A Winter's Tale

by William Shakespeare

An illustrated adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous play – at an easy-to-read level for readers of all ages!

Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens is the tale of a rich Athenian who lived a lavish life, spending his wealth on his friends. Eventually, when his wealth ceases and he asks his friends for help, Timon is shocked to find that none of them are prepared to do so. This fills him with hatred for humanity, and he goes on to live the life of a hermit. About Sweet Cherry Easy
Sweet Cherry Easy Classics adapts classic literature into illustrated stories for children, introducing these timeless tales to a new generation. ( All titles in the series are leveled for classroom use, including GRLs.)

Genres: Fiction, Shakespeare, School

64 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2012

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

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

We bought the whole A Shakespeare Children's Story set for the kids' library. All of the Bard's plays are included and adapted/abridged for young children. This is the first one we have read.

They are pretty well done for what they are and work well for young readers. Our 6 year old was able to read this easily and understood the story well enough (how to you explain infidelity to a 6 year old?). It helped with some phonics reinforcement, too, since WS tended to use weird made up names in his plays.

We figure these are an easy way to introduce them to Shakespeare and that some familiarity with the plots of his works will ease the transition reading his actual works later in their schooling.

[Erin Becker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know any kid of any age who would be happy with this book. The language is way too advanced for early readers / listeners, and the story is entirely narrative with no dialogue. The illustrations are also completely lackluster - black and white line drawings that don't add anything to the story and are sometimes actively confusing. The character bios at the start of the book give away the whole plot, including the twist. I'm still planning on reading the series, as there are many Shakespearean plays i haven't read in the original and this is a quick way to get the basic storyline down.

[Simona Dreca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for the preview.

Il libro è una piacevole rilettura dell'opera di Shakespeare. Ottima per avvicinare i ragazzi ai capolavori del grande autore.
Anche i disegni sono piacevoli e viene voglia di colorarli.

The book is a pleasant re-writing of Shakespeare's drama. It is good to get the kids closer to the masterpieces of the great author.
The illustrations are pleasant too, and they make you want to color them.

[Thomas Wenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read and adaption. The key theme is how jealously and spite can come to ruin lives. The ending while happy is in my eyes unrealistic.

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read to my girls as the first book of the year. A great short read and summary that introduces Shakespeare easily.

[Annie Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a stupid king

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

These series does a great job of introducing Shakespeare's stories, or giving a quick review if you're already familiar with the story.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audio as we followed along in the book.