Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Tales From Shakespeare
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.
