Martin, Reed, &
Austin Tichenor. Pop-up Shakespeare. Candlewick Press 2017
unp $19.99 ISBN 978-0-7636-9874-4 all
ages Drama
E-BN
This pop-up compendium of
the complete works of William Shakespeare is sure to entice a new
generation. William Shakespeare wrote 39
plays, 154 sonnets, and innumerable other works. His words live on in the English language and
are part of our daily lexicon. How can
all of this be condensed into one pop-up book?
The Reduced Shakespeare Company has managed it in spades (not
Shakespeare.) Dividing the plays and sonnets into sections, the authors, armed
with the amazing artwork of Jennie Maizels, offer a huge amount of information
about the man and his works. While there are accurate summaries of the works, the
wry tone is delightful and the text is spiced with dramatic anecdotes. The historical background and political
climate of the time are accurate and offer some insight into the development of
the plays. Altogether, this is a perfect start to Shakespeare’s works if only
for a personal collection. The pop-up format may not survive library use even
though it is quite sturdily made.
Summary: A new generation
will be enticed into these fabulous writings. This is a perfect start to
Shakespeare’s works if only for a personal collection. The pop-up format may
not survive library use even though it is quite sturdily made.
Shakespeare, William --Susan Ogintz
