A Midsummer Night's Dream for Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun!) - Softcover

Burdett, Lois

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1552091244 ISBN 13: 9781552091241

Publisher: Firefly Books, 1997

Synopsis

"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.

About this title

About the Author

Lois Burdett's success in introducing Shakespeare to children is reflected in her growing international reputation. Her books and workshops for teachers have captured the attention and imagination of parents, educators, and lovers of Shakespeare around the world, including the American National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. Among other commendations, Lois Burdett has received 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. Burdett's many speaking engagements have included the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Her books, magazine articles, presentations and media interviews are testimony to her strong influence in the education community, where she has also been instrumental in helping teachers to incorporate Shakespeare into early grade curricula.

Reviews

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.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"You've got to be kidding!" Helena cried,
"I know, it's Hermia, you want for your bride."
"Not a chance!" said Lysander, "It's you I love!
Who will not change a raven for a dove?"
"Give me a break!" Helena scoffed in dismay,
"Do you think I was born yesterday?
Your speech to me is like a thorn;
How dare you treat me with such scorn!"
Then she stomped off, in great disdain;
Lysander followed with a loving refrain.

Edition details

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1552091244
• ISBN 13: 9781552091241
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 64