Hamlet for Kids
Hamlet for Kids
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Publisher's Hardcover ©2000--
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Firefly Books
Just the Series: Shakespeare Can Be Fun   

Series and Publisher: Shakespeare Can Be Fun   

Annotation: Hamlet is made approriate for children in this funny and evocative rendition.
 
Reviews: 2
Catalog Number: #3852307
Format: Publisher's Hardcover
Publisher: Firefly Books
Copyright Date: 2000
Edition Date: 2000 Release Date: 03/04/00
Pages: 64 pages
ISBN: 1-552-09522-3
ISBN 13: 978-1-552-09522-5
Dewey: 822.3
Dimensions: 24 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-This seventh series entry retells the story in rhymed couplets with illustrations by the author's students, ages 7 to 12. The style is lively and interesting, and some of the phrasing is humorous: "Meanwhile, King Claudius was still uptight./The cause of Hamlet's madness had not come to light." The fact that stage directions and speakers' names are included within the verses poses some difficulty when acting out the play. A very perceptive narrator would be needed to make it all come out just right. Boxed insets of children's rewritten segments of the play as letters or diary entries offer interesting insights into their perception of the characters. Since the colorful drawings represent the characters in a wide variety of styles, they lack a sense of unity. Activities are presented at the end of the book to extend the experience. This is a good source of ideas for teachers who want to use Shakespeare in their elementary classrooms. Leon Garfield's Shakespeare Stories (Houghton, 1991) is still the best retelling, but school libraries could make good use of this book.-Carol Durusau, Newton County Public Library, Covington, GA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Horn Book (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2001)

Shakespeare's play about the melancholy Dane is adapted using rhymed couplets. The verse, which sometimes includes well-known lines from the original work, is generally smooth, though an occasional word or phrase strikes a jarringly contemporary note ("Ophelia, are you dating this noble youth?"). Children have contributed color drawings and brief essays, which increase the accessibility of this volume.

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School Library Journal
Horn Book (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2001)
Word Count: 5,862
Reading Level: 4.3
Interest Level: 2-5
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.3 / points: 1.0 / quiz: 52777 / grade: Lower Grades

Now the two stood together, royal Father and his son.
"Mark me!" the ghost shuddered, "My hour is almost come.
I am thy father's spirit doomed to walk the night.
At dawn, I render up myself and disappear from sight."
The mournful voice resounded from above,
"If thou didst ever thy dear father love,
Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder!" he cried.
"Murder?" Hamlet trembled, and looked horrified.
The very word hammered in his brain.
"Murder most foul!" the spirit bellowed again.
"Tis said," the ghost moaned, "that a serpent bit me.
And I died in my orchard, in tranquillity.
Indeed, a serpent did sting thy father's life.
But it now wears his crown, and has married his wife."
"Oh, my prophetic soul!" cried Hamlet, "Can this be true?"
"Aye!" moaned the spirit, "The facts I will review.
As I slept peacefully on that fateful day,
Your uncle crept towards me, like a beast of prey.
A poisonous liquid, he poured into my ear.
Then he slunk away, with a laughing sneer.
It was a moment I could never have foressen.
My brother snatched my life, my crown, and my Queen.
Bear it not, my son! Set my tortured spirit free!
Adieu, adieu, adieu. Remember me!"



Excerpted from Hamlet for Kids by Lois Burdett
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Perhaps the best-known of Shakespeare's tragedies, Hamlet has all the ingredients for a gripping story: revenge and power, familial love and betrayal, dramatic sword fights, dark spooky scenes. Once again Lois Burdett has woven her own brand of magic by transforming Shakespeare's complex verse into rhyming couplets. She has created a version of Hamlet especially for children, even as young as seven, and one that readers of all ages will enjoy.

At the appropriately named Hamlet Elementary School in Stratford, Ontario, where Burdett has taught for over 20 years, her students have created wonderful drawings of Hamlet to illustrate Burdett's fluid rhymes. The students' interpretations are vivid evidence of Burdett's clever ability to bring Shakespeare's complex characters and intricate plots to life for young people.


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