Reviews

Shakespeare for Children

Introducing your children to one of literatures greats may seem a terrifying prospect, or even one which has you rolling your eyes with a mind filled with dread. Sweet Cherry publishing have a set of 20 Shakespeare Children’s Stories, these are simplified versions of the plays written as a story and are a perfect introduction to the great stories of Shakespeare. Each book has bold illustrations which capture a child’s imagination, both of my sons have been drawn to listen and ask questions pointing at the illustrations.

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The books each begin with an introduction to the characters, including the importance of their role within the story. I think this really helps children to understand the plots, especially the more complicated ones!

The books are printed in a  large font perfect for the young reader, and it makes the idea of reading such stories a far less terrifying prospect! The language used to write the stories is modern and easy to understand, and therefore there’s nothing to fear if as a parent you’re not feeling confident in tackling Shakespeare’s language!

We enjoyed reading the books as a family, but I would also recommend them as a great resource for teaching children in drama lessons, as they provide an easy step into what can be quite complicated stories. They’re perfect to introduce children to the story behind a play before going on to study a play, or to use as a starting point to create their own improvised versions. With Shakespeare week coming up in March, they would be an invaluable resource at primary or secondary level, to introduce the great Bard to children with ease.

The books are stocked at all good book shops, The Globe, and via Sweet Cherry Publishing directly.