Romeo and Juliet for Kids

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. Romeo and Juliet for Kids , written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.

Genres: Shakespeare, Picture Books, Fiction, Childrens, Romance, Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

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]

Oh, Romeo, Romeo thou art an idiot. This is a brilliant book for kids and so it is broken down to the bare facts. Fickle Romeo is in luv with Roseline one day and Juliette the next. After killing her cousin and another guy who wants Jules, too, Romeo kills himself.
Not the brightest bulb on the tree. And yet for hundreds of years this has been a love story. ?
Anyway, great book but be prepared to have long talks with kids about the many choices the characters make.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The kids liked this and got excited because it was "just like Gnomeo and Juliet!" The fighting kept my 8-year-old boy involved, and the love story kept the girls interested. The illustrations are various children's drawings, which is a cool idea, but was confusing for the younger kids since the characters did not look the same from page to page. 3 year old: "Who is that?" Me: "Still Juliet." 3 year old looks perplexed...
It is written in rhyming couplet poetry form with some use of Shakespeare's actual language, which was cool, but I think I preferred the prose form of another Shakespeare adaptation (Bruce Coville's A Mid-Summer Night's Dream).

[L.E. Fidler · Rating 5 out of 5]

fiona LOVES this book - granted, we only read the full thing once. most of the time we use the pictures to tell the story (oh, and the fact that tim and i are both english teachers and are well versed in this particular play). i have to say, i really like it. fi loves to point out the various characters ("tybalt is ANGRY!" "juliet's mommy is bad!" "peter is silly!") and i can usually get her to fall asleep by act three. we do modify a bit - eternal timeout instead of dying and going to hell, for example - but, hey, fi is only 2. what do you want from me?

[Gail Sacharski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being very familiar with this play, probably one of the most well-known & acted plays of Shakespeare, I was eager to read this entry in the Shakespeare Can Be Fun series. Once again, Lois Burdett's rhyming couplets tell the tale in words that are clever & easily understood by all ages, but especially the 2nd graders she teaches. And they, along with older elementary kids, illustrate the story with amazing drawings & letters that express the characters' points of view. The tale of tragedy is told with much drama & understanding. These books are becoming some of my very favorites.

[Rodopa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning intro to Shakespeare for the 7-10 year old crowd. Why do I say that specific age? Because all the illustrations in the book are made by 7-9 year old, and each page has a summary by kids that age of the main action happening on the page.

In addition, the translation to modern English by the author is superb - dramatic, understandable, high brow in a kids kind of way, and in rhyme! The author even weaves in lines from the real play. Reading it aloud to my 8 year old has ME in suspense. She begs me to read "one more page" each night. What a testament to the labor of love that the author has produced. Bravo!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought these for the library to provide another avenue for access for Shakespeare for our high school students who struggle. It's a creative endeavor that's goofy and serious at the same time and wants to impart the story so that everyone can enjoy it. I can respect that.

[Joy (Personal) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore using this book to introduce Romeo and Juliet to high school students! The author does a fantastic job adhering to Shakespeare's classic elements while making the story accessible. I teach this in combination with the 1961 version of Westside Story.

[Hazel Buchmann]

hi

[Susan Liston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was quite impressed with how well the author re-wrote the play for kids in rhyme and made it easy to understand while still using a lot of the original text.

[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.

[Alessondrahaskell · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you need to read one last book I suggest this it's short and you can get one poetry book off your list. If you like love stories or poetry I suggest this. This book wasn't for me though because I don't really like poetry.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of my favorite books. and i love shakespeare he is my favorite author.this book is romantic ,kinda funny.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romeo and Juliet for Kids
Burdett, Lois
breif retelling of the play with additional kid written notes explaining what happens.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Jacinda Read]

How do i read it!??