A book review of Shakespeare for Kids: Life and Times by Colleen Aagesen and Margie Blumberg
Stars: *****
Chicago Review Press (1999)
Shakespeare
160 pages
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
Summary: Kids can experience William Shakespeare’s England and get their first taste of the Bard’s sublime craft with this lively biography and activity book. Staging swordplay, learning to juggle, and creating authentic costumes like a flamboyant shirt with slashed sleeves or a lady’s lace-trimmed glove bring the theater arts to life. Making a quill pen and using it to write a story, binding a simple book by hand, creating a fragrant pomander ball and a dish of stewed apples show what daily life was like in Elizabethan times. Inspired by scenes from Shakespeare’s plays, kids can invent new words, write songs, and devise scathing or comical insults just as he did. Fascinating and accurate historical information and 21 fun activities open a dramatic new world of learning for children ages 8 and up.
Shakespeare for Kids
Instead of chapters or parts, this book is aptly divided into acts. There are 5 acts. The acts go through the life of Shakespeare so Act 1 has information and activities for his early years, then goes to his days of love and leaving marriage and family, a life and career in London, Home again and the last act is information such as glossary, websites, photo credits etc.
For each act, information is given and activities are included. For example the first activity is making a pomander ball, something that was used by Elizabethans to ward off the plague and other diseases. Later in the book, you get to make and use a quill pen to write.
The book is full colour and glossy pages and has 21 activities to experience life as Shakespeare did. We will be studying him in our homeschool this coming year so this book will be perfect to make sure we are having fun.
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