TheAttachedMama Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Hi There, I am trying to plan out my history and literature for next year. I would like to give the kids an introduction to Shakespeare. Can anyone recommend a book appropriate for an 8 and 7 year old? The two that I am mainly looking at are Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield --or-- the "Young Reader's Shakespeare by Adam McKeown. My children are not especially sensitive children. So I am not worried about reading them a tragedy or anything. But I would like to find a book that captures the beauty and spirit of the plays as much as possible. I want the reading to be enjoyable. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenNotOfTroy Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I haven't seen those, we are using Lamb's Tales of Shakespeare. The preview of Garfield's Shakespeare Stories looks good to me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five More Minutes Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 We've used and enjoyed Nesbit's "Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare" and "How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare." We've used a lot of Manga versions of the plays as well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanDiegoMom Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Marcia Williams has Tales From Shakespeare and Bravo Mr William Shakespeare. My oldest adored those and read and reread them multiple times. They are cartoon versions with commentaries by the cartoon figures in the margin all around. Not good for kids who don't like a lot of things on one page though! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaCEmom Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I'm not familiar with the two you linked, but we used a Bruce Coville book first. The Lamb & Nesbit books are available free on Gutenberg if you're interested in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I like the Garfield books, but I don't think they're the best for those ages. For picture books our absolute favorites are the Bruce Coville books. Gorgeous illustrations. For reading aloud (or kids a bit older to read) we like Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Seconding the Colville picture books. My kids' next favorite is actually an older Usborne Shakespeare book. Then the Lambs version for RA. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAttachedMama Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share Posted March 7, 2015 Wow! Those Bruce Coville books look absolutely GORGEOUS. Thanks for recommending them. I like the Garfield books, but I don't think they're the best for those ages. For picture books our absolute favorites are the Bruce Coville books. Gorgeous illustrations. For reading aloud (or kids a bit older to read) we like Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare. What age is the Garfield book best for do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeriJ Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I like the Garfield books, but I don't think they're the best for those ages. For picture books our absolute favorites are the Bruce Coville books. Gorgeous illustrations. For reading aloud (or kids a bit older to read) we like Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare. Is Lamb's appropriate for a 7th grader to read independently? (she hasn't had much Shakespeare exposure yet) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Wow! Those Bruce Coville books look absolutely GORGEOUS. Thanks for recommending them. What age is the Garfield book best for do you think? Jr high or so. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Is Lamb's appropriate for a 7th grader to read independently? (she hasn't had much Shakespeare exposure yet) Absolutely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Shakespeare-Tina-Packer/dp/0439321077/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425755402&sr=8-1&keywords=tina+packer+shakespeare 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelissaMinNC Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I just wanted to mention this pretty new resource from SCM: https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/shakespeare-three-steps/ I'm eyeballing it for next year, and it looks like a nice method of introducing Shakespeare to elementary kids in little bites at a time. 😊 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 We have enjoyed the book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 As a fun, lighthearted introduction, we like the Shakespeare Can Be Fun books. The illustrations are all done by children, usually age 8-11, which my kids love. The lines rhyme and do include some references to famous Shakespeare quotes, but are also easy to understand. We also really like Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Another vote for Coville. They can be pretty lengthy to read aloud in one sitting, but DD enjoyed the four we read during Medieval Times. We also read Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley for an overview. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pehp Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Absolutely Coville!!!! Nesbit and Lamb's books are great, but I have found they are over the level of comprehension of my 7 year old. And why push this? So, we read (and love) the Coville books and also listen to Jim Weiss' readings. A nice, gentle introduction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Seconding this: Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield and this Marcia Williams has Tales From Shakespeare Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsWeasley Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I think the best introduction to Shakespeare is going and seeing it performed live. I especially like Shakespeare in the Park programs for grammar age children, but I find that high school plays can be good, too, for this age range. We also do some memorization using Teach Your Children Shakespeare and watch movies based on Shakespeare's plays, but that's just icing. Go see as many of his plays as possible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilleigh Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 If you're near Boston's North Shore, I've got a friend from college who runs a Shakespeare program for kids, and the performances are generally public. She also does a Shakespeare summer camp on Winter Island. If you're interested in catching one of their performances check them out at http://www.rebelshakespeare.org(the site has not been updated for 2015 yet, but keep watch) - nothing fires a kid up for Shakespeare better than watching other kids who are fired up about Shakespeare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyseal Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 We've had a fun year so far using How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare. I'm looking forward to reading aloud Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare, scheduled in ELTL3, which we'll be getting to later this year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 We've used lamb and Nesbit - Ioriginally bought the nesbit book but found the Lamb at the Salvation Army shop. It is nice to have both because sometimes one version seems to work better than the other, or occasionally we will use both. All that being said, I have come to the conclusion that actually watching the plays is the way to go, especially if you can actually attend one. We go every summer to see some in the park, and there is just something completely magical about that setting that draws in children in a way reading a text version just can't. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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