A fabulous introduction to Shakespeare for younger readers - although older ones will enjoy too!

I loved that this was a book you could dip in and out of, finding the themes and plays as you wanted. The way the author explains the meaning of text is wonderful, so clear and in the perfect style. The illustrations are perfect accompaniments to the text.

I will definitely be purchasing a copy of this book to help my children with their understanding of Shakespeare, and I think it is a must for any school library!

Why have I - a 31 year old woman with no children of her own - read a book aimed at 9-12 year olds, filled with stories I already know and love? Well, because it's by Michael Rosen of course. I would read his shopping list if I could, I love his work so much. And just because I don't have my own children, doesn't mean I'm not looking for books for the kids in my family (currently aged between 5 and 13).

And I'm a big fan of Shakespeare, and love finding ways to introduce younger readers to Shakespeare, as he's not always the most popular or easiest author to get into

I admit I chose this book solely for the author, and so I assumed it would be abridged versions of the plays, but wasn't 100% sure. And it's not. Michael has picked particular passages from a variety of plays to explore certain themes within Shakespeare's texts - looking at his use of language to depict magic, superstition, life's fairness or unfairness, love, heartbreak, mourning, sadness, war, jealousy, anger, greed, nature, beauty, ageing etc.

He'd provided a little introduction to each passage which I think will help younger readers understand what they're reading a bit more, and gives you the context of the passage within the wider play.

It's a short book, not necessarily designed to be read from cover to cover in one ago - although I did. It can be picked up and opened at any stage, which makes it good for young readers with a shorter attention span.

I love the illustration by Chris Riddell. He's one of my favourite illustrators. They're simple and yet detailed. They give even more context to the passages and really help bring them to life. And anyone who has read my reviews before knows how much of an advocate I am for more illustrations in books - particularly adult books.

I think it's a great introduction to the work of Shakespeare, and hopefully it will lead readers on to his full plays.

Great snippets from Shakespeare with Rosen’s illustrations, commentary and word definitions.
I read this book to share it with my child in a year or two, when they can grasp it better, but I got so much out of it myself, including entertainment.

Loved by young and old ( a national treasure ) Michael Rosen is the consummate wordsmith and master of poetry.

This "Pocket Shakespeare" book is a fantastic compendium to introduce and help readers- Upper key stage 2/Lower key stage 3 - dig deeper into understanding the prose of Shakespeare without being overbearing.

This is a form of beginner's guide or a reinforcement for those wanting to further delve into key/ famous speeches /sililoquies/songs. Michael Rosen presents each piece with a short overview and synopsis to build understanding and also provides 'translations- interpretations ' of Shakespearean vocabulary.

The book is suitably divided into sections of different themes- magic and superstition / scheming and plotting /nature and beauty and many more which further aids understanding and enjoyment.

As Mr Rosen says, this is a book to dip into - you don't have to read it cover to cover. A great book that could support learning and most importantly the pleasure of reading Shakespeare's plays. The index of first lines is also a great point of reference for those trying to develop their understanding and appreciation directing to the complete speech.

Chris Riddell's superb illustrations further add a depth and drama to the selected prose.

This is a must for home enjoyment and superb class book to share with readers to open their minds to the fulfilment that Shakespeare can give.

A winner

What a great concept for a book! Michael Rosen's Pocket Shakespeare is an (in his own words!) window-shopping experience. Feel free to come and go at any point within the book to garner more information about Shakespeare. From ideas of love, to grief, and even ghosts!

Being so reader friendly, it's super accessible. Certain words or phrases are simplified underneath passages for better understanding of the quotes used. It's also written in a simple and fun writing style, full of questions and thoughts and angles that Michael Rosen guides us to look at when interacting with Shakespeare. Now and then, it has explanations of terms such as pathetic fallacy, and introduces the concept of a soliloquy and how this changes the relationship of the audience with the play. I really like how Michael Rosen often comes back to that key idea; these were plays, and both the limitations and possibilities that garner from such a medium may change how the performer and audience react with the story.

I would've preferred it if there were more guided thoughts to ponder through the text. Often, we have a little introduction and then a full page of just a Shakespeare quote. It made the set-up of the book a little stilted. Perhaps an annotated text with these points around the piece would've served a more fulfilling experience, and less of a stop-and-start pace to the book.

Also, as lovely and fantastical as Chris Riddle's artwork is, I find his illustrations here at times a little "dated". Of course that's my own preference and it has no impact on the book itself, just that I don't really see the target market being really grabbed by it alone. Though, I must say that the pieces for Magic and Superstition really exemplify Riddles more adventurous (and so visually grabbing) style. The more fantastical the illustration, the more intriguing.

Overall, it serves as a good introduction to Shakespeare, but even more so a great introduction into how to engage with text. It introduces different concepts to young learners that direct them to question passages, seeking deeper into meanings and symbolism.

This book is magnificent! I love it! Aside from the winning combination of Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell, who could probably rewrite the phone book together and make it a masterpiece, the way that this book makes Shakespeare so accessible and engaging, is brilliant.

The introduction outlines why and how the language of Shakespeare has influenced how we speak and write today.

Michael Rosen's discussion allows us to choose how we interpret Shakespeare's use of language and to look closely at why such words were used. It acknowledges the difficulties that can be faced in understanding Shakespeare and challenges the perception that Shakespeare isn't for everyone.

I really liked how each quoted part had its own introduction and that certain words and phrases are defined below the extract. The extracts are sorted into themes, which again helps make them accessible to anyone thinking Shakespeare isn't for them.

As if this wasn't enough, Chris Riddell's exceptional artwork features throughout, supporting the text but also just being brilliant in its own right.

In case it isn't clear, I loved this book and can't wait to get my hands on a hard copy.

This is exactly what I have been looking for for ages. Last week I made a Youtube video scheduled to be published tomorrow about the challenges of students of reading classics and how letting or even making (I do have some tiger moms among the parents of my students) them read classics or at least abridged classics could make teaching classics properly in the future an uphill struggle. With the education system being so competitive, a lot of students just race through a book so that they or their parents can brag about how many books they have read within an hour, and a classics has that additional prestige factor of being a classics. So, I get Y3 or 4 students telling me they have read Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet ( some read the abridged version, some the original text, or so they claimed) and they can tell me the former is about a prince avenging the death of his father and the latter about a young couple falling in love. Basically, they get the main storyline, but never the details or the context. This makes teaching those classics books they claim to have read before so much more difficult as they believe that they have read it and they know the book. They will become disinterested in class.

This book fills that gap. It is still not the easiest read but it helps at least higher ability UKS2 students contextualise Shakespeare's plays. Thank you for writing and publishing such a great book. And it is definitely worth the pain of sorting out that Thorium Reader apps issue.