The Random House Book of Shakespeare Stories

Shakespeare Stories

by Andrew Matthews, Angela Barrett

These eight Shakespeare plays, retold in prose by British author Andrew Matthews and beautifully illustrated by Angela Barrett, make a perfect introduction to the most famous writer in the Western world. As fresh today as when they were first performed, these stories are just right for entertaining the whole family!

Genres: Shakespeare, Childrens, Literature, Fiction, Picture Books, Classics, Theatre

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Andrew Matthews was born in South Glamorgan in 1948. Andrew taught English in Hampshire after which he became a full-time writer. He lives in Reading with his wife and their cats. Andrew's work has been widely translated and he has made numerous appearances at schools and libraries throughout the UK.


Source: United Agents.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book a simple introduction for some of his works and beautifully illustrated a pleasure to read.

[Suad Shamma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of Shakespeare stories rewritten so that an 8 year old can understand them, let alone an adult. What a wonderful resource to have if you ever want to introduce Shakespeare to a child, but even better to refresh your memory. Reading Shakespeare can be time-consuming, and all the stories have similar plots that after a while you start to confuse them. Having this collection at hand helps as an easy reminder of what every story is about. As for those who have never read Shakespeare, it is a great way to get a summary of what all the stories are about so you can join in conversations (and takes less time than watching the movie would)!

All in all, even though they are written for children, I think there is much that adults can benefit from having them. I sure did enjoy reading the collection and it made me want to reread a few of the plays that I had really enjoyed in the past.

[Alida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and very accessible retellings of eight of Shakespeare's plays. If a book like this were to be used at grade 4 or 5, I bet a lot of anxiety in students would be decreased and an appreciation for one of the best writers of the English language engendered.

[Monica Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the drawings and the summarized (and child-friendly) versions of some of shakespeare's plays. My favs continue to be romeo and juliet, twelfth night and a midsummer night's dream.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teilweise habe ich die Stücke bereits gelesen (... nicht der komplette Deutsch-Unterricht war für den Eimer!), aber den Rest wollte ich mir zunächst mal in kompakter Form durchlesen. Auch hier glaube ich, William enttäuscht nicht - die restlichen Werke werden in Angriff genommen. Man darf sich einfach mal Appetit holen.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful library find to introduce Shakespeare to younger readers. The illustrations are lovely. The explanatory notes after the retelling of the 8 plays was very interesting and informative. The artist explains her thoughts and inspirations for the portrayal of each play.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never tire of reading Shakespeare stories! The Angela Barrett illustrations are fantastic.

[clacs · Rating 3 out of 5]

mi sono un po' acculturata dai

[Naz CarHen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maravillosos relatos de las obras de Shakespeare. Cuenta al final del mismo el origen del GlobeTheate en Londres.

[Isabella Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a lovely collection of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, which are retold by Andrew Matthews as short stories and accompanied with beautiful drawings by Angela Barrett. Some of my favourites like, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummers Night’s Dream and Antony and Cleopatra are featured in this book!

After losing my copy a few years ago, after moving house to many time, I decided to buy myself another copy so I could re-visit this cosy stories about love, betrayal and strength again.

This book is made for children, but there are definitely a few parts that will be violent for a younger audience, especially when reading Macbeth and Hamlet!

*Feel free to check out my Quarterly Book Review #1 over on my Substack blog here:

https://thepaintedcaravan.substack.co...

Isabella Ann of The Painted Caravan 📚