William Shakespeare & the Globe

by Aliki

With her characteristically sprightly words and pictures, Aliki brings Shakespeare's life, times, and legacy to life in this highly acclaimed information-packed treasury that is truly for readers of all ages.  This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 6 to 8. It’s a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children From Hamlet to Romeo and Juliet to A Midsummer Night's Dream , Shakespeare's celebrated works have touched people around the world. Aliki combines literature, history, biography, archaeology, and architecture in this richly detailed and meticulously researched introduction to Shakespeare's world-his life in Elizabethan times, the theater world, and the Globe, for which he wrote his plays. Then she brings history full circle to the present-day reconstruction of the Globe theater.  .

Genres: History, Biography, Picture Books, Shakespeare, Childrens, Nonfiction, Historical

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Aliki has written and illustrated many books, both fiction and nonfiction, loved by readers throughout the world. The books were inspired by a word, an experience, or the desire to find out. Aliki lives in London, England.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

“All the world’s a stage, And All the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their enterances; And one man in his time plays many parts. As You Like It, II, 7

The words of William Shakespeare permeate the lives of English speakers around the world. Did you know he is credited with some 2000 words and expressions, such as, “good riddance” and “wild-goose chase”? But what of the man behind the words?! Aliki presents the story of Shakespeare (and the Globe) in a series of five acts. From Will’s birth until the Puritan’s closings of all the theatres in London to the rebirth of the Globe in the 20th century, readers can learn known facts about the life of the famous playwright, actor, poet, and gentleman. Aliki explains that Shakespeare’s life is somewhat of a mystery, and readers will enjoy discovering the tidbits of facts that do exist. Particularly enjoyable are the illustrations, sidebars, captions, and quotes. The book’s format lends itself to exploration and further studies of the life and world of Shakespeare.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading Shakespeare and I love going to his plays. Our girls have been to one play, and I was impressed that they 'got' it so well. I really want to continue to expose them to the wonders of his works, but I don't want to overwhelm them by merely reading the plays aloud. So when I saw this book, I thought it was a great way to introduce them to his life and his impact on our language.

This book is primarily a biography of William Shakespeare's life, weaving snippets of his plays throughout. I loved that there are a couple of pages of words and expressions that have been incorporated into our everyday language, thanks to his literary contributions. And I really liked that the book was designed like a play, with different Acts and Scenes. The introduction of Sam Wanamaker and Theo Crosby's modern-day efforts to bring back the Globe to its original glory is fascinating.

Overall, I thought this was a well-written book. It has a lot of detail, but it isn't boring and we were able to read the entire book in one evening. The illustrations are a mixture of scenic panoramas, portraits and lots of individual characters and embellishments that attract the eye. They are liberally mixed throughout the text, so the narrative isn't overwhelming. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the history of William Shakespeare’s life and the Globe playhouse which was built by he and his friends. It also tells about Sam Wanamaker, who rebuilt Shakespeare’s Globe in modern-day London.
Personal Evaluation:
I love how the book is laid out in Acts and Scenes for the “chapters.” It has excellent, not-well-known information that even adults would enjoy learning about. The language is simple, and there are lots of interesting pieces: Shakespearean quotes, his bibliography, and a timeline.
Memorable Literary Element:
In the back of the book is a chart with words & expressions which Shakespeare invented that are still used in the English language today. There are also many small bios about important people in Shakespeare’s life that typically are never mentioned when studying Shakespeare: fellow actors and playwrights, his family, and Sam Wanamaker, who built the modern Globe.
Illustrations:
The illustrations are colorful and fun, suitable for children, and not too serious. I love the picture of the Globe filled with people for a performance, with the key that shows what each area was. The pictures of life in England during Shakespeare’s time are so helpful for children to visualize a time that is unheard of to them.

[Ally Ferring · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Shakespeare & the Globe is a delightful book written and illustrated by Aliki. The book has separated Shakespeare's life into five acts. Act 1 is all about his childhood, he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England into a big family. He went to grammar school, got married when he was 18 to Anne Hathaway, and they had three children: Susannah, Hamlet, and Judith. In Act 2, the Shakespeares moved to London, where it was crowded. Queen Elizabeth I was queen, and she loved the arts, which meant many locals loved plays, and they also had traveling companies so those in n the country could see plays. One of the actors, James Burbage, created The Theatre, which was the first playhouse. Act 3 is about how William joined the company of Lord Chamberlain's Men as an actor, and then playwright. Many people loved his plays, and he didn't have any competition after Christopher Marlowe, the playwright for the Admiral's Men, was killed. The plague forced the playhouses to close, so William wrote two poems and dedicated them to the Earl of Southampton, who then became one of Shakespeare's patrons. The landowner did not want to renew the lease, so the managers of the Theatre bought new land and secretly dismantled the Theatre. Act 4 is all about the Globe, and how popular it became. This was when Shakespeare wrote his best plays, but this was also when his son died. During a performance, the Globe caught on fire, so they built a second one on top of its remains, with many improvements. King James I became his patron as well. Will moved back to Stratford and seven years later he died. Act 5 is about Sam Wanamaker, an actor from America, who thought the Shakespeare tribute in London was not good enough. He collaborated with architect Theo Crosby, to create a new Globe, which opened after Sam passed away. I enjoyed this book, showing the past and future of Shakespeare and the Globe. The illustrations were absolutely fantastic, and show the progression of Shakespeare's life well, and also compliment the words fantastically. I love the cover which shows William Shakespeare, with the Globe in the background, and characters in his plays on top and below. I would recommend it to children 8-12 years old.

