Romeo and Juliet - Softcover

Michael Rosen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1844285200 ISBN 13: 9781844285204

Publisher: Walker Childrens Paperbacks, 2005

Synopsis

This most famous of love stories is uniquely presented in picture book form for children. The tale is told scene by scene in a simple lively style, with dialogue reproducing Shakespeare's own words so that the most celebrated passages of the play are retained in their original form.

About this title

About the Author

One of the best-known figures in the children's book world, and current Children's Laureate, Michael is renowned for his work as a poet, performer, broadcaster and scriptwriter. An acclaimed and award-winning artist whose distinctive artwork for children's books is recognized around the world.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9--This version of the eternally popular tale of star-crossed lovers uses clear, paraphrased prose and poetic lines quoted from Shakespeare's original to enable readers to comprehend the intricacies of the story's interwoven plots. The book begins with a short introduction to Elizabethan society and an illustrated explanation of the cast of characters. Dividing the text into acts and scenes, Rosen summarizes much of the action in language that maintains the integrity of the play. Shakespearean passages are highlighted in bold print and unfamiliar words are explained in sidebar definitions. The adapter's prologue and endnote place the narrative in the context of a theatrical performance. The prose is readable and will lend itself to young thespians wanting to dramatize either individual scenes or an abridged version of the whole epic. Ray's fine watercolor artwork, though stylized, realistically portrays the characters and climactic moments. The artist also uses some rather surrealistic images to suggest the content of Romeo's dreams. The eyes of her characters are particularly haunting in their intensity. Most of the illustrations are full page, but numerous smaller paintings further elucidate the text or break up longer passages. Subdued wallpaperlike borders repeating a design of ferns and feathers appear throughout. Taking a more scriptlike approach than Bruce Coville's William Shakespeare's Romeo andJuliet(Dial, 1999), this version will serve as a fine introduction, particularly in literature and drama classes, to perhaps the most romantic of Shakespeare's tragedies.--Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI
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Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Childrens Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1844285200
• ISBN 13: 9781844285204
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 80