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How to start enjoying Shakespeare with my 8 year old


JRmommy
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I must admit that I am not well versed with Shakespeare and his writings other than the couple of plays we read in high school.  So, I'm not really sure where to start with my son.  He's fairly sensitive.  

 

Which children's versions are your favorites?  Which plays would be age appropriate?

 

And HOW do you start with a child?  Do you just do it as a read aloud?  I'd love to hear how you expose your children to Shakespeare for the elementary aged group.

 

Thanks!

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We're watching "Shakespeare: The Animated Tales." It's available on Netflix, and is a great introduction, I think. We also watched two versions of Henry V, and we're reading through Henry V while listening to the Librivox recording. There are also some cartoon versions of the plays (book form) - can't think of specific names now, but you could probably find them on Amazon. I think reading alone would be a little dull at that age. The stories and characters are great, but that doesn't come across to young readers. Hope that helps a little.

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I don't have a sensitive child but dd loves the BBC Classics Midsummer Nights Dream. I'm not really sure why.

 

I read a child's version to her (we have Lamb's book) then the full play to myself. Then we search the library for whatever dvd versions we can find. Some she watches, some she doesn't. I'm thinking about buying the Animated Shakespeare next year.

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Yep, with an 8 year old, stick with the comedies and read the story first, then see a (previewed) movie version or go see a play.  My 8 year old has loved A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night.  She hated Romeo and Juliet.  

 

I like Bruce Coville's illustrated versions for this age - a little simpler than Leon Garfield, and prettier to look at than most versions of Lamb or Nesbit.

 

One option if you are looking for things to memorize is to work through this book:  How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare.  It goes through the plays, explains them systematically, and chooses lovely passages that you can all memorize together.

 

http://www.amazon.com/How-Teach-Your-Children-Shakespeare/dp/0307951499/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412044611&sr=8-3&keywords=reading+shakespeare+with+children

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We used a lovely little book by Usborned last year called Illustrated Tales of Shakespeare or something similar. They were written in story form that is simplistic & easy for young children to read. All of my children enjoyed it & were easily able to understand what 10-11 {can't remember how many were in the book} were about & so forth. Some lines from each play were quoted directly in the book & you knew what to look for to tell if you read the intro in the start of the book. There's a lovely little bio of Shakespeare at the end of the book as well. :) My kids are lobbying for the similar Dickens book now. :lol:

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Another vote for the Bruce Coville versions, which are beautiful. And for the BBC Animated Tales, which you can find on Youtube.

 

Also, if you can, I think seeing a production is really great. And, even better, performing with a group if you have a Shakespeare camp or performance group in your area. I've put together ones for my kids and their friends, but it's a lot of work.

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We very fortunately live in an area that hosts several different Shakespeare in the Park productions: we attended one in the city (an hour drive from us but more professional) and one in our hometown (more amateur but closer) of Midsummer Night's Dream. I love the price (free!) and that children too young to sit through the 90 minute production head to the park. To prep my kids, we read Bruce Coville's version, which is so much prettier than any other version I've seen. Since then, we've worked through the Midsummer Night's Dream section in How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, which she loves to recite for impressed grandparents. For a grammar stage kid, I really wanted my kid to enjoy Shakespeare: I want her to be excited to go see Shakespeare next time we have an opportunity. Retaining some memory of the plot and famous lines is secondary at this point.

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We read Shakepeare for Children (or For Kids, I can't remember now) but each play was sold individually and written in verse but so much easier to understand. We read Hamlet and for the first time in my life I really understood the brilliance of Shakespeare.

 

I think you're talking about the Shakespeare Can Be Fun series by Lois Burdett. I really like these, and so did DS. We tried the Lamb version also, and he hated those, but found the Burdett series much more accessible. They do a very good job of getting the complicated plots across. Not the original language, but neither are most of the other adaptations.

 

He also enjoyed the BBC animated series.

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