Beautifully illustrated and really nice retellings, simple without missing too many of the details. A fantastic first introduction to the stories every child should know. Perfect.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a difficult one for me to make a decision about. Shakespeare for children. The stories and amazing, but the language that Shakespeare used is also amazing. Do we familiarize children with the story and then read the actual wording to them or let them read the original language later? Or do we introduce the original language to them instead of a re-worded version? Or should we introduce the work as they were intended- on the stage?

The stories are compact and cover the gist of the originals, but the language used is pretty far from the beauty of the original. The photos are colorful and give the appearance of ancient art.

This kids book has some really beautiful art that lends itself to the stories being told. There is a various selection of Shakespeares work chosen and stryas true to the plays without being overbearing to children. This book is whimsical and I highly recommend it.

I don't like Shakespeare.

I chose to download A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories to see if it would make a good gift for my friend who has a degree specialising in Shakespeare, and had very little expectation of enjoying it much myself.

I can't put it down.

This book is simply stunning with just enough illustrations to add depth to the text without making it too focused on the illustrations, and the stories have been adapted in a way that really explains the original plays (which made no sense to me when I read them) and makes them enjoyable to read! I've loved every story in the book, and found that it was a lovely book to dip in and out of.

I can't recommend A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories highly enough as an introduction to Shakespeare or as a gift for someone who loves Shakespeare already! It's definitely one to be loved by all who read it, whether you're young or old.

I thought this book was so cute and I absolutely love this idea.

These are short versions of some of Shakespeare most popular plays. The writing is easy to understand, and the illustrations are bright and beautiful.

This book is a great way to introduce Shakespeare to children, and I think it is so important to make classic literature fun and engaging for children at a young age. If they already have an appreciation for the classics then by the time they are forced to read these stories in school, it wont seem so daunting and it wont seem so boring. It will be easier to understand because they already know the story.

So many kids don't read, and I worry it's because reading was never fun for them, it was always school work. We need to grow and nurture an appreciation for these masterpieces at a young age and having books like this will make that so much easier.

I will definitely pick up a copy of this book when it is released.

Does it matter if this beautiful language, below
<blockquote>

"Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
35I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain?"</blockquote>
becomes this:
<blockquote>Are you real or are you a dagger of my mind?
Fate must has sent this vision to lead me</blockquote>

The second is clearer, and that is what this book is for, to make the stories clearer, and easier to understand. Still, I miss the flowing language, that makes Shakespeare so quoted in modern English that we don't even notice that that is what we are doing any more.

On the other hand, they have kept: "By the prickling of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes".

And so it goes through all the rest of the plays. The story is well retold, in modern English, and some lines are kept, and others are made more clear, such as Juliet's lament about Romeo being a Montague.

This book is good for teaching the contents of the plays, and making them easy to read, and understand, but is no substitute for seeing or reading the real thing, and I hope that anyone reading this book, would realize that.

With that caveat, I would recommend this as a good introduction to Shakespeare.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I give this book five stars, something that I do not do often. This is a wonderful Shakespearean compilation in prose form with bright and engaging illustrations. Included are twelve of the Bard's best known works, both tragedies and comedies. Each tale starts with a quote and a pictorial depiction of the main characters that quickly engage the reader. The stories are well told and surprisingly comprehensive. Elementary school children could read these stories on their own while they could be read aloud to younger children, much in the way that fairy tales are shared. As an adult, I also appreciated the clarity in the presentation of these tragedies and comedies. This book is a keeper! Thank you for this one NetGalley.

Love that this book makes Shakespeare accessible to all ages and I'm sure will spark an interest in literature. Even as an adult I found this book a great read and very true to the original tales.

I have always found that the language of Shakespeare is something that stops students from appreciating the plays. By having this collection written in an easy language, it makes for an ideal bedtime story or a starting guide for students to wrap their head around the plot before contemplating the language.