Poetry for Kids: William Shakespeare

Will's Collected Hits, Annotated

This is a very nice find, either for a younger reader or for an adult who'd like to have a handy anthology nearby.

We open with a brief biographical sketch that would probably be of interest to a kid reader. The author keeps referring to Shakespeare as "William", which was a bit chummy, but it occurred to me that making Shakespeare less intimidating is probably a good thing. We then proceed without further ado to the selected pieces. Of interest, each piece is followed immediately by a footnote set of definitions and explanations for unfamiliar and archaic words. Again, very helpful in that Folger Library sort of way. At the end is an index of first lines.

There is also, at the very end, a listing for each piece accompanied by a one sentence summary of what the work was about. It's titled "What William Was Thinking", which again is pretty laid back, and the one line summaries/commentaries are actually perceptive and on point. You might not need a comment on, say, "The Quality of Mercy...", but a reader would probably benefit from being advised that "Over Hill, Over Dale" involves the elf Robin Goodfellow dashing about the countryside. While this is at the end of the book I'd point it out to a young reader right away.

As to contents, we get all of the big speeches, sonnets, and verses. There are 35 selections, and a bit of Richard, Puck, MacBeth, each Henry, Lear, Hamlet, Caesar, Romeo, and the rest of the gang.

I should also mention the illustrations that accompany the text. They appear to be along the lines of simple but expressive pencils and subdued watercolors and give the book a dreamy and fantastical, but also slightly modern, feel that adds a real touch of elegance to the project.

So, an excellent find and an interesting addition to the family shelf. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the editor or the publisher of this book.)

A beautiful selection of sonnets and parts of plays from Shakespeare's works. All the parts selected were interesting, and I loved the fact that under each one there were explanations for the difficult words and terms. There is also well-researched information about Shakespeare, as well as a section called "What William Was Thinking", in which the reader gets a glimpse of Shakespeare's way of thinking. All in all, a book strongly recommended in order to familiarize children with this great mind.

I loved this! The illustrations are beautiful and I like how at the end of each passage there is a glossary explaining the vocabulary. I also like the discussion topics at the end. This book is a great way to get young and old people to read and enjoy Shakespeare.

This is from an advance review copy, for which to the publisher I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks!

This book was a little bit different from what I expected, but there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. For me, I thought it might be Shakespeare's words altered somewhat to facilitate children's reading, but in fact the text was untouched. What editor Marguerite Tassi (on the faculty of University of Nebraska-Kearney, and much published on many aspects of Shakespeare's work) did was to choose the pieces, include them unaltered in any way, but to add a short glossary after each to explain some of the more obscure or more readily misunderstood terms. Language use and meaning changes significantly in four hundred years!

There is also included some notes at the end on "What William was thinking," and an index. I read this on an iPad and what I would have liked to have seen was a means to get back to the contents page from a given excerpt. From that screen you can get to any item with a tap, but once you've shuffled off this mortal contents, you can't get back except by sliding the bar at the bottom of the page which oft trigger'd Apple's pop-up bar, and it was annoying. To link or not to link, that is the question!

Talented and Spanish-born artist Mercè López contributed illustrations for many of the excerpts. The illustrations, well-aimed at children, served to leaven what otherwise would have been a landscape solely of text and perhaps, because of that, a tragically undiscover'd country. It's a pity the editor doesn't hail from the same place as the illustrator, because then it could have been billed as 'Two Gentlewomen of Barcelona'. But it was not to be!

There are over thirty selections here, so there is no arguing over what was the most unkindest cut of all, because if they are mark'd to read, they are enough. Let us not wish for one choice more; the fewer options, the greater share of honour each derives! The excerpts were a fine selection in my amateur opinion, and made for some great reading if you're at all a fan of Shakespeare. The choice selection (There's a double meaning in that!) is as follows:
All the World’s a Stage from As You Like It
O, for a Muse of Fire from Henry V
We Were, Fair Queen from The Winter’s Tale
Over Hill, Over Dale from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Round About the Cauldron Go from Macbeth
Under the Greenwood Tree from As You Like It
Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? (sonnet)
O Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore Art Thou Romeo? from Romeo and Juliet
Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent from Richard III
If Music Be the Food of Love from Twelfth Night
How Sweet the Moonlight Sleeps Upon this Bank! from The Merchant of Venice
O, She Doth Teach the Torches to Burn Bright! from Romeo and Juliet
O Mistress Mine, Where Are You Roaming? from Twelfth Night
What Light Is Light, if Silvia Be Not Seen? from The Two Gentlemen of Verona
But Soft, What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks? from Romeo and Juliet
My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun (sonnet)
The Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds (sonnet)
Cowards Die Many Times Before Their Deaths from Julius Caesar
Once More Unto the Breach from Henry V
All Furnish’d, All in Arms from Henry IV, Part 1
The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strain’d from The Merchant of Venice
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears from Julius Caesar
All That Glitters Is Not Gold from The Merchant of Venice
That Time of Year Thou Mayst in Me Behold (sonnet)
To Be, or Not to Be, That Is the Question from Hamlet
Blow, Winds, and Crack Your Cheeks! from King Lear
To-morrow, and To-morrow, and To-morrow from Macbeth
Why, Man, He Doth Bestride the Narrow World from Julius Caesar
If We Shadows Have Offended from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Our Revels Now Are Ended from The Tempest
But soft, what a great way to get kids involved, especially if they can read and you can get them to get all dramatic and really speak these words from the heart with spirit and energy. O for a muse of fire! Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious reading by this daughter of Baltimore! I recommend this.

