The Tempest : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series) [Paperback]

Lois Burdett (Author)

Book Description

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

The Tempest is an exciting tale of jealousy and betrayal, magic and romance, repentance and forgiveness, and has all the elements necessary to ignite a young child's imagination and creative energy. By her use of rhyming couplets, Lois Burdett has once again succeeded in transforming Shakespeare's complex verse into a format readily understood by children.

Children's enthusiasm toward Burdett's adapted Shakespeare is evident in the wonderful drawings and anecdotes created by her Grade 2 and 3 students at Hamlet Elementary School in Stratford, Ontario. Together with the five other books in the successful and beautifully produced Shakespeare Can Be Fun! series, The Tempest will delight teachers, parents and children.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-Sticking closely to the series format, Burdett retells the story of The Tempest in rhyming couplets. Her students' drawings filled in with clear bright marker colors, along with the children's boxed comments, provide the book's primary appeal. The main text is distinctly plodding-especially when compared with the original. While it's true that the simple couplets might be easy for an adult to understand at first glance, they are not exactly a breeze for early readers, the audience for this book. It would require almost as much effort to use this text for a performance (as suggested) as it would to perform scenes from the original work or to have children create their own improvisations on the story. Burdett's techniques for exciting children about Shakespeare certainly seem to work well with her own classes. It seems sad that other youngsters might be handed a finished product rather than the fun of creating their own interpretations. The final page contains suggestions for parents and teachers.
Sally Margolis, Barton Public Library, VT
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

The couplets present Shakespeare in shortened form ... in a highly accessible way. (Susan Perren Globe and Mail 20000304)

Many original phrases joyfully intact, in rhyming couplets that retain the exuberant language play of the original. (Vancouver Sun )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books; Dover Thrift Edition edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552093263
• ISBN-13: 978-1552093269
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Arts & Music > Performing Arts > Drama & Theater
  • #21 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

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Lois Burdett, October 12, 2002

By 

J. Anderson (Concord, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tempest : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series) (Library Binding)

What a great way to introduce children to classic literature and universal themes! My 1st-3rd graders are entranced by The Tempest. They love the way it rhymes and the complicated plot. They have seen parallels between this story and The Hobbit. Immediately, they compared Caliban to Gollum and remembered how Gandalf threw his voice to cause the fight among the trolls much the same way Ariel did. I really recommend this series to teachers and parents alike. The Tempest in particular is great if you are studying Jamestown as it is believed that Shakespeare was inspired by newspaper accounts of a ship (bound for Jamestown) that got lost at sea due to a great storm. It landed on a tropical island where the crew and passengers were stranded for a few months. I most definitely will buy more books from this series (or my students might revolt).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fun way to introduce your children to Shakespeare, May 18, 2010

By 

the goalie's mom (Eden Prairie, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Tempest : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series) (Paperback)

Really a very nice read and age appropriate. It's a great way for your children to learn Shakespeare's Tempest so when they hear the actual version, they do not struggle with the language to get the story.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Terrible "poetry" - no child could enjoy this, October 9, 2010

By 

Brittany Nguyen - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tempest : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series) (Paperback)

I love the idea, but this is poorly executed. Read some of the excerpts online. Instead of rendering a story kids could enjoy, the focus is on rhyming, so what you get is third-rate poetry that trudges out a Shakespearean plot. If you try really hard, you can understand the story-line, but no child would want to spend time with this book the way they do with successful kids' books.