A Midsummer Night's Dream for Kids

Second graders have written the explanatory notes and illustrated this Shakespeare adaption (with the text done in well adapted iambic pentameter). The system makes Shakespeare fun for kids such as the elementary kids I used it with. But it also gives good literary value. I have enjoyed reading the series myself. jj

Often times, by the time a kid is old enough to tackle Shakespeare (in high school usually) he or she has already been exposed so thoroughly to the idea that "Shakespeare is hard" that it's a drudgery before they even begin. These books help parents and teachers head off that attitude and show them how interesting and fun Shakespeare is before they have a chance to develop a negative attitude. We have both "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Macbeth" and I have to give a very sincere BRAVO for these books! My third grader enjoyed both books thoroughly, and I am tickled pink that she's now intrigued by Shakespeare and asking to read more of his "stories." Thank you Ms. Burdett!

This book was great. I was unsure of how to introduce my children to Shakespeare. These books are the key. Midsummer Night's Dream is such a funny story. Well done.

When I read, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", I thought it was a very happy story. The story takes place in Athens, Greece and the king is about to become engaged to a queen. The story is about love and many magical events. I think "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is an extremely happy and cheerful story and I recommend it to other people.

I love the works of Shakespeare but I've always thought that children under the age of 11 or 12 wouldn't be able to grasp the complexity both of the stories and of the language. Well, thank goodness Lois Burdett has come to our rescue! It has been her labor of love to rewrite the stories in rhyming couplet. She is quite an accomplished poet and a delight to read.A Midsummer Night's Dream is extremely funny. Throughout the book Ms Burdett has included pictures and statements relating to the story that were made by her students. Clearly she makes Shakespeare come alive. I was so impressed with her rendition of this story that I couldn't wait to try it out on my eight year old. He loved it! We have a new Shakespeare fan in our house. I am extremely grateful that these books are available. I plan to purchase them all.