From School Library Journal
Gr 1-4-Once again, Burdett has produced a jaunty version of a Shakespeare work that grew from an intensive project with her elementary school students. The central text, composed of labored, uneven couplets, is the least appealing part of the book. Naive drawings, done by the students, are colored with clear, bright markers. Lively written additions from the second and third graders, such as Juliet's diary entries or reports from Verona citizens in response to the feud, show how well immersion in the play can lead to a good understanding by younger children. While readers elsewhere might enjoy a look at their contemporaries' drawings, it seems unlikely that they would derive even a fraction of the understanding of the play and its importance that Burdett's students got from the project. It wouldn't hurt, though, for teachers seeking inspiration to take a look at what can be achieved with enthusiasm and a strong belief in your source.-Sally Margolis, Barton Public Library, VT
Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
Keep[s] intact the essence of Shakespeare while telling an exciting story that will keep kids' attention.... Highly recommended. (Carol Burbridge
Library Talk 1999)
Gets inside the nature and motivations of these adult play