Book: Shakespeare: His Work and His World

Shakespeare: His Work and His World
Michael Rosen, Robert Ingpen (Ills), 2001

This was one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It's an informational book about Shakespeare, the times that he lived in and the plays that he wrote. Throughout the book the author is very careful to mention that we don't have a lot of real information on Shakespeare, that a lot of what we 'know' comes from inferences from the sources we do have, and his plays. This would certainly lead to some interesting discussions on sources and history. There's also a brief look at four of the plays and the language, as well as quotes throughout the book.

On its own, the writing would be excellent. But then it is paired with Robert Ingpen's stunning artwork. Throughout the book his paintings are used to explain, illustrate and add to the writing. My favourite is at the beginning, when Shakespeare's work is being introduced and there's an illustration with so many Shakespearian moments that you feel like you're looking at an incredibly well constructed Where's Wally scene.

I bought this one to go with the Shakespeare we're going to learn next year, but I would highly, highly recommend it for any classroom or any one from around 10 up. It's a wonderful introduction to Shakespeare and you'll find yourself wanting to look at the pictures again and again and again.

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Book: Avoid Being a Tudor Actor in Shakespeare's Theatre

Avoid Being a Tudor Actor in Shakespeare's Theatre
Jacqueline Morley, 2010

This book is yet another in the very popular Danger Zone series. The series presents many, many different times and places in history in a way that is easy to understand and interesting  - mostly through using pictures and short asides of text.

One of the things I want to look at in my class next year is Shakespeare, so I'm trying to collect as much supporting material as I can. This book is yet another part of that with a really nice look at the living conditions and social history at the time of Shakespeare. There's only small parts about the plays themselves, but there are a couple of nice jokes if you know them.

The book also has all the conventions of an informational text, including headings and subheadings, an index and a glossary - which are all helpful for teaching :)

I highly recommend this whole series which so far covers Ancient History, English, American and Australian history. I'm sure they'll keep expanding it in the years to come.

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