William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare Retellings

by Ruth Perry

“O she doth teach the torches to burn bright,” says Romeo when first he spies Juliet at the Capulets’ ball. Juliet is charmed by the young man, and before long, the two fall in love. But they are from warring families and must marry in secret. Can their love put an end to their families’ hatred?

Geared toward young audiences who may be encountering Shakespeare for the first time, this illustrated version is not only accessible but also true to the original work. It creates the perfect bridge to further enjoyment of the play.

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

Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

Reviews

[Aneesa]

Despite already knowing the ending, 9yo freaked out.

[Amber]

Amber Randol
Picture Book

Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet, the Capulets vs. the Montagues. They were from families that hated one another and would never have approved of a romance between the two of them. Romeo and Juliet fall in love and decide they are going to get married behind their family's backs, and Juliet decides to take a sleeping potion that will make her seem dead so that she can fake her death and then they could run away together. Romeo finds her and thinks she is dead, and ends up killing himself because he doesn't want to be without her. It's a tale of two star-crossed lovers. This version is much different from the original in the sense that it's alot shorter, but it's very easy to understand. The pictures alone tell the story for the reader with their intricate detail. The words are modern and cut back alot so that the reader gets the main story without all of the extras. It's a great book to help young adults understand the story and what happens in it better.

[Kyle Ames]

Kyle Ames

Picture Book

This original story of Romeo and Juliet is more or less famous. About the secret lovers who defyied their families and were attempting to marry in secret. Up until Juliet faked her death and Romeo took his own life to join her only for Juliet to awaken from an induced sleep to fake the death. The story is so popular many schools have young adults pt on a play of it. The books has great detailed illustrations that help young adults understand the emotion behind the play instead of just lines and actions.

[Dyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the tragedy/ romance was a pretty great book. I loved it, but it kept me wondering something... is it really destiny or free will that brought them together? Also, at the same time, you realize that you can learn the best lesson I have learned from it. If you're gonna fall in love... fall in love after more than three days! :)

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted a short retelling of Romeo and Juliet to cap off my kids' school year and I am already regretting not tracking down more of Coville's work for some of the other plays. The story is beautifully told with original lines from the play woven in seamlessly, it's simplified enough that young kids get the motivation of the characters, and the beautiful illustrations helped us all keep everyone straight (and reminded me just how mad sad this play makes me).

[Lady reading under the Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I prefer this retelling by Coville to the one by Adam McKeown. While more condensed than McKeown's, it's a good introduction to "Romeo and Juliet." Frankly, I don't like the story itself, but this would likely be the picture-book adaptation I would start with if I were going to have my kids do Romeo & Juliet for school.

[Melissa Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like it. The picture are beautiful.

[Flesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated, well told version of Romeo and Juliet.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Bruce Coville’s version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest with my eight-year-old son and he really enjoyed it (so did I). I learned that Coville does many more Shakespeare stories. Since my son has seen the movie Gnomeo and Juliet I thought he would enjoy the ‘real’ story.

This is a short book with ok illustrations and keeps much of the original dialogue intact. This can lead to some confusion but it’s good to show kids the “Old English” (or Yoda) style of speaking. Some of the illustrations may have been a little confusing.

What’s funny is that my son, Olsen, was expecting a happy ending due to his knowledge of the kid movie. He was in for a surprise! But, he and I really enjoyed it and will continue grabbing Coville’s retellings of Shakespeare. …. I had him review the book, it is below:

Olsen’s review of Romeo and Juliet
3 or 4 stars

It was good-ish. It was not as good as other books. Lots of people died. I did not expect that to happen. People in the book thought that others were dead so they killed themselves. But, those people were not dead. But, then they found out, and they killed themselves. I want to read another tragedy book.

[Meghan Collins]

This book tells the traditional Shakespeare tale, written in a way that older elementary students can understand. The book can be read by 4/5th graders, as an introduction to Shakespeare, his tales and his characters.

I love Shakespeare, and think it should be learned by all students; however, the language is a bit hard to understand. This book uses direct quotes from Romeo, Juliet and the other characters in the actual story. So, all the dialogue is directly taken from Shakespeare's story. After, the author translates the bulk of the story into words and phrases that children will be able to understand.

This is what I liked about this book, and will take away form reading it. Bruce Coville did an excellent job of retelling this story in such a way that older elementary students can understand. I would use this in my classroom as an introduction to Shakespeare. As children transition into older grades, and they become more advanced and skilled in their reading, I would challenge them to start reading more advanced pieces of literature. Though Shakespeare may be too advanced for their age, they are sill able to be introduced to him by reading this book.

[Shelli · Rating 5 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 along with Dennis Nolan’s gorgeous illustrations work perfectly together for students not ready, but willing to work toward reading William Shakespeare.

[Kelsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book a lot. I thought it was great that even though this is a picture book version of the original story by William Shakespeare, I loved how there were quotes from the original book, or similar to the original book in it. The illustrations were great. For people who may not have seen the movie after reading the book this is great because you can see the characters and see what they really are meant to look like. I love the emotion that can be seen on the character's faces in this book since it is such a dramatic story.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this book did a great job telling the story of Romeo and Juliet. I have read the original Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and I remember thinking it was difficult to understand because of the language. This version is much more clear and although it does use some of Shakespeare's language, it make more sense. The illustrations were well done and added to the overall theme of the book.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma (age 8) LOVED this book. It uses quite a few originally lines, but tells it in easy-to-follow prose for the most part. She cried in class when she got to the part where Romeo dies. It was sweet to re-read it with her (Timo didn't want it read to him, but he ended up listening from the periphery, quite intently!) and discuss the story with both kids. Emma LOVED the illustrations.

[Jenny Schramm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this telling of Romeo and Juliet. I really liked it because of the fact that the illustrations were really drawn well. i really liked the colors that they used for the pictures. i really liked them because i felt like they were really dramatic and could have you get a feel for it better.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with the kids. They were interested to know more about Romeo and Juliet with the movie Gnomeo and Juliet coming out next month (trailer says based on Shakepeare's play). They also remember Shakespeare from book 10 of The 39 Clues.

[Erma Talamante · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good way to introduce children to The Bard, the plain telling of this story is well written, yet familiar as the words spoken by the characters are the lines that we have heard for decades. The delicate art and illustrations provide a backdrop for this romantic, tragic tale of young love.

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

I like this format of using pictures and language that stays true to masterpiece created by Shakespear. It is a great way to introduce children to the classic plays.

[Leah_Thoms · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great version of a classic love story. This was one of my favorite picture books!

[scintillapink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations accompanying a worthy adaptation

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both boys were captivated, and grasped the tale despite the linguistic challenges. I am impressed.

[Nevada Libert · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book.