Shakespeare's plays have won the admiration of readers the world over. His plays are testaments to the deepest themes of human life: life and death, love and loss, the individual versus the greater good. These are stories that all of us should read and ponder.

The problem, as the introduction modestly explains, is that "Shakespeare wrote for grown-up people, for men and women, and in words that little folks cannot understand." As beautiful and finely honed as Shakespeare 's plays were, children—the audience that could benefit most from their wise guidance—are simply too young to decipher Shakespeare's mature, difficult verse.

E. Nesbit, famed author of more than 60 books for juveniles, reproduces the might and majesty of Shakespeare's stories in a form so simple that children can understand and enjoy them. HAMLET, ROMEO AND JULIET, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, THE TEMPEST—20 of the great presented in this masterpiece of children's literature. The book takes several steps to hold the interest of even the youngest readers. Charming period drawings accompany the plays, rendering the lead roles as children. To keep even the smallest of tongues from tripping over tough names, characters are indexed with pronunciations. Finally a collection of quotes, organized by subject and in the original Shakespearean verse, builds the bridge between these prose stories and the magic of the Bard's own language.

BEAUTIFUL STORIES FROM SHAKESPEARE FOR CHILDREN is a rare and valuable book. Charming and fun on its own, it successfully draws upon the riches of Shakespeare and his stories, making it an important addition to a collection that all of us, especially our children, should know and love.

From the reprint