[Maggie Panning · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to Shakespeare. The information given is interesting without being too speculative and the illustrations add to the interest. My son is almost seven and he sat listening with rapt attention while we read the whole thing in one sitting. I doubt he would have if we had read this just months ago, but since we have begun reading adaptations of his plays, listening to professional productions of his plays and memorizing verses he has already fallen in love with Shakespeare's works and therefor was interested to find out something about the man behind the plays. We especially liked the inclusion of the details on the building of the new Globe theater and some of the many words and phrases that Shakespeare either coined or made popular.

[Jacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

curricular connection: interesting, pretty, informative

[Stevie Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good little history lesson.

[Evalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent pictorial book about the life of Shakespeare, the original Globe theater, and the new Globe theater.

[Alyssa Bohon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, colorful, packed with information and details (a tiny bit more than you might want, but nothing too worrisome). Evidence of thorough research and love of the subject. Kids enjoyed it

[Clara Biesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic intro to Shakespeare for kids, particularly its emphasis on playmaking, and on the Globe theater.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Juvenile non-fiction book on Shakespeare and the Globe, highly recommend.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun 3-1 biography - we follow the story of Shakespeare's life, the life of the Globe Theater and the life of Sam Wanamaker, the man who poured his life into bringing the Globe back in 1997.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shakespeare, Plays, Acts, Facts

[Charlene Olson odu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The picture book William Shakespeare and the Globe gives a brief synopsis of the life of William Shakespeare. The book also explains the efforts of Sam Wannamaker to reconstruct the Globe Theater. Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford upon Avon, England. He was educated at the local grammar school, and he married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18 even though Anne was eight years older. He and Anne had three children: Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. Shakespeare went to London where he was an actor and playwright. In the Elizabethan period, all of the actors were men, so the ladies parts were played by young men. Some of the plays written by Shakespeare were: As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and the Merchant of Venice. During Shakespeare’s time, the London theaters were located south of the Thames River, and the theaters had thatched roofs that were open in the middle. Shakespeare’s plays were performed by his company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men at a place called The Theater. When the owner of the land and the owner of the actual building got into an argument, the owner of the theater tore down the theater, took the timbers down, and rebuilt the theater on a different piece of land nearby and they called it the Globe Theater. The Globe Theater caught fire and was destroyed in 1613. A second Globe Theater was built on the site next year. William Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of 52. In 1623, two of Shakespeare’s contemporaries published the First Folio which contained 36 of Shakespeare’s plays. The Globe Theater was closed by the Puritans in 1642, and it was pulled down two years later.
Sam Wannamaker decided to reconstruct the Globe Theater on the original site. He and his crew were able to find the original foundation of the Globe and they began reconstructing the building. Unfortunately, Sam died in 1993 before the reconstruction was finished. The reconstructed Globe Theater was opened in June 1997. It is the only building in London with a thatched roof since the Great Fire of 1666.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aliki does a great job writing and illustrating her book William Shakespeare & the Globe. The pictures are vivid, colorful, and look to have been made using various media types (e.g. paint, crayons, colored pencils, etc.). The table of contents is arranged in play format, starting Act One: Scene One with the life of Shakespeare, but the focus of the book seems less on the playwright himself and more on the history of the Globe Theater. Also, there isn't a bibliography or reference page to show where the author got her information. While the book provides a lovely illustrated history of theater in 16th century England, I feel like some pages have so much going on (e.g. p. 22-23) that it detracts from the story itself, which in turn makes the story line weaker. Also, I like the little quotes from Shakespeare throughout the book, especially how the quotes relate to the text on the same page. I wish the book had just been written about the Globe Theater because, then, maybe the author could have narrowed her focus to one topic instead of bouncing around like an old horse-and-buggy carriage. Overall, though, I feel like this is a great book for introducing students to Shakespeare and plays.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful introduction to Shakespeare. I felt like it gave them enough information without going too indepth. It talked a bit about Will himself, as well as some of his contemporaries. It discussed the playhouse and social system of the time.

The book was written like a play, Act 1 Scene 2 and such and each page had a small quote from one of his plays. It also went on to describe Sam Wanamaker who started the project to rebuild the Globe in London.

Our favorite part was at the end where it showed a list of words and phrases that Shakespeare 'invented' like puke and Knock, Knock, Who's There? It also has a timeline of his life and plays.

For the third grade I thought this more than adequate coverage. We used this as a springboard to read some of his plays (written for children) and we're really enjoying those as well.

I think this book would be appropriate for K through 6th or 7th grade. You could possibly use it for older as well, but by that age they should be going a little more indepth, like Bard of Avon by Diane Stanley and the cartoonish drawings might not be appealing to older kids.

