A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare

Shakespeare Can Be Fun!

by Lois Burdett

"Who is William Shakespeare?" For more than 20 years, Lois Burdett has asked that question of her elementary school students in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, leading them on a voyage of discovery that brings the Bard to life for boys and girls ages seven and up. A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare , written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.

Genres: Shakespeare, Childrens, Biography, Education, Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

About the author

Lois Burdett is an acclaimed elementary school teacher from Stratford, Ontario, internationally recognized for her innovative approach to teaching Shakespeare to young children. Through her Shakespeare Can Be Fun series and dynamic classroom methods, she has introduced serious literature to students as young as Grades 2 and 3. Her work has earned her numerous honors, including Canada's Meritorious Service Medal and awards from Encyclopedia Britannica and the Canadian Teachers' Federation. Her books and workshops continue to inspire educators worldwide.

Reviews

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are adorable!

[Gail Sacharski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lois Burdett's class relates & illustrates the life of their favorite playwright, William Shakespeare, presenting an amazingly tender & heartfelt portrait of his life. The pictures & subtext letters they create are magical & priceless. What a wonderful way to appreciate the work of The Bard of Avon. Should be required reading for everyone!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have paused our Story of the World while we delve a little more into Shakespeare study. I own several in this series, and we have found that even though the kids are older, this works best as a read-aloud rather than independent reading.

The outline of the book is a rhyming text (I think written by author/teacher Lois Burdett? it's unclear) about the life of Shakespeare. The fun part are the drawings by Burdett's seven- and eight-year-old students, and their clever additional writings "by" Shakespeare and those near to him, such as a diary entry by his mother complaining about how he cried, or cute love letters written between Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway.

This is well worth reading aloud.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare
Burdett, Lois
with imaginary letters written by children to explain the life and times of william shakespeare.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I loved these books by Lois Burdett when she was younger. What a wonderful introduction to Shakespeare!