Product Description

Storyteller Patrick Ryan has brought together the traditional folk stories, ballads and fairy tales that are at the heart of seven of Shakespeare's masterpieces.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1377713 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 80 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Shakespeare's Storybook: Folk Tales That Inspired the Bard retold by Patrick Ryan, illus. by James Mayhew, lets readers in on the secret of what lies behind seven masterpieces such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. For example, King Lear, Ryan argues, has its roots in "Cap-O-Rushes," a tale that begins with the king "asking his daughters how much they love him" then follows the young daughter who has adventures like those of Cinderella; Ryan also mentions some influential events closer to home (Shakespeare's daughters being of a marriageable age; a wealthy Londoner whose daughters try to gain their inheritance by suspicious means). (Barefoot, $19.99 80p ages 8-up ISBN 1-84148-307-9; Sept.)

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-In his introductory remarks, Ryan points out that in writing his poetry and plays, Shakespeare liberally adapted from tales he read and heard. Ryan is a liberal adaptor, too. His parallel compendium pairs each of seven stories he has assembled with some discussion of one of Shakespeare's plays. In the opening set, for instance, a two-page commentary on Shakespeare's writing of The Taming of the Shrew introduces "The Devil's Bet," a story of a shrewish wife and a devilish water spirit, cobbled from folklore from several countries. The essays comment variously on elements in the Bard's life; literary works scholars have identified as his progenitors; speculation on traditional oral tales that the playwright may have known; and explanations of themes, characters, and sources in Ryan's accompanying story. The connections here are sometimes tenuous. Readers learn a bit about Shakespeare and the plays, but mostly the book is a framework for the tales. The writing of both essays and stories is uneven, sometimes clear and interesting but often lapsing into the pedagogical or just plain wooden. The appealing layout employs watercolor and pen-and-ink vignettes, borders, decorative devices, and a full-page scene for each story. Young people new to Shakespeare's works might be interested in the background material in the essays, while the stories probably work better in a teller's oral repertoire. Ryan's extensive bibliography cites general works on literature of the time and titles on Shakespeare along with lists of sources from which his stories are derived.

Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. Drawing from some of the very same sources that Shakespeare did, Ryan retells seven folktales containing incidents or motifs that lie at the heart of as many plays: in "The Devil's Bet," for example, a sassy newlywed wins a wager with kindness rather than a smart mouth (Taming of the Shrew); in "Ashboy," a boy sees his father killed by his own mother and uncle (Hamlet); and the tragic deaths of Romeus and Julietta are commemorated in "Hill of Roses." Ryan points out the Shakespearean parallels in introductory synopses, and closes with a bibliography (in dismayingly miniscule type) of old versions and original texts. Illustrator Mayhew's elaborately costumed figures, often posed within motif-strewn borders, add a theatrical element. Children who have already been exposed to the Bard will find plenty of new insight here, but even without the Shakespearean connection, these well- (and some cases rarely) told tales will please readers and listeners alike. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Wonderful!
A wonderful book for kids & adults. Fascinating to learn the stories that inspired Shakespeare. We read them with the kids and the compare them to Shakespeare stories (condensed and written for kids of course). Our 5 & 6-year olds (so far) seem to be enjoying Shakespeare! Maybe they won't hate it when they get to high school.