A Midsummer Night's Dream for Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun!) [Paperback]

Lois Burdett (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Shakespeare Can Be Fun!

"Who is William Shakespeare?" For more than 20 years, Lois Burdett has asked that question of her elementary school students in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, leading them on a voyage of discovery that brings the Bard to life for boys and girls ages seven and up.

A Midsummer Night's Dream for Kids, written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3?An adaptation of the play retold in rhyming couplets. The greatest strength of the presentation is in the contributions of Burdett's elementary-age students. The obviously neatened-up drawings of the characters in various scenes are done in brightly colored markers on white backgrounds and retain many stylistic traits unique to young creators. So, too, do the diary entries of the characters, letters between them, and other documents supplied by the youngsters and reproduced (complete with their creative spelling) on most pages. The charm of this precocious output will appeal more to adults than to children. The verse (the actual story of the play) does manage to scan throughout without noticeable forcing, but is rather heavy-handed. The most graceful phrases are the few that are direct quotes from the play. Unfortunately, nothing in this book distinguishes Burdett's words from the Bard's. This book is one of the end results of an extensive learning project that includes a performance by the children. Unfortunately, the active experience of all this creation is only hinted at on the page.?Sally Margolis, formerly at Deerfield Public Library, IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Shakespeare is presented in a manner that is understandable to children without lessening the quality of the work. (Sheree Van Vreede Children's Literature 19980601)

Makes it come wonderfully alive for young students. (Curriculum Administrator 2003)

Included in the 'Great Books for Children' program. (Canadian Toy Testing Council )

The Shakespeare Can Be Fun series by Lois Burdett is an excellent way to introduce the playwright's many works. (Tere Scott St. Louis Homeschooling Examiner, Los Angeles edit )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books; annotated edition edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552091244
• ISBN-13: 978-1552091241
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Arts & Music > Performing Arts > Drama & Theater
  • #25 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Crafts & Music > Performing Arts > Drama & Theater

More About the Author

Lois Burdett has received many commendations for her work including Encyclopedia Britannica's National Award for Early Childhood Education, Canada's Meritorious Service Medal, the Canadian Teachers' Federation's Hilroy Fellowship and two writers' awards. Her many speaking engagements have included the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Lois Burdett has given children a gift to last a lifetime.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected enchantment, September 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream for Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun!) (Paperback)

I love the works of Shakespeare but I've always thought that children under the age of 11 or 12 wouldn't be able to grasp the complexity both of the stories and of the language. Well, thank goodness Lois Burdett has come to our rescue! It has been her labor of love to rewrite the stories in rhyming couplet. She is quite an accomplished poet and a delight to read.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is extremely funny. Throughout the book Ms Burdett has included pictures and statements relating to the story that were made by her students. Clearly she makes Shakespeare come alive. I was so impressed with her rendition of this story that I couldn't wait to try it out on my eight year old. He loved it! We have a new Shakespeare fan in our house. I am extremely grateful that these books are available. I plan to purchase them all.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable, November 12, 2010

By 

Pam Tee "Busy Mom" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream for Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun!) (Paperback)

Great rhyme. Great Read-aloud. The artwork by kids, is kid-friendly, as is the prose. This book gets across the basics of the tale in language that kids can understand. My daughter and I loved it. (She's 10). We enjoyed the little letters that the children wrote -- chuckling over the misspellings. And she enjoyed the mischievous pranks of Puck and lovers' woes. And me... I enjoyed introducing Shakespeare's stories to her.

Highly recommend.

Pam T~
mom

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gerat way to get kids interested in Shakespeare, August 9, 2010

By 

tanddi - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream for Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun!) (Paperback)

My husband and I are huge Shakespeare fans and this is the perfect way to share our love with our child.