Shakespeare for Children

by Weiss Jim (contributor)

The glorious richness of two of Shakespeare's best loved plays on a level children can grasp.A Midsummer Night's DreamThe Taming of the Shrew

Genres: Childrens, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published December 31, 1995

Reviews

[Miss Meliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audiobook version of two of Shakespeare's comedies is a fun listen. It simplifies the stories enough for children to understand the plotline of each, and the narrator is expressive in differentiating the various characters and bringing them alive in their imaginations. My kids ended up loving Puck and wanting to hear more about him. Well noted -- we'll have to attend A Midsummer Night's Dream production when we can! I had mixed feelings about the inclusion of The Taming of the Shrew in the audiobook, but all in all, it interprets the story in perhaps the best way possible (at minimum, it can spur some good discussions about historical perspectives on femininity). Though it's not my personal favorite, I'm frankly unsure which of his other comedies would be more appropriate to include in a children's collection (without undergoing major changes). Generally speaking, this was a good introduction to Shakespeare and will hopefully help his works feel slightly less intimidating to kids in their future studies.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Shakespeare from Jim Weiss! This collection includes A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Taming of the Shrew.

I was curious how he would handle the more controversial elements in Taming of the Shrew, and overall, I think Weiss's interpretation was a great one for kids, even if I'm not entirely sure I would have told it in quite that way.

A fun audiobook--one that my girls particularly enjoyed.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Book on CD) - 2nd