William Shakespeare: Poetry for Young People [Hardcover]

David Scott Kastan (Author), Marina Kastan (Author), William Shakespeare (Author), Glenn Harrington (Author)

Book Description

Series: Poetry For Young People

He was the greatest poet and playwright who ever lived, the dramatist who penned lines that we quote without even realizing their origin. Shakespeare's glorious works have even inspired animated films--like Disney's The Lion King. Introduce children to the Bard with this wonderful, fully annotated collection of sonnets and soliloquies, enhanced with beautiful, highly realistic color paintings that bring each excerpt to vivid life. Here are Shakespeare's most famous speeches: "To be or not to be" from Hamlet, with the melancholy Dane pictured in front of the castle, his face pensive and gazing into the distance; Portia's gentle plea for mercy in The Merchant of Venice; Macbeth's witches' cackling "Double, double, toil and trouble"; and Marc Antony's sarcastic address to "Friends, Romans, Countrymen," in Julius Caesar. A golden-robed Henry V, kneeling and bowed from the weight of the world, ponders how rulers must bear the burden of their subjects' needs. Mercutio, seen here in a bright red background as fiery and explosive as his personality, gently teases his lovesick friend Romeo. From the tender sonnets (Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?) to the humorous songs sung by his jesters in comedies such as Twelfth Night, every page contains pure verbal and visual magic.

"...the most delicate challenge in introducing poetry to children [is]...making all the necessary allowances for accessibility without completely throwing felicity and mystery to the winds. In this respect...it is particularly heartening to come upon...The Poetry for Young People Series [which] should be commended for recognizing that secure stepping stones hold infinitely more hope than forced marches."--Washington Post Book World.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-An exploration of Shakespeare as a poet. The book begins with a good biographical introduction to the Bard and his work. Three well-known sonnets, Hamlet's famous "To be, or not to be" soliloquy, as well as several well-known speeches from other plays are included. Some of the selections are not strong poetry and others may be off-putting to the intended audience. Each piece includes a brief glossary. There are often notes on the poetic function of the language, but this is not a book for the poetically fainthearted. A sophisticated, powerful oil painting accompanies each piece. Unfortunately, the full-page illustrations could have the effect of further alienating older students.-Cris Riedel, Ellis B. Hyde Elementary School, Dansville, NY

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-7. This large-format volume from the Poetry for Young People series presents three sonnets as well as 24 excerpts from the plays of William Shakespeare. The sonnets are accessible as well as beautiful, but the use of dramatic excerpts is problematic. Some speeches, such as "All the world's a stage," from As You Like It and "The quality of mercy is not strained," from The Merchant of Venice, work well in this short anthology. Others, such as the two excerpts from Henry IV, Part One, seem unlikely to appeal as poetry, particularly to young people who do not know the play. Glenn Harrington has illustrated selections with impressionistic paintings. Often focusing on a single character, the paintings are well composed and richly colored. Consider this attractive book as supplementary material for children's collections with a demand for Shakespeare. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Sterling; annotated edition edition (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806943440
• ISBN-13: 978-0806943442
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #706,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for those seeking intro to Shakespeare for kids, February 21, 2002

By 

Erica "Erica" (Washington State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: William Shakespeare: Poetry for Young People (Hardcover)

Joy! Shakespeare--undiluted--for everybody, either kids or adults! The layout of this book couldn't be more helpful. After a brief introduction, the compiler gets down to business. Each speech or poem is preceeded by a brief explaination, and after the selection, a small word-list to aid understanding. All are swathed in beautiful, dramatic paintings that are truly helpful for comprehension. All the famous lines are here, from Henry V's Agincourt "St. Crispin" speech, his inly-ruminating soliloquey about the nature of power, scenes from Macbeth, Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, and a couple of sonnets, and much more.

There are two things that are very impressive about this book. First, the compiler manages to introduce very adult themes about power,loyalty, etc., as well as the vocabulary of 400 years ago,even a brief explaination of iambic pentameter in a tone so chatty that you hardly realize you are learning. Second, the rich pictures impart a thirst for MORE Shakespeare. You'll hear, "Can we hear more? What's the rest of this story?" often!

Any publication that presents the Bard as accessable and enjoyable deserves a place in every school or public library, and certainly every home. Add this to Charles and Mary Lamb's "Tales of Shakespeare" as a new classic.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!!!!!, April 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: William Shakespeare: Poetry for Young People (Hardcover)

A perfect selection from Shakespeare's greatest plays with gorgeous artwork. An ideal introduction to Shakespeare for young people. With a smart and easy to read preamble describing Shakespeare's life and work and wonderful introductions to each poem, the book does a fantastic job of explaining how Shakespeare's work is both drama and poetry.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WE COULD CERTAINLY USE MORE LIKE THIS ONE!, November 5, 2006

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: William Shakespeare: Poetry for Young People (Hardcover)

I cannot think of a better way to introduce the poetry of Shakespeare than this small volume. The selection is excellent and of interest you the young reader. The commentary is quite relevant as are the pictures which accompany it. I find that often now, our young people go all the way through the early grades in school and many of them have never heard of Shakespeare,much less read their poetry. This was the sort of stuff my generation and the generation before it grew up on and cut our teeth on. I do not feel I am any worse for the wear. I am fearful that we are bringing up an entire generation (rightfully or wrong, although I feel it is the later) of young folks who will have no appreciation to this great art form and will miss a lot. This book helps. This entire series helps, as a matter of fact and I certainly recommend you add this one and the others to your library. Actually, it is rather fun reading these with the young folk and then talking about them. Not only do you get to enjoy the work your self and perhaps bring back some great memories, but you have the opportunity to interact with your child or student. It is actually rather surprising what some of the kids come up with. I read these to my grandchildren and to the kids in my classes at school. For the most part, when I really get to discussing the work with them, they enjoy it. Recommend this one highly.