Even if you don't have kids, the layout of the book is wonderful. This is a very effective way to introduce Shakespeare to young kids and even adults. Extremely well done.

I can’t give enough praises to this book. Not just from myself but even from my 6 year old daughter. She loved it and has asked me to read it to her almost every night since receiving it. The illustrations are phenomenal!

Beautiful pictures -- painting really found throughout add to the poetry. This is a wonderful introduction to Shakespeare. It helps appreciate it and understand it. There are even some word explanations that really help with this understanding. I enjoy this book and it is helpful to understand the meaning and appreciate the beauty of these classic works. It is great for kids and anyone that wants a little extra help with Shakespeare.

This is a wonderful illustrated anthology of the most famous excerpts from the great works of William Shakespeare. The beautiful pictures and footnote definitions of the more difficult to understand terms make Shakespeare all the more appealing and interesting to child and adult readers alike. This book would make a great gift to introduce young readers to Shakespeare.

What a fabulous concept - an ageless read, for readers 6 to 66 (and beyond)! There is a healthy variety of Shakespeare's selections/poems and the breathtaking illustrations artfully match the showcased pieces. For younger readers or more experienced readers who aren't fluent in Shakespeare's English or with bigger words in our modern usage, there are vocabulary terms italicized at the end of each poem. This book is too mature for my preschool learners but I would LOVE having a copy in my English classroom (my Master's graduation is so, so close) and I'm sure I would regularly use it during a-my poetry unit. Thank you to #NetGalley and #QuartoPublishingGroup for the opportunity to preview #PoetryForKids:WilliamShakespeare

This book may be part of the Poetry for Kids series, but I say it's for anyone who's into Shakespeare or poetry. The editor, Marguerite Tassi, has done a fine job of choosing some of the most accessible and memorable passages from Shakespeare's work, and I like the way that brief explanations and word definitions are included. And Merce Lopez's beautiful illustrations make the book a little gem! I was compelled to look her up online to learn about her and to see more of her work.

I look forward to checking out more of the Poetry for Kids series. If this volume is any indication, books from this series would be great to collect or to give as gifts.

I read a digital version of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.
#poetryforkids #PoetryForKids:williamShakespeare #NetGalley

Confession: I've never been a big fan of Shakespeare. Hopefully I won't get my English degree revoked for saying that, but I didn't really encounter him much until college, and reading numerous lines of 400-year-old dialog full of words I didn't recognize just didn't excite me much. Of course, I still respect very much his contributions to the English language, but I suppose my interest in Shakespeare has been more historical than literary.

So I suppose the collection in Poetry for Kids: William Shakespeare is perfect for people like me, or people who've never read Shakespeare at all, because it is basically his "greatest hits." (I know it says "for kids," but I imagine most readers will be teenagers or adults.)

There are some short snippets, some longer monologues, and some sonnets, but many recognizable pieces and lines can be found here -- from Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be," to Romeo and Juliet on the balcony, the three witches with their "Double, double toil and trouble," and "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Even aside from the major pieces, I was reminded of just how many phrases from Shakespeare are still around today, such as "mortal coil," "sound and fury," "the game is afoot," etc.

Each piece includes a list of its more unusual words/phrases after it, with definitions, which is very helpful. For those who would like more Shakespeare in their home but don't want to read entire plays, this is a great addition, and the illustrations are very nice too.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

This was an absolutely gorgeous collection of selected William Shakespeare poems, brought together with lovely illustrations to create a stunning children's book. Although it is listed as a children's book, i certainly feel that it could be helpful for young adults as well as children. We all know that Shakespeare can be beautiful, but sometimes hard to understand for some at times, and this book does a wonderful job of keeping things simple, by including the description of lesser known words at the bottom of each poem. I can honestly say that i truly loved this book from cover to cover.

