Please welcome Ashley who blogs at Booktomato as my guest author. She’s sharing her favorite Shakespeare books for kids.
Here are a few of my favorite Shakespeare for Kids books:
My 10th grader, Grasshopper and Sensei, is studying Shakespeare in English class. She has a very bad concussion (her 4th, all from volleyball), and she couldn’t read Shakespeare without getting a headache flare-up. I used an early chapter book series, Tales from Shakespeare, to help her understand the storyline and it really helped. While some of my fellow Cybils Early Chapter Book judges preferred the original, I like how this series makes Shakespeare more accessible.
Tales from Shakespeare: Hamlet by Timothy Knapman, illustrated by Yaniv Shimony
Hamlet as an early chapter book retold in modern-day English with illustrations on every page. At just 47 pages, this is a quick read that focuses on conveying the plot. Quotes from the original work are pulled out as well. [early chapter book, ages 8 and up]
Tales from Shakespeare: Macbeth by Caroline Plaisted, illustrated by Yaniv Shimony
The format of this early chapter book is the same as above but about Macbeth. We used this for my daughter’s 10th grade English class instead of Spark Notes to understand the plot. [early chapter book, ages 8 and up]
Rubio and Julienne: A Sweet and Cheese Tale by Dan Paley, illustrated by Lauren Gallegos
This is a fruit-and-cheese take on Romeo and Juliet. The illustrations are not my favorite but it does convey the Romeo and Juliet story, retold in a French setting between a fruit seller family and a cheese shop family. It’s a cute play of this Shakespeare tale but, unlike a fractured fairy tale, the spin will only be appreciated by the adults rather than the children. My favorite parts of this picture book are the fruit and cheese combinations (yum!), and the strategies the children used to share their food. The happy ending is also a nice touch. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Pop-Up Shakespeare: Every Play and Poem in Pop-Up 3-D by The Reduced Shakespeare Co., Austin Tichenor, and Reed Martin, illustrated by Jennie Maizels
Randomly Reading reviews it:
“The book begins with a two-page spread that introduces Shakespeare with relevant facts about his life and his work. This is followed by four two-page spreads, one for the comedies, one for the histories, one for the romances, and finally, one for the tragedies. Each page has an amazing amount of information, including the flaps, some of which are more than on page (unusual for lift-the-flaps).” [pop-up book, ages 7 and up]
How about you? Are your kids reading simpler versions of Shakespeare and how do they like it? Thanks for sharing!
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Hi there! I’m Ashley from Booktomato, a blog where we discuss and share the best in children’s literature from baby board books to young adult novels and everywhere in between!
William Shakespeare might not be the first name that comes to mind when we think of great children’s authors, but there are so many amazing books out there that bring the Bard to life and make him more accessible to young readers. Here is my list of the top ten best kid’s books about Shakespeare, his life, times, and works.
13 Great Books for Kids About Shakespeare
1. William Shakespeare and the Globe by Aliki
If you are familiar with Aliki, you know that she has been producing now-beloved picture books for over five decades! Her take on the life of Shakespeare and the building of the Globe Theater is a well-illustrated look not only at how Shakespeare became a world-renowned playwright but also at what it was like to live in Elizabethan England. The ending chapter covers the fascinating story of how the once-forgotten Globe Theater was rebuilt in 1997 by an American Shakespeare fan. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
2. Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema
This provides a complete history of the playwright’s life and also takes a closer look backstage at the world of Elizabethan actors. [picture book, ages 6 and up]
3. Will’s Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk by Jane Sutcliffe, illustrated by John Shelley
“Will’s words are everywhere. They’re bumping into our words all the time, and we don’t even know it.” – Jane Sutcliffe. We knew that Shakespeare created a lot of turns of phrase that we still use today, but learning that he created what are now everyday words like amazement, excitement, and for goodness sake, left us completely filled with amazement and excitement, for goodness sake! Each page contains several Shakespeare-created words, their definition, and marvelous illustrations! [picture book, ages 7 and up]
4. Shakespeare for Kids: His Life and Times by Colleen Aagesen and Margie Blumberg
This is chock full of fun historical facts as well as 21 activities based on Shakespeare’s plays and Elizabethan games. Aagesen provides an in-depth look at how people during Shakespeare’s time lived, what they thought and believed, what they ate, and what they did for fun. We are going to be trying a lot of these activities out over our summer break! [nonfiction biography and activity book, ages 9 and up]
5. Shakespeare’s Stories for Young Readers by E. Nesbit
This is a very simple book compared to the others on this list with no illustrations, but the stories within are delightful adaptations of twelve Shakespeare plays turned into short stories. A great introduction to the Bard. [middle grade, ages 8 and up]
6. William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher
Yes! This exists! The Star Wars Saga is told in iambic pentameter with a smattering of Shakespearean flair. [chapter book of short stories, ages 8 and up]
7. Shakespeare Can Be Fun! Hamlet for Kids by Lois Burdett
Lois Burdett is an elementary school teacher who is dedicated to bringing Shakespeare alive for kids. She has written books and taught workshops for teachers, and her book series Shakespeare Can Be Fun features retellings of plays that can be read or performed on the stage. [poetry picture book, ages 7 and up]
8. Tales from Shakespeare and More Tales from Shakespeare by Marcia Williams
A genius way to present Shakespeare to kids! A kid-friendly but accurate version of each play is told in comic strip form. The result is engaging and fun! [picture book, ages 8 and up]
Well, that’s my list for a surefire way to get your kids loving and learning Shakespeare! For more great storytime suggestions, check out my children’s book blog!
My name is Ashley, and I love children’s literature! I am a creative writing student, wife, mom of two boys, and obsessive-compulsive Pinterest pinner. Follow me on Instagram @booktomatokidsbooks, Twitter @booktomatoblog, and at my blog booktomato.net.
p.s. For more on Shakespeare for Kids, Books My Kids Read has a great post: Shimmying Up to Shakespeare!
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p.s. Related posts:
Top 20 Classic Books for Kids #LoveThriftBooks
Best Books for Kids: Classic Children’s Books Still Beloved Now
Top 10: Classic Children’s Books Not Beloved Now (ages 3-14)
FREE eBooks: Classic Children’s Literature
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Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Massachusetts Book Award Long List
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award Long List
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
I love Will’s Words!! Such a great book, Mia!
Gareth Hinds has created 4 Shakespearean graphic novels: Romeo & Juliet, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice & Hamlet as well as a bunch of other classics. (I’ve only read his Romeo & Juliet and King Lear, since it’s one of my favorities). It’s a great way to read Shakespeare for visually-oriented kids/people.
Hi Maria,
I need to get my hands on the graphic novel version!! The early chapter book really helped my high schooler get through Hamlet because she had trouble with the original due to her concussion. So I bought the early chapter book for her and read it to her, and the whole time, I’m asking myself, WHY IS HE LISTENING TO HIS WIFE? SHE’S EVIL AND GREEDY! WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM? Perhaps the shortened version doesn’t do the story justice.
I’m planning a post on this as well! There is actually a collection aimed at 9-12 year olds on groupon today that I’m considering purchasing for Hanukkah. So awesome to get them hooked at a young age!
Hi Michelle,
I will link your post to this one once it’s up! Maria tells me that there is a graphic novel version of Shakespeare too!
I hope your daughter is feeling better. I’m so sorry to hear she was injured. 🙁
I need to add these books to our summer list! Thanks for sharing with us at #MMBH!
XOXO
Thanks so much Mrs. AOK. I’ll be posting on concussions and what I learned. She’s getting better but it’s been six months and she’s still not cleared to play volleyball. Concussions in kids take longer to heal than adults because their brains are not fully developed. This and other things I have learned the hard way!