[Charity Humfleet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written as a biography picture book for the play write William Shakespeare. The book describes some on Shakespeare famous plays and main characters. It also goes through the building of the Globe theater which is where many of Shakespeare's plays were performed. This biography picture book included well illustrated diagrams so the reader can really visualize the theater and the characters. This biographical picture book would be great for children because it is an exciting way to learn about history that would grab their attention. The front cover is also well illustrated and gives the reader an idea of what Shakespeare looked like and also that the book is going to cover the topics of the Globe Theater and the characters in his plays.

[Tracy Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chronological look at the life of William Shakespeare and the time in which he lived, wrote, and prospered. This book gives a look into the elusive life of one of the greatest authors ever to put pen to paper. While Shakespeare is not favorite literature to read, I appreciate the impact that he has had on literature and theater.

Having been to London several times, and to many of the places cited in the book, it was interesting to read about the historical time, recognize the places and districts in London, learning a little more about its evolution. This is definitely a book to read when studying Shakespeare in school.

[Olivia Lagore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful book describing how Shakespeare's company worked, the men in the company, and Shakespeare's life as well as the eventual rebuilding of the Globe in London, this book could act as an excellent introduction to a first reading of Shakespeare for students, explaining how the plays were meant to be read, perhaps paired with a filmed staging of one of his plays, or, even better, a field trip to one. The illustrations were just as descriptive as the text, and the two worked together to get information across in an engaging way.For me personally, as someone who has been to the rebuilt Globe in London, the book brought a smile to my face.

[Franklyn Kornn]

This is a good book about the Globe where the Shakespeare plays were played. This would be good to use in a text set on Shakespeare. I really like this book for the older children, upper middle school-high school age students because I feel that this book gives a lot of valuable information about the theater and Shakespeare. Our students start reading Shakespeare in the upper grades and I feel that this book would lay a good foundation for them to build upon by reading some of the plays such as Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet.

[Yasmin Gomez Geng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aliki does a wonderful job of telling the story of William Shakespeare, and Sam Wanamaker, through a unique format that uses the phrasing of "Act, Scene" as well as the format of a storyboard. Aliki also infuses some of William Shakespeare's work throughout the book through the use of short quotes from various works.

I think kids would really enjoy looking through the pictures and seeing the life of William Shakespeare come to life.

Grade: 2nd Grade to 5th Grade
Topic: Literature, Poets, England, London, History

[Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book that made learning about Shakespeare far more interesting, especially for younger children. This book describes the life and times of William Shakespeare including: what theatre was like at this time, what the arts in general were like, the patrons, etc. I loved the illustrations and how the book was divided into Acts and Scenes like a play would be. I found that really clever. This would be a good book to use in schools if the kids were learning about writers and didn't want to be forced to listen to or read boring history type books.

[Kristi]

This book is about the life and work of William Shakespeare. It includes details about him growing up, moving to London, and creating some of the most famous stories of all time. This book also includes the idea of create The Globe in London during the 1980-90's. Also, this book includes incredible illustrations and maps to help visualize some of the details of the stories. I could include this book during multiple lessons about history, social studies, or English about England, William Shakespeare, or playwrights.

[Deanna Sutter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one by Aliki. This book covers the life of William Shakespeare and also the history of the Globe including the rebuilding of it and its first performance in 1997. This book doesn't go into depth about any of his plays. It includes some history of the time period such as London Bridge, Elizabeth I, cock fighting and James I to name a few.

[Mary Sesar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children start learning about Shakespeare at a young age. This would be a great book that tells his story, from when and where he was born to where and when he died. It tells of his works and accomplishments throughout life and even tells us who he married and who his children were. I would use this in the classroom, with older students, along with reading an actual story written by Shakespeare to help give the students a larger background on the author.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating picture book biography on William Shakespeare and the history of the Globe Theater with quotes from his writing woven throughout. I particularly loved the last section that showed some of the 2000 words and expressions that Shakespeare coined such as: schoolboy, anchovies, fair play, radiance, fairy land, quarrelsome, dauntless, never-ending, We have seen better days, & Eaten out of house and home.

[Amanda Hlava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave information about teh life and work of William Shakespeare and the creation of his Globe Theater. It tells his story by giving facts and using lots of pictures. The chapters and sections in it are also called 'Acts' or 'Scenes' which I thought was cute. It also goes on to talk about the man the rebuilt the Globe theater for people to visit today.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aliki's "William Shakespeare & the Globe" book published in 1999 is a wonderful tribute to the legacy of Shakespheare, his contribution to English thought, and his ability to engage readers for over 400 years. The book is ideally suited for children. I enjoyed the book's illustrations very much. The volume makes an ideal cocktail table book.

[Brigid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is nothing special, but just the list of words and expressions Shakespeare is credited with inventing makes it worth reading. (Or you could probably just read about that on the internet.) (But holy cow Shakespeare invented a lot of words and expressions. Puppy-dog? Anchovies? For goodness' sake!)

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! The history of Shakespeare and the Globe Theater in an easy to understand package. Great way to make connections too! At the end, there is a glossary of all his works and the words and phrases he invented that we still use today.