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is perfect for anyone who wants to introduce children to Shakespheare! I am a homeschooling mom and value classical/Charlotte Mason style education. We've already read the adult versions of all of his works, but this was a nice refresher and easy for anyone to understand. I highly recommend this one!

It is a fact that kids benefit from exposure to the literary arts at an early age as much as they do from math, science, and nature.

Poetry for Kids makes what used to be a boring and tedious educational experience, fun and engaging by breaking down the speeches and sonnets of Shakespeare into small bits of engaging content that younger children can grasp and appreciate. The illustrations compliment the text and are in its own right a visually pleasant experience all by itself.

Really sweet take on Shakespeare's original poetry. The illustrations are beautiful and you can tell a lot of work has been put into this.

Shakespeare + art? Sign me up. I think this is a great companion for any teacher of the Bard.

I loved the illustartions and the fact that there was a glossary. I also liked the fact that you could read about the poems at the end. Great gift for kids.

A genius way to encourage children to embrace and articulate such well known poetry especially that of the late William Shakespeare. I was really quite pleasantly surprised when this novel caught my attention whilst browsing my next book content to review. What a wonderful and brilliant way to intrigue children to explore the many possibilities of poetry and literature by using none other than the great William Shakespeare himself. A piece of history and literature to enlighten generations to come of the beautiful art of poetry and even the endless possibilities of how to showcase poetry. This book affords the children the platform and idea to compose their own poems and maybe even make a play production based on the ideas. As a parent myself I am very fond of this novel and find it to just be above and beyond, its absolute genius. I definitely have nothing but praise for this book. Nothing but praise. This book is Spectacular, Genius , Resourceful , Brilliant , Smart and just downright great.

I actually even believe that this book could be just the thing that schools could utilise when education our youth on history literature and poetry. What a great tool to encourage and inspire future poets.

Thank you for affording me this wonderful opportunity to review such an amazing book.

I absolutely love this and desperately want a physical copy now. Taking 35 of Shakespeare's famous sonnets, verses and speeches, each of them are given their own beautiful illustration and an explanation of the content of all of the work, including definitions of words and phrases that are more complicated.

I had such a great time reading this aloud to myself, looking at all of the art work. This makes Shakespeare's work so much more accessible, especially for younger people just beginning to study him, and even as a University student I thought this was helpful and added to my knowledge of his work. Could not recommend this for kids and adults enough- it's definitely something I think everyone should own if they want an introduction to Shakespeare, or just if they enjoy Shakespeare already.

I thought this was a great little selection. Definitely a good Shakespeare starter pack. I really loved the watercolor illustrations throughout, and the footnotes that explain the more difficult words/phrases for readers would definitely help kids. 

I think calling this for kids a a bit of a stretch though, because I'd say there isn't much that makes Shakespeare easy for younger kids beyond the Wishbone books, these aren't modern english translations, so its probably great for older kinds, maybe 10+ at the youngest, or even I think for my age, high school age students could probably benefit from this.

I think it a good selection of his most famous sonnets and monologues, and a good way to expose kids to Shakespeare in a way less intimidating than a full play. Its fun to see just how many common phrases, even ones kids know like "double double toil and trouble" come from Shakespeare.

This is a wonderful book to introduce young children to classic Shakespeare! Short excerpts of great sonnets, poems and plays by Shakespeare. I love that the book includes definitions of language children may not be familiar with, and at the end of the book there is insight into each of Shakespeare's writings!

This book was absolutely beautiful. It is so amazing that this is a thing. Shakespear can be intimidating and this is such a cool way to get kids, and even adults, into some of his amazing works.

This is a nice introduction to Shakespeare's poetry. I would introduce it to students after they are already familiar with easier poets. Because of its format, this book is less intimidating than a collection intended for adults, and I particularly like the fact that difficult words are explained right there on the page. The illustrations are beautiful and enhance the book.

This was a great read for parents to share with children, a very clever way of teaching children about Shakespeare.

I'm assuming the .epub format I got is not how the final product would look like (in the same format.) It has some pros and cons; previously, all the ARCs got for the "Poetry for Kids" series are in .pdf, the only issue I had with those is that the text was relatively small. For this book, it does not have that problem, however, the text is completely separated from the illustrations, which, I assumed should act as backgrounds rather than illustrations inserted between text. While the text is readable, I feel the illustrations didn't have the enhancement it would have had, so it's hard to tell if I'd find it esthetically more successful than the previous books. I do think the illustrations on their own are beautiful.

(5 star is for the art; overall I can't tell.)