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Shakespeare Retellings
William Shakespeare's: The Winter's Tale
There is a disease that can twist men's hearts and make them mad, and the name of that disease is jealousy. So begins this engaging retelling of one of William Shakespeare's last plays, a fascinating and unique combination of intensity and whimsy. When King Leontes unfairly accuses his wife of infidelity, he sets off a terrible chain of events. But this is not one of Shakespeare's tragedies. It's a romance, and one with a healthy dose of fancy and surprise. A story of redemption and the strength of friendship and true love, The Winter's Tale is perhaps also Bruce Coville's most eloquent retelling yet, complemented masterfully by illustrator LeUyen Pham, whose rich and dramatic paintings are a revelation.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
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July 17, 2025I did not know the plot of this one.
February 15, 2026
A delightful introduction for children (or adults) to a complicated and emotional play. One daughter looked for hours at the richly colored illustrations, and all three of my children listened raptly to the retelling, which included many snippets of Shakespeare’s original language. The story is made more appropriate for children but is not sanitized. Of course, any summary will omit some things; I missed the comedic relief from Autolycus and the shepherd’s son.
August 10, 2013
From he Author's Note:
"Though Shakespeare is not nearly as hard to understand as the culture has made him out to be-- he did, after all, write for the masses as well as the elite-- time has had its way with the language. For this reason a picture book guide to the story is useful for a youngster-- or Adult!-- trying to find his or her way into the world of these plays...
The very reason I picked it up.
"With its raging king, rebellious prince, disguised princess, and delightful final scene... That a play approaching its four hundredth birthday can still fascinate, still delight, still move us is testament to both the power of the story it has to tell-- and the language with which it tells it."
-nough said
"Though Shakespeare is not nearly as hard to understand as the culture has made him out to be-- he did, after all, write for the masses as well as the elite-- time has had its way with the language. For this reason a picture book guide to the story is useful for a youngster-- or Adult!-- trying to find his or her way into the world of these plays...
The very reason I picked it up.
"With its raging king, rebellious prince, disguised princess, and delightful final scene... That a play approaching its four hundredth birthday can still fascinate, still delight, still move us is testament to both the power of the story it has to tell-- and the language with which it tells it."
-nough said
January 28, 2025
Over a dozen years, Coville penned seven "retellings" of notable Shakespeare plays, including three of the most popular comedies (Tempest, Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night) and three famous tragedies (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth). This one is the latest and the most surprising, since this play is much less well known and less popular than the others in the series. It is a worthy addition to the collection.
This is not the easiest tale to offer children, even though it introduces a young protagonist who begins to tell a spooky winter tale of his own. The first half of this tragi-comedy is as violent and upsetting as Othello or King Lear, with jealous King Leontes causing death and destruction as he rages against his wife Hermione, son Mamillius, daughter Perdita, best friend Polixenes, advisors Camillo and Antigonus, and even the god Apollo. The dark hues and angry visages of Pham's illustrations convey well the isolated, disturbed king and his startled, worried court.
Fortunately for the intended audience, this edition reverses the allocation of time to the two parts of the story: where Shakespeare spends 3 of his 5 acts on the tragedy, Coville and Pham given the restorative second part of the story more room and emphasis, and the book's only two 2-page full spreads. The colors in the latter section are brighter, and every scene seems bathed in warm golden light - often surrounding Princess Perdita like a corona.
Unfortunately, Coville has missed a couple of opportunities to emphasize the tale's transformation from dark wintry coldness to summer's joyful liveliness. Shakespeare's play pivots to comedy thanks to the music and chicanery of Autolycus the con-man and the lovely innocence of his mark, Perdita's adoptive brother. But both of these characters are minimized in this new version. And though we get a picture of a man fleeing a beast, we miss the most famous stage direction in the canon, "Exit, pursued by a bear."
Besides the scary opening of the story, which vividly dramatizes the volcanic destruction of a once happy family, the author's language also might at first seem a barrier for young readers. Coville's retelling closely replicates Shakespeare's cast and story and sometimes echoes the original vocabulary and word order, which could prove momentarily puzzling to some readers. Though here Leontes does not call his wife a "hobbyhorse" as in the play, he does dismiss his son with Shakespeare's words: "Go play . . . Thy mother plays, and I play too, but so disgraced a part it will hiss me to my grave." And here the message from the oracle of Apollo is repeated from the play: "Hermione is chaste, Polixenes blameless, Camillo a true subject, Leontes a jealous tyrant, his innocent babe truly begotten; and the king shall live without an heir if that which is lost be not found."
