Are you looking for a gorgeously illustrated simplified version of Shakespeare plays to use in the classroom? LOOK NO FURTHER.

A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories is a beautiful collection of 12 of Shakespeare’s most popular plays in a new book, perfect for 7 years+. Having had the chance to read through this already, I would say it is PERFECT for Key Stage 2 classes to use when studying a Shakespeare unit. 

The 12 plays featured are:

• Macbeth
• Romeo and Juliet
• Hamlet
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• The Tempest
• Twelth Night
• Othello
• As You Like It
• Julius Caesar
• Much Ado About Nothing
• King Lear
• The Merchant of Venice

Now I know Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth are really popular in schools (I’m teaching Macbeth this year to my Y5s… taught it last year and I just adored it so definitely doing it again!) but this book highlights some of the other wonderful plays that Shakespeare wrote. It’s certainly made me think that there’s less obvious choices out there that are worth studying! 

Each story comes with a double spread title page with one of the famous quotes from that play on one side and the title on the other (as below): 

I ADORE each of the title pages for the plays – they’re all so intricately designed and they’re stunning to look at. It would be interesting to use the title pages to see what the children could guess about each play. 

You then get a cast of characters and then the play. Each play is 3-5 pages long, again beautifully illustrated and perfectly readable. 

If you hadn’t guessed already, I ABSOLUTELY adore this book. It’s such an incredible resource to use in the classroom. I can’t wait to use my copy with my kids when we do Macbeth. I was even told by one of the teachers at school that she saw it on my twitter and went and purchased it because she was so curious! 

If my review isn’t enough to pull you in… just look at those end papers… you could play Shakespeare’s Where’s Wally? with them!

A massive massive thank you to the lovely humans of Quarto for sending me this book. It is going to be a staple in my classroom! It’s out now if you want to purchase it! 

Waterstones online

Amazon

What’s your favourite Shakespeare play?
Do you remember studying Shakespeare at school?
Can you name any of the characters in the Where’s Wally pages?

Let me know your thoughts on this. Comment, send me a letter over the sea, stand at my balcony and tell me! I hope you love it cause I LOVE IT. 

S x