Shakespeare's First Folio: All The Plays: A Children's Edition

by William Shakespeare, Anjna Chouhan, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Created in partnership with Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust, this remarkable collection includes thirty-six abridged plays from Shakespeare’s First Folio, exuberantly illustrated by Emily Sutton.

Young hams, drama queens, and lovers of old-time language, rejoice! Four hundred years after its publication, Shakespeare’s First Folio has found a brand-new crop of enthusiasts. This gorgeous collection comprises all the plays in the original volume—fourteen comedies, ten histories, and twelve tragedies—each edited so it can be performed by eight to twelve children age seven and up in under twenty minutes. Lovingly abridged by Dr. Anjna Chouhan, a senior lecturer at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare’s A First Folio for Children uses the original language, allowing kids a taste of choice words such as sluggardized and rampallian as well as famous lines like “Friends, Romans, countrymen” and “Once more unto the breach.” Lavishly and energetically illustrated by Emily Sutton, whose meticulous research was inspired by the holdings of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, this keepsake volume is designed to ensure that every child has a positive first experience with the Bard and to preserve his legacy for future generations.

Genres: Childrens, Shakespeare

416 pages, Hardcover

First published April 25, 2024

About the author

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Reviews

[Harrison Large ラージ • ハリソン · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkable children's book with all Shakespeare's plays condensed into a large, 400 page volume.

Now, because it's a children's book (10yo), a lot of the "bedroom tricks, severe or racial insults, and other adult themes that cannot be contextualised appropriately" have been removed. This obviously affects the product but considering the audience, is entirely fair and I won't mark it against the book.

Every play is covered in about 10 pages, which also includes small artworks that are delightful to look at. The play themselves are a bit rushed, but contain enough content to entertain and follow the plot. They're also just long enough to serve as a bedtime story, which I imagine is the intent.

If you were going to read shakespeare to children at bedtime, this is the book you'd want to do it with.

[Zowie Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lover of Shakespeare plays and a primary school teacher - I was delighted to share this version with my class. It’s such a beautiful book. The stunning illustrations add another layer to the play - helping the children to visualise some of the main characters.
There is so much learning of language that can be taught to children through Shakespeare’s work, so it’s a great chance to do this with them through this book too.
A beautiful book!

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, lavishly illustrated collection of Shakespear's plays. This special children's edition celebrates the 400th anniversary of the First Folio. It was created by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. The illustrations are rendered by the award-winning artist-Emily Sutton.

[Jaden Urso · Rating 4 out of 5]

my new prized possession! so beautiful! i wish there were more inlaid illustrations it seems like they kinda gave up after as you like it 🤷‍♀️ i also wish they didn’t cut as many secondary female characters but what can u do.