"What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?" These famous lines from Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing delightfully show the verbal sparring between the reluctant lovers, Beatrice and Benedick who are happily brought together at the end by the schemes of their friends. And, no story is complete without at least one evil character, Don John, who unsuccessfully tries to tear apart the wedding plans of Hero and Claudio, the other lovers in this sparkling tale.

Written in rhyming couplets, Much Ado About Nothing, the eighth book in this successful series, captures all the exciting elements of the original story, and is truly a delightful read for both adult and child.

Lois Burdett has been a teacher at Hamlet Public School in Stratford, Ontario, for over twenty years and her expertise in bringing Shakespeare to life for children as young as seven is reflected in the children's clever insights and wonderful drawings which complement the play.

Her success has resulted in an ever-increasing demand for workshops as far afield as Europe and Australia where she instructs educators on how they too can familiarize young children with Shakespeare.

From the Foreword by Denzel Washington

"[Lois Burdett's] delightfully entertaining text is complemented by her students' thoughtful interpretations and charming artwork which make Much Ado About Nothing come alive in a whole new way."

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From the Foreword by Denzel Washington

"[Lois Burdett's] delightfully entertaining text is complemented by her students' thoughtful interpretations and charming artwork which make Much Ado About Nothing come alive in a whole new way."

FROM THE CRITICS

Rosemary Anderson - Resource Links

I highly recommend this book for elementary schools. Teachers, parents, and students will enjoy reading, or staging this play.

Children's Literature - Phyllis Kennemer 1552094111

Burdett has followed her preceding pattern in adapting Shakespeare for young children. This eighth book in the "Shakespeare Can Be Fun!" series once again tells the story in rhyming couplets. A cast of characters appears at the beginning, but there are no act or scene divisions and no stage directions. Burdett teaches 2nd and 3rd grades in Canada and she has obviously immersed her students in the study of this play. The book is illustrated with brightly colored drawings and written inserts created by her students. These inserts, featuring possible letters, memos or observations of the characters, reveal a remarkable depth of understanding for such young children. This book may be of interest to teachers who are contemplating a study of the Bard. The classic Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb (Harper, 1890) would be a better choice for providing the essence of the story and characters while retaining some of the original language. This play also appears in a more appealing form in Shakespeare Stories II by Leon Garfield (Houghton, 1995). 2002, Firefly Books,