Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews

Tales From Shakespeare

Tales From Shakespeare

Tina Packer
Illustrator:  eleven world famous illustrators 
Fiction
For ages 9 to 12
Scholastic, 2004   ISBN: 978-0439321075

Tina Packer, the President and Artistic Director of Shakespeare and Company, begins this wonderful volume of ten of Shakespeare’s plays by introducing us to William Shakespeare, his times, and his works. She then tells the story of the ten plays each of which is illustrated by a world renowned illustrator. The plays are: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Much Ado about Nothing, King Lear, As You like It, Macbeth, The Tempest, Othello, Twelfth Night, and Romeo and Juliet. Each play has a brief introduction and a list of characters. These are followed by beautifully written versions of the stories of the plays.

As each play is illustrated by a different artist, each has a unique flavour and tone. The illustrators include P.J. Lynch, Barry Moser, Mark Teague, and Gail De Marcken.

This book would make a wonderful introduction to the works of Shakespeare and help children understand what the playwright was like and how people lived in his world.