Jumbo Book of Drama, The (Jumbo Books) [Paperback]

Deborah Dunleavy (Author), Jane Kurisu (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Series: Jumbo Books

Filled with fun and entertaining activities to suit the needs of the class clown, the wallflower or the natural-born actor, The Jumbo Book of Drama will help kids discover and hone their dramatic abilities. With 200 pages of theater games, plays, sample scripts, costume ideas, a glossary and more, this book provides all the inspiration they'll need to really get their act together!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6–This concise introduction is sure to motivate young actors and give them the chance to explore both the performance and design elements of the theater. The book is divided into four parts. Act I covers physical movement (mime, masks, clowning, and dance drama); Act II focuses on voice (puppetry, readers' theater, and radio plays). Act III delves into the characters and plots of melodrama, comedy, and tragedy; and Act IV goes behind the scenes to investigate sound, lights, costumes, set design, and props. Each section begins with a brief explanation of its scope, followed by a short history of the relevant art form, specific activities and exercises pertaining to the topic, and a scene that combines ideas presented in the previous exercises. The delightful watercolor cartoons are both decorative and informative and add much to the text's light tone. Since the author is Canadian, some of the references may be unfamiliar to U.S. readers, but this does not mar the book's overall appeal. Though visually more inviting, Dunleavy's exercises are not explained as fully as those in Lisa Bany-Winters's On Stage! (Chicago Review, 1997), and some of the scripts she includes are not as interesting as those in the earlier title. Nevertheless, TheJumbo Book will appeal to less-experienced thespians who want a taste of what the theater can offer.–Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-8. The format is kid-friendly: drama genres and elements of stage production are carefully explained in compact paragraphs interspersed with attractive, full-color drawings that clearly illustrate the text. In Act I (the first chapter), Dunleavy focuses on body movement (mime, clowning, dance). In Act II, she concentrates on voice (readers' theater, puppetry, radio plays). She explains melodrama, comedy, and tragedy in Act III, and rounds out Act IV with "behind-the-scenes stuff" about directing, staging, special effects, lighting, props, and costumes. Most sections within the chapters are only one to three pages long, and there are plenty of short scripts and ideas to get kids up and moving. Dunleavy's enthusiasm for her subject is evident, and though her directions are concise, young performers will find them easy to follow. This may have been written for children, but adults who work with young people will find the book immensely useful. A worthwhile addition to drama collections in school or public libraries. Chris Sherman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553370082
• ISBN-13: 978-1553370086
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,816,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of Drama, January 16, 2012

By 

Burton, OH - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jumbo Book of Drama, The (Jumbo Books) (Paperback)

"The Jumbo Book of Drama" has a good overview of different styles of Drama, especially if you're teaching elementary aged students. It covers Mime, Reader's Theater, Masked Plays, Melodrama, Comedy, Tragedy, etc. It has some good, basic activities and short plays for kids then to act in these genres.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Lower Elementary, October 20, 2011

By 

Sara "S. Bedee" (Crystal River, FL, United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jumbo Book of Drama, The (Jumbo Books) (Paperback)

This book has a lot of great ideas and activities for any age group, but is especially useful for 1st and 2nd graders. The little ones are fully capable of handling the pantomime exercises. There are some more advanced activities as well, such as short skits, for the older students. When my classes see me get the book out, they get very excited.