Shakespeare Retold

Gr 2–6—In an attractive arrangement, this volume presents four comedies and three tragedies by William Shakespeare in short story format. The text, by the late British author Nesbit, retells the basic plots of the plays in a gentle, fairy-tale style. Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet are still full of conflict and death, but the details are softened for the audience. At the beginning of each piece, the cast of characters and the scene are identified, along with a famous quote. The artwork, created with Adobe Photoshop, helps children picture the settings. To provide further context, the text includes a biographical sketch of Shakespeare, a time line of his life and works, and recommended resources that list modern and adapted versions of the plays as well as DVDs and websites. Bruce Coville's picture book retellings of Shakespeare's works have longer texts and more numerous illustrations than this title.