All the way to the story's end Coville is making choices of word order and diction that hint at the age of his source. When disguised King Polixenes confronts his son Prince Florizel and objects to his marriage, in an echo of Leontes's own family-destroying rage, the conversation goes like this:
P - "Have you a father? . . . Knows he of this?
F - He neither does, nor shall.
P - Methinks a father is at the nuptial of his son a guest that best becomes the table. . . . Prithee, let him know."
F - "I shall not!"
P - "Then mark you your divorce!"
Clearly the rewrite artist is neither dumbing down or modernizing Shakespeare's style. This is no 10 Things I Hate About You or & Juliet.
Coville states his purpose plainly in his prefatory "Note from the Author" -- "this book, as with the others in this series, is meant as a companion to the play, and is in no way intended to be a replacement." It is rather an introduction meant to woo the young "to read the work itself, or better yet, see it on the stage." I look forward to sharing it with my granddaughters to see if it has the desired effect.
This is not the easiest tale to offer children, even though it introduces a young protagonist who begins to tell a spooky winter tale of his own. The first half of this tragi-comedy is as violent and upsetting as Othello or King Lear, with jealous King Leontes causing death and destruction as he rages against his wife Hermione, son Mamillius, daughter Perdita, best friend Polixenes, advisors Camillo and Antigonus, and even the god Apollo. The dark hues and angry visages of Pham's illustrations convey well the isolated, disturbed king and his startled, worried court.
Fortunately for the intended audience, this edition reverses the allocation of time to the two parts of the story: where Shakespeare spends 3 of his 5 acts on the tragedy, Coville and Pham given the restorative second part of the story more room and emphasis, and the book's only two 2-page full spreads. The colors in the latter section are brighter, and every scene seems bathed in warm golden light - often surrounding Princess Perdita like a corona.
Unfortunately, Coville has missed a couple of opportunities to emphasize the tale's transformation from dark wintry coldness to summer's joyful liveliness. Shakespeare's play pivots to comedy thanks to the music and chicanery of Autolycus the con-man and the lovely innocence of his mark, Perdita's adoptive brother. But both of these characters are minimized in this new version. And though we get a picture of a man fleeing a beast, we miss the most famous stage direction in the canon, "Exit, pursued by a bear."
Besides the scary opening of the story, which vividly dramatizes the volcanic destruction of a once happy family, the author's language also might at first seem a barrier for young readers. Coville's retelling closely replicates Shakespeare's cast and story and sometimes echoes the original vocabulary and word order, which could prove momentarily puzzling to some readers. Though here Leontes does not call his wife a "hobbyhorse" as in the play, he does dismiss his son with Shakespeare's words: "Go play . . . Thy mother plays, and I play too, but so disgraced a part it will hiss me to my grave." And here the message from the oracle of Apollo is repeated from the play: "Hermione is chaste, Polixenes blameless, Camillo a true subject, Leontes a jealous tyrant, his innocent babe truly begotten; and the king shall live without an heir if that which is lost be not found."
All the way to the story's end Coville is making choices of word order and diction that hint at the age of his source. When disguised King Polixenes confronts his son Prince Florizel and objects to his marriage, in an echo of Leontes's own family-destroying rage, the conversation goes like this:
P - "Have you a father? . . . Knows he of this?
F - He neither does, nor shall.
P - Methinks a father is at the nuptial of his son a guest that best becomes the table. . . . Prithee, let him know."
F - "I shall not!"
P - "Then mark you your divorce!"
Clearly the rewrite artist is neither dumbing down or modernizing Shakespeare's style. This is no 10 Things I Hate About You or & Juliet.
Coville states his purpose plainly in his prefatory "Note from the Author" -- "this book, as with the others in this series, is meant as a companion to the play, and is in no way intended to be a replacement." It is rather an introduction meant to woo the young "to read the work itself, or better yet, see it on the stage." I look forward to sharing it with my granddaughters to see if it has the desired effect.
April 15, 2019
Mr. Coville has chosen a Shakespearean tale that’s not much performed. In fact, it could be said to be one of his more obscure ones. Dealing with a king’s irrational jealously, Mr. Coville renders Shakespeare’s prose in easily comprehensible terms, even the fantastical elements.
The illustrations are top notch as well. Ms. Pham’s people are believable without too much stress on realism. The part where Antigonus exits, pursued by a bear, has never seemed believable to me when done in the theater. But the illustration here makes clear the terrible threat posed to the fleeing man as the enraged ursine chases him.
This was a wonderful find for me and I think a great introduction to Shakespeare. I hope to get my hands on Mr. Coville’s other Shakespearean retellings.
The illustrations are top notch as well. Ms. Pham’s people are believable without too much stress on realism. The part where Antigonus exits, pursued by a bear, has never seemed believable to me when done in the theater. But the illustration here makes clear the terrible threat posed to the fleeing man as the enraged ursine chases him.
This was a wonderful find for me and I think a great introduction to Shakespeare. I hope to get my hands on Mr. Coville’s other Shakespearean retellings.
April 5, 2018
This is a lovely adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy turned into great love and hope. My children enjoyed reading Coville's spin. The Winter's Tale provides a surprise ending that rivals the best classics with a twist, and Pham's illustrations are glorious, reminding me of illustrations of the classic books that nurtured me as a young reader.
September 19, 2025
A beautifully-illustrated middle grade prose version of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. I can't recall if I've read the full play, but I suspect not since the plot didn't seem familiar. I really just wanted to throttle the king in this one. Everything that happens is so unfair to his wife, Queen Hermione. Also, did Mamillus really just die?!
October 14, 2018
Meh. What a useless tale. I don’t know if I’m critiquing Bruce Coville or Shakespeare because I haven’t read the original Shakespeare play, but I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone. It’s just not interesting. Drab.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2019
This is a good introduction to the actual play. I highly recommend reading it with your family (especially if you have kids who are a bit younger than your average teenager) to familiarize them with the plot before seeing the actual play performed.
August 4, 2025
I liked it a lot! It's fun that it's meant to be a companion to the play. Having never read or heard of it before this book, it made me want to read it. It's a nice ending. I didn't call that twist haha
May 13, 2017
Maybe I was just tired, but I found the text and story a bit harder to follow in this one than in Coville's usually--and I've read the play before, so that seemed like a bad sign!
July 14, 2017
Beautiful and surprising! We need all of Bruce Coville's Shakespeare retellings on our bookshelves!
October 6, 2017
So thankful to have a reading group with a bunch of English nerds!
January 3, 2019
A beautifully illustrated retelling of the play.
March 6, 2019
The illustrations in this book are beautiful, but the retelling was a little hard to follow. This might be a bigger story than should be condensed into a picture book for kids.
January 25, 2020
A good retelling.
February 6, 2023
A good book
September 17, 2013
I am generally rather leery of Shakespeare adaptations for children - 8 year olds certainly don't need Juliet on the brain. However, I found this gem to be the exception. With beautiful illustrations and faithful, yet understandable textual adaptation, I was impressed.
I haven't read his other retellings yet - but I look forward to being surprised.
I haven't read his other retellings yet - but I look forward to being surprised.
December 23, 2016
Another well done Shakespeare retelling. Having different illustrators for this series really adds to their value because each illustrator has such a unique style that helps capture a bit of the individuality of the play itself. And The Winter's Tale is not as well known! Good choice for introducing upper elementary to the play all the way up through introducing high school students to the play.
July 28, 2014
Great Shakespeare adaptation for young children. Beautiful pictures. Author has interspersed some quotes from the play throughout but in a way young children can easily comprehend. Great way to introduce little ones to the bard.
July 31, 2015
I read this with my 11-year old and 8-year old to prime them for a live reading of Shakespeare's full length play by the same name. Although it's not the best retelling of a Shakespeare play, I believe it gave them the gist of it.
June 22, 2008
A beautifully illustrated story about the troubles caused by the disease of jealousy.
April 26, 2017
He did a good job of retelling a complicated plot. This is definitely a picture book for older children--middle school. I hope Coville continues to rewrite Shakespeare for kids.
July 20, 2011
Beaautifully witten and drawn and true to the original story.
September 8, 2015
IT'S SO PRETTY
June 3, 2016
Not a big fan of the art work (kinda schmaltzy), but it served as a nice introduction to a play I am not familiar with.
January 24, 2016
Interesting retelling of Shakespeare's play for children beautifully illustrated.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews