William Shakespeare’s: Hamlet

Shakespeare Retellings

by Bruce Coville, Leonid Gore (Illustrator)

There is arguably no work of fiction quoted as often as William Shakespeare's Hamlet. This haunting tragedy has touched audiences for centuries. Now Bruce Coville makes this play the next of his dynamic adaptations of the Bard for the young. Once again, he expertly incorporates essential lines from the play into his own rich prose to tell the tale of the ill-fated Prince of Denmark.

Acclaimed artist Leonid Gore adds intense, dreamlike images in acrylic and pastel. His depictions of Hamlet, Ophelia, and the rest of the kingdom are revelatory and unforgettable, helping to make this masterful volume a treasure for Shakespeare enthusiasts old and new.

Genres: Shakespeare, Picture Books, Fiction, Classics, Childrens, Historical Fiction, School

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 2004

Reviews

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never formed an appreciation for the writing of William Shakespeare. In school we were forced to read a few of his works and my eyes would gloss over the words but take nothing in. It might have been helpful to know about A.D.H.D. and the extent at which it affected my ability to learn. I know reading shorter picture books like this would have been a tremendous help and I so wish they had been introduced to me then. Thankfully it is never too late to learn and in doing so also help my daughter in her studies, since she has inherited my focus issues. Bruce Coville’s scaled down adaptation perfectly lays a foundation for students not ready but willing to work toward reading William Shakespeare.

[Cristina Poyo Alonso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hace mucho que no hago reseñas y me gustaría volcarme un poquito más en algún análisis que merezca la pena, como en el de Hamlet.
Confusión, replanteamiento de cuestiones existenciales y unas cuantas sorpresas desalentadoras te recorren el cuerpo si lees Hamlet, independientemente de que te guste la lectura.
Significa estar "vivo" sobrellevar una vida carnal que te impide encontrarte contigo mismo? Es entonces la muerte quien lo consigue y por tanto propulsa la vida del alma? Con alma encerrada estamos vivos? Es la muerte un acto que hace de la "vida" un letargo innecesario? O es el recuerdo quien mantiene viva al alma dotándola de esperanza hasta encontrarse consigo misma durante ese letargo? Hamlet es un compendio de preguntas sin respuesta y sus personajes una dramatización de la angustia (Hamlet) la empatía unida a la baja autoestima (Ofelia), la fidelidad incondicional (Horacio), el orgullo (reyes)...
Un sinfín de grandes misterios y preguntas abiertas.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome introduction to this infamous story. Again, it would be great to own all of Bruce Coville's retellings of Shakespeare!

[Marius B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I am not quite sure that my younger brother understood it all, I at least enjoyed reading it to him.

I really enjoyed the illustrations, they really pull you into the story.

A lot of familiar sayings that I quote once in a while are in here, and I was surprised at the context for a lot of them! ('Sweets to the sweet'...)

I've never read any version at all of 'Hamlet' before this, but after this, I'll definitely try to read more of William Shakespeare's works.

[Karen Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want an easy to understand summary of Hamlet, this is the book for you! I enjoyed it and it when my appetite to read Shakespeare which I haven’t touched in years. The book highlights some well-known quotes from the play, placing them in their position within the narrative. Great for introducing young readers to Shakespeare!

[Krista Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oversized book (looks like a children's book) . Modern English, narrative retelling - illustrations on each page (or every two pages). Illustrations are large, muted colors - would be hard to see the characters if you were reading it to a class and showing them the book.

[R. G. Nairam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn on the illustrations for this one. Some I quite like. Others not so much. They all seem a bit dismal, especially if it's supposed to help people think Shakespeare is /cool/.

[Sarah]

I prefer the Nesbit and/or Lamb retellings, but it is nice to have pictures.

[BeeReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really needed a book that really describes emotions and has a fertile vocabulary. Plus the dramatic and unexpected ending was heartbreaking!😭

[Timilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do appreciate that Mr. Colville includes many quotes from the original play, but would prefer more. Also, I'm sure it is difficult to capture the complexity that is HAMLET in a picture book.

[Elsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite Coville because the pictures are kind of atmospheric and fuzzy, but a good retelling.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book would be helpful to readers of any age wanting a quick yet insightful retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

[Melissa Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations.good introduction to Hamlet

[Manna_Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

We always enjoy Bruce Coville’s adaptations, and the illustrations style for this one matched the story well

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coville does a great job in retelling Shakespeare's Hamlet. He condenses a complex play into something more palatable for even older audiences, and he is adept at using direct quotes from the play itself to not only help the story along, but also introduce the reader to the difficult writing style of Shakespeare. I thought the ethereal illustrations were a good artistic choice for the story, and I liked the artist's use of color and shading to express emotions in each scene. Since I'm not too familiar with other YA adaptations of Hamlet, I don't really have room to make a comparison to other retellings. While I think this is a great way to introduce maybe advanced young readers to Shakespeare, I feel like I'd rather take them to a play version instead of reading this book. I feel like the nuances of Shakespeare's words are left out in order to make the text more approachable. I suppose I might use this with students that are struggling to simply understand what is going on, and then working with them from there.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I loved the concept of this book, I couldn't help but try to determine its appropriate audience while I was reading it. The book, unlike Garfield's, does not coms complete with the true Shakespearian language that only I would say late middle schoolers would be able to comprehend, but the wording is still a bit tough for the average grade school reader to comprehend. I found the illustrations to be excellent. On that note, I love any book that allows this age group to be introduced to the wonderment of Shakespeare at all and found this a beautiful way to make it happen.

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased some of the Shakespeare books adapted by Bruce Coville, mainly because he has written some books for children that I enjoy.

I like the idea of bringing Shakespeare to a level that children can understand these classic stories. There are illustrations to help with visualization and he even uses some direct quotes from the plays.

As Mr. Coville states in the introduction, William Shakespeare was a great entertainer and it is nice to have our children learn of his greatness.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely possible for younger children to grasp the tragic, mysterious, forceful story of Hamlet via a picture book. Coville does the amazing job of mixing enough Shakespearian language to stay true to the story and enough modern readable language for a younger person to make sense of the story. The illustrations aren't shabby either. Apparently, there are other Shakespeare re-tellings in this series and I aim to find them.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good adaptation from Mr. Coville, though the illustrations are not as good as the others we have read. The good thing about picture book adaptations is that the pictures help further the child's understanding of what is written. The pictures in this one are beautiful but too murky to add to the child's understanding. However, Mr. Coville does preserve some of the original lines of Shakespeare. It gives me such a chill of delight to read these words to my children.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great retelling of a classic Shakespeare play. I read this to my eight-year-old son, Olsen. He seemed to enjoy it (he appears to like tragedies) and his review will follow. I think Bruce Coville needs to do more Shakespeare stories!

Olsen's rating: 4 stars
Olsen's review:
It was so funny. Lots of people died. Lots of people got poisoned. This Shakespeare book was better than the other ones I have read. It was more tragic.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I was skeptical that a play as dense and mature as Hamlet could be retold for younger readers. I was delighted to find that Coville pulled it off with impressive style, and that even I got something out of his take on Shakespeare's masterwork. If I ever have kids, I will read this to them early on!

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I abhor most of the retellings of classic literature aimed at children -- the Junior Classics being a common example. Bruce Covilles approach in this book is a bit different. He tells the story briefly but he incorporates some of the language of the play in a way that is understandable but doesn't lose the beauty of the words.

[Eireanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A note from the author, "It is ironic that in our justifiable admiration for Shakespeare's genius we have done him a disservice by making his writing seem inaccessible, or something to be worked at rather than enjoyed."

This is how I've always felt about Shakespeare, so I really appreciate this version, and I'm glad I came across it.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This retelling of the famous Hamlet is perfect for upper elementary students first learning of the story. A teacher reading this aloud to the class could really bring the story to life. An interesting lesson to do with this book would to read the book to the class and then have them watch The Lion King and compare the two stories!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this concept of writing a classic in a clear way for children so that they are familiar with the story prior to reading the real book. I enjoyed this version because it reacquainted me with the plot and some of the most famous lines from Hamlet. Cool!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book!! I'm beginning to love Shakespeare now! Even though I learn that they plays were based on old stories, I still have to say- the guy's a genius!! Written in simple language everyone can understand.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A retelling of the bard's tale, emphasizing the storytelling... intrigue, character, tragedy of the tale rather than the rich language. The acrylic and pastel paintings are lush. Better for older readers.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really good - excellent storytelling + inclusion of key quotes despite the page constraints of a picture book. And the illustrations were so beautiful! I definitely need to find Coville's other Shakespeare adaptations. :D

[Aim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice cultural literacy version for 5th grade level readers.

[Holly Jorgenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

L-O-V-E, love, love, love the illustrations in this one. They are a completely different style, but they work for this particular story.