lwest Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 Which of these Shakespeare books do you like better and why? Would you choose Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb or Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by E.Nesbit or, would you choose both? My kids range from 4-10. Also, my oldest DD will be going into grade 6 and I would like to have her start reading Shakespeare directly. Do you have a favourite to start with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Green Leaves Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 We have the Lamb book. At first, I explained the story as I was going along, because I was worried that the language would be tricky for the kids. But they got used to it surprisingly quickly. Is the E. Nesbit the same E. Nesbit who wrote 5 Children and It? I love her and I'd love to read her version of Shakespeare! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwest Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share Posted June 15, 2020 Yes it is the same E. Nesbit! My DD7 just finished 5 Children and It and loved it too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 If you can get a hold of the Coville picture book versions, they're AMAZING. I can't really say I was a lover of either of the retellings. We went directly to videos. I don't really have any fond memories of *reading* Shakespeare in high school, so I never asked dd to. We watched as many of the Ambrose productions as we could get through the library. If your youngers don't like those, there are BBC cartoon versions too. Oh, oh, oh!!! For your 6th grader, have you seen the COMIC Shakespeare versions that VP sells? She ADORED these. https://veritaspress.com/store/catalogsearch/result/?q=shakespeare comics#q=shakespeare comics&idx=magento2_default_products&p=0&nR[visibility_search][%3D][0]=1 And 6th is really the PERFECT age for them. So so highly recommend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 My favorite are Leon Garfield's versions. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwest Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share Posted June 15, 2020 55 minutes ago, PeterPan said: If you can get a hold of the Coville picture book versions, they're AMAZING. I can't really say I was a lover of either of the retellings. We went directly to videos. I don't really have any fond memories of *reading* Shakespeare in high school, so I never asked dd to. We watched as many of the Ambrose productions as we could get through the library. If your youngers don't like those, there are BBC cartoon versions too. Oh, oh, oh!!! For your 6th grader, have you seen the COMIC Shakespeare versions that VP sells? She ADORED these. https://veritaspress.com/store/catalogsearch/result/?q=shakespeare comics#q=shakespeare comics&idx=magento2_default_products&p=0&nR[visibility_search][%3D][0]=1 And 6th is really the PERFECT age for them. So so highly recommend. Those comic book versions look great. Thanks for the recommendations. Also, the illustrations on the Coville ones look so dreamy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwest Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share Posted June 15, 2020 2 hours ago, PeterPan said: COMIC Shakespeare versions that VP sells I've just been looking around and I found these ones too. I wonder how they compare to the Veritas Press ones. The VP ones have original text (50%) and modern English and these Classical Comics ones have options of original, plain text, or quick text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 5 hours ago, lwest said: I've just been looking around and I found these ones too. I wonder how they compare to the Veritas Press ones. The VP ones have original text (50%) and modern English and these Classical Comics ones have options of original, plain text, or quick text. I'm trying to find online samples, but I'll just go find my copies and compare. I think the formats might be really different. https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Shakespeare-Marcia-Williams/dp/0763623237/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=comic+book+shakespeare&qid=1592277834&sr=8-4 Have you see the Marcia Williams tellings? I'm really in the enjoyment camp, if that makes sense. I have a dd who could read anything and a ds who struggles to understand anything, haha. So it's just what works for the kid. I *think* the ones you found are graphic novels. I want to compare that to the ones VP sells and see. I don't recall them being that way but I didn't read them a lot. Those would be different kids, if I could suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 From Henry V 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 (edited) So those pics are from the Comic Book Shakespeare that VP is selling. My copy says you can also get the at https://www.shakespearecomics.com which might have more samples. She read these from probably (just guessing) 4th-8th, 3rd to 8th. So they're making it engaging for a strong reader who is ready to read that amount of text. I wouldn't feel the need to make it *harder* than that for a 6th grader. While some 6th graders could read Shakespeare straight, it's definitely something more common in high school. These books could be more of a middle of the road. http://www.classicalcomics.com/?mode=us So I'm looking at these books you found and they look quite well done. They're graphic novels, HIGHLY visual, and even have optional workbook pages for comprehension. I wouldn't hestitate to use them with anyone who finds that format helps their comprehension, sure. When it doubt, start small, lol. Show the dc samples, see what they think. I'm really in the Shakespeare as joy camp. I'd just use whatever connects. Edited June 16, 2020 by PeterPan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwest Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 Thanks for posting examples. I really like how they 'translate' the passages into modern English. I think these might be perfect for my DD10. I'm with you on the enjoyment aspect of reading Shakespeare. She does really want to read some Shakespeare as he wrote so I think these might be a perfect bridge. I will see what she thinks of these options. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gck21 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I have the Nesbit version, and I wanted to like it! I can't exactly put my finger on why it didn't work for us. The retellings are maybe just a little too straightforward and flattened. My kids were little, 4 and 6, last year, so maybe they were just too young for it. (I think Nesbit's version is easier for young children to understand than Lamb's though.) They loved the Bruce Coville picture books and the Illustrated Usborne Stories from Shakespeare. For audio retellings, I like the Naxos Junior Classics one, I think it is also called Stories from Shakespeare. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 3 hours ago, gck21 said: the Nesbit version, and I wanted to like it! Yup, and shhh but I'm not a Nesbit fan for ANYTHING! It's funny because SWB/WTM speaks highly of N, people around here like N, and it was just nope. Not in audio, not read alouds, nothing. And none of my kids have been into anything Nesbit either. So I'm with you, blaze your trail of good taste! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porridge Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 I have both Nesbit and Lamb’s. Nesbit is much more simplified- appropriate for early elementary, but ultimately too simplistic - she tries to pick it one story line from each play and ignore the subplots, etc. Lamb’s is more detailed. Personally, our family prefers the Leon Garfield books. His phrasing captures or closely parallels Shakespeare’s language. We read Hamlet recently (Garfield retelling), then watched the Royal Shakespeare production. my daughter pointed out how closely Garfield’s version meshed with the stage production. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 3 minutes ago, JHLWTM said: Personally, our family prefers the Leon Garfield books. His phrasing captures or closely parallels Shakespeare’s language. We read Hamlet recently (Garfield retelling), then watched the Royal Shakespeare production. my daughter pointed out how closely Garfield’s version meshed with the stage production. Yes! Our experience exactly. Those 2 volumes are amg my favorite homeschool purchases. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwest Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share Posted June 18, 2020 4 hours ago, JHLWTM said: I have both Nesbit and Lamb’s. Nesbit is much more simplified- appropriate for early elementary, but ultimately too simplistic - she tries to pick it one story line from each play and ignore the subplots, etc. Lamb’s is more detailed. Personally, our family prefers the Leon Garfield books. His phrasing captures or closely parallels Shakespeare’s language. We read Hamlet recently (Garfield retelling), then watched the Royal Shakespeare production. my daughter pointed out how closely Garfield’s version meshed with the stage production. Thanks. I'm happy to hear reviews on different versions. I selected Lamb and Nesbit because those seem to be the two most widely recommended on booklists. I would prefer versions that lead into reading Shakespeare in its original wording. I'm kind of swayed by illustrations too. I think when our library reopens I'm going to order in a bunch of versions and see what I like the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familia Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) While checking out the recommended Garfield book (that looks very good), I found this wonderful sticker book to complement any Shakespeare version you choose. I wish we had done more Shakespeare! https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Timeline-Stickerbook-performed-Theatre/dp/0995576688/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2QGCGIOWYW27H&dchild=1&keywords=shakespeare+at+the+globe&qid=1592508353&s=books&sprefix=shakespeare+at+the+g%2Cstripbooks%2C211&sr=1-3 Edited June 18, 2020 by Familia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porridge Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Here a sample from Nesbit - it will give you a sense of the wording. It really is targeted to younger readers. I’m personally not opposed to having a bit of redundancy in our Shakespeare. Hence I have Nesbit, Lamb, and Garfield, and now I’m at risk of buying the comic book ones mentioned above as well 🙂 I want my children to be familiar enough with the stories by the time they read the original text that the original doesn’t seem so daunting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 On 6/16/2020 at 12:18 AM, lwest said: I've just been looking around and I found these ones too. I wonder how they compare to the Veritas Press ones. The VP ones have original text (50%) and modern English and these Classical Comics ones have options of original, plain text, or quick text. We have several of these versions- note that you can choose if you want original text, modern text, or easy-read versions. We chose the original text, and with the images, my oldest two kids had no issues with Midsummer Night's Dream. We read the graphic novel, watched the animated Shakespeare movie, and memorized a small scene and several quotes. Huge success. I also really got a lot of teacher's ed from the How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare book by Ludwig. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Baklinski Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 What versions would you recommend for watching after reading the plays? I am looking for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitgrl Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 5 hours ago, Erin Baklinski said: What versions would you recommend for watching after reading the plays? I am looking for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" right now. I found this one, but confess we have not yet watched it. It's by the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1968. I thought perhaps since it's so old, it might be less suggestive than more modern versions. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063297/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 22 hours ago, Erin Baklinski said: What versions would you recommend for watching after reading the plays? I am looking for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" right now. I used Ambrose versions with my dd. We got them on video through the library, but you might be able to stream them on amazon. https://www.ambrosevideo.com/screening-room/24-sh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 We watched Shakespeare The Animated Tales version, which is abridged. My kids weren't totally thrilled with it, but it was ok. Then we watched a Kevin Kline semi-modern adaptation, which was silly and ok, but has a bit of nudity and suggestion. It's hard to figure out where to draw the line exactly, as Shakespeare WAS bawdy. I also let my older kid (12 at the time) watch Shakespeare in Love, which also has nudity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.