A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare
by Lois Burdett
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"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.
A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare, written in rhyming couplets is suitable for staging as class plays as well as reading aloud.
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But an actor and a writer must also have a stage.
The theatres in London town were all the current rage.
Since there was no place to rent William built one of his own;
He cherished this new playhouse; The Globe as it was known.
The Globe was open to the sky, so plays were in the day.
The poor folk stood about the stage; a penny they did pay.
They were labelled "groundlings" and could get quite loud and rude;
If they didn't like the play they saw, they'd even throw their food.
Others paid a good deal more for shelter from the rain.
But on opening day for Shakespeare, no one person did complain.
Lois Burdett's success in introducing Shakespeare to children is reflected in her growing international reputation. Her books and workshops for teachers have captured the attention and imagination of parents, educators, and lovers of Shakespeare around the world, including the American National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. Among other commendations, Lois Burdett has received Encyclopedia Britannica's National Award for Early Childhood Education, Canada's Meritorious Service Medal, the Canadian Teachers' Federation's Hilroy Fellowship, and two writers' awards. Burdett's many speaking engagements have included the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Her books, magazine articles, presentations and media interviews are testimony to her strong influence in the education community, where she has also been instrumental in helping teachers to incorporate Shakespeare into early grade curricula.
close this panelA wonderfully rich example of how young children absorb language and make it their own ... Highly recommended.
Can easily be used and enjoyed by teachers and students anywhere.
Combines a lively, often humorous biographical poem ... with even livelier and amusing color drawings.
