the gist of the originals, but the language used is pretty far from the beauty of the original. The photos are colorful and give the appearance of ancient art.
eARC Netgalley
boastybooks's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
bookishbel's review against another edition
5.0
When I saw this beautiful new collection of some of the more popular and well-known Shakespeare plays for children I nearly died of joy. The illustrations by Alice Lindstrom had be gushing. They are beautiful! The cover of this collection is a good indicator of the amazing goodies that you can expect to accompany the child-tailored versions of Shakespeare's works.
I found that Angela McAllister did a wonderful job staying true to the original plays while also making them accessible for children. I am not a mother, but if I did have children I know that I would be reading this version of Shakespeare to them alongside all the classic fairy tales.
I found that Angela McAllister did a wonderful job staying true to the original plays while also making them accessible for children. I am not a mother, but if I did have children I know that I would be reading this version of Shakespeare to them alongside all the classic fairy tales.
armyofreaders's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun edition to add to our homeschool's Shakespeare study. The book included all of the greats but in a way that the children could understand so they could appreciate the writing. The illustrations added to the fun as well. I hope there will be more great works written in this form.
Thank you NetGalley and Angela McAllister for the opportunity yo read this as an advanced copy. I was given an advanced copy in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own and a positive review was not required.
Thank you NetGalley and Angela McAllister for the opportunity yo read this as an advanced copy. I was given an advanced copy in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own and a positive review was not required.
karentje's review against another edition
5.0
What a beautiful children's book! A great way to introduce kids to the works of Shakespeare!
The stories are all very richly illustrated and each one has a great introduction page, showing and explaining who the various characters are, as well as presenting the young reader with a well-chosen quote from each story. I loved it!
The author did a great job at simplifying the stories enough so that children can easily understand them, at the same time staying true to Shakespeare's voice, especially in the dialogues. I also liked that she alternated the heavier dramatic plays with the lighter and more romantic comedies.
The illustrations are gorgeous and colorful. I love the different techniques the designer used to color in the drawings. Sometimes they look like they were painted in with broad brushstrokes and other times we get a kind of 3d effect with leaves or other small decorative elements seemingly being cut out of paper and pasted on top of the artwork. There's so much to discover in them!
The stories are all very richly illustrated and each one has a great introduction page, showing and explaining who the various characters are, as well as presenting the young reader with a well-chosen quote from each story. I loved it!
The author did a great job at simplifying the stories enough so that children can easily understand them, at the same time staying true to Shakespeare's voice, especially in the dialogues. I also liked that she alternated the heavier dramatic plays with the lighter and more romantic comedies.
The illustrations are gorgeous and colorful. I love the different techniques the designer used to color in the drawings. Sometimes they look like they were painted in with broad brushstrokes and other times we get a kind of 3d effect with leaves or other small decorative elements seemingly being cut out of paper and pasted on top of the artwork. There's so much to discover in them!
aimeedarsreads's review against another edition
5.0
A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories is worth purchasing for the beautiful illustrations alone, yet the book is so much more than the art. The book contains twelve Shakespeare plays, a mix of tragedies (e.g., Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth) and comedies (e.g., As You Like It and Much Ado about Nothing). These are written for children aged five and up but contain quotes from the original plays including many of the most famous lines, and is a wonderful way to introduce young readers to the world of Shakespeare. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve only read the Shakespeare assigned in high school and college and only seen a handful of his plays performed live, so reading these stories allowed me to acquaint myself with the basic plot and characters of some of his most famous work.
A benefit of having brief versions of a range of Shakespeare’s plays is that it’s possible to see easily the recurring themes--jealousy, betrayal--and devices--mistaken identity, cross-dressing, manipulation-- he used. Freed from the stress of reading SHAKESPEARE, I enjoyed the stories more and saw the humor more clearly.
The design of the book is phenomenal. Each story begins with a double page spread, the left side with a quote from the play, the right side with a title page beautifully illustrated. Most of the colors used are deep jewel tones, though each story seems to have a uniquely themed hue. On the next page appears a cast of characters and a brief explanation of their position or key family relationships. My only complaint is that the text is small and dense, though that may be an artifact of my aging eyes rather than an objective issue.
This book makes Shakespeare fun for young and old readers alike, and I highly recommend it for your library!
Fun Fact: My favorite Shakespeare adaptation is not literature or film, but music: the song, “Romeo and Juliet” written by Mark Knopfler, in the version performed by the Indigo Girls on their album Rites of Passage
Thanks to Little Children’s Publishing/Quarto Publishing Group and Netgalley for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
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rabbitholereader's review against another edition
5.0
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This is a beautifully illustrated, easy to read modern adaptation of 12 of Shakespeare's work.
This includes:
❁ Macbeth,
❁ Romeo & Juliet,
❁ Hamlet,
❁ A Midsummer Night's Dream,
❁ The Tempest,
❁ Twelfth Night,
❁ Othello,
❁ As You Like It
❁ Julius Ceasar
❁ Much Ado About Nothing
❁ King Lear, &
❁ The Merchant of Venice.
I'm not going to review Shakespeare's work; I don't have a broad enough vocabulary for that, but I can appreciate this updated version which is in today's English but still relays the ol' Shakespearean spirit.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
simpingshadowsinger's review against another edition
4.0
Even though this book is aimed at kids, it was quite a fun read. It is hard to say something about the characters or the plot as it are multiple short stories, but it did feel oversimplified at times to me personally, but then again it is focused on kids. However, I think there were some things that would be too hard for kids to grasp and are too gruesome.
aquahogcodes's review against another edition
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for a digital Advanced Readers Copy of the book.
I ended up loving this collection more than I had expected! I've read only a fair share of Shakespeare's plays in abridged form and even less in their original form because it's always harder and more time consuming to grasp the situations in Shakespearean English. But the adaptation of stories in this book is delightful but also straight forward. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed reading Shakespeare this much! Even though the target audience for this volume is clearly younger, the author does not beat around the bush with any of the principal themes in these plays. The character's motives and personalities come across clear as day. The layout is eye-catching and the illustrations are unique and very well complimenting. I loved the little portion at the end which gave a little background history on all the plays included!
A book that I believe can be enjoyed by adolescents and adults alike.
Rating: 5/5 stars
I ended up loving this collection more than I had expected! I've read only a fair share of Shakespeare's plays in abridged form and even less in their original form because it's always harder and more time consuming to grasp the situations in Shakespearean English. But the adaptation of stories in this book is delightful but also straight forward. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed reading Shakespeare this much! Even though the target audience for this volume is clearly younger, the author does not beat around the bush with any of the principal themes in these plays. The character's motives and personalities come across clear as day. The layout is eye-catching and the illustrations are unique and very well complimenting. I loved the little portion at the end which gave a little background history on all the plays included!
A book that I believe can be enjoyed by adolescents and adults alike.
Rating: 5/5 stars