The Book Basket: A Gentle Introduction to the Bard of Avon
Good books to share in February
Hello!
We have a bit of a departure for this month: we’re talking about Shakespeare!
A vital part of any English-speaking education is an introduction to Shakespeare. Not only is the man’s body of work mind-boggling, his language serves as the source for many familiar metaphors. His plays are spoofed, reworked, and referenced without end. Once you have a grasp on him, other works open up wide.
When someone asks me how to begin with Shakespeare and kids, I say two things: one, Shakespeare is meant to be seen and heard, not read. Watch it—live, if possible, but at least on TV.
And second, read a summary beforehand. Any decent stage production of Shakespeare’s work is going to include a summary in the program. We should use it, both adults and children!
When you’ve done these two things, you’ll be surprised at how quickly kids (and grownups) can catch on to what is happening. The “foreign language” of Shakespeare quickly becomes slightly familiar, and the action onstage will help explain what people are saying, as well.
First, a few beautiful retellings:
Bruce Coville is a teller of Shakespeare's tales for children. He has written many other books, but his reframings of the tales of Shakespeare were great favorites for my kids. They are illustrated by different artists:
Many of these are out of print1, so you’d have the best luck finding them on a site like alibris or Thriftbooks. I have linked to many of them there!
Two bonus biographies on this topic follow:
Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England: by Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema, Illustrated by Diane Stanley. This longish picture book tells the life story of Elizabeth the first, who until just recently was England’s longest-reigning monarch. It covers her clever navigation of church and state as well as her love for the arts. The Elizabethan age was the perfect time for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to become the legendary stage that it was.
Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare: also by Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema, Illustrated by Diane Stanley. Similar in length and idea to the previous title, except this one covers Shakespeare himself. This book also gives some nice glimpses of the Globe and some captures of the plays.
The remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he is really very good - in spite of all the people who say he is very good. — Robert Graves
A note on purchase links: I’m a happy supporter of independent bookshops, so the links I provide will almost always go to my affiliate link at bookshop.org. For my local readers, I heartily recommend you buy them through our favorite, Goldberry Books, but you might have a shop closer to you. Of course, you can always find these selections on That Big Website That Ships Quickly, But Not As Quickly as It Used To, and Remember How They Sucked Us All In By Being a Bookstore to Begin With? I’m also a big fan of saving money and patronizing your local library. Happy reading!
LOUD BOOING
There’s a great new one I’m reading right now called “The Bard and the Book” that’s all about how the First Folio came into existence. 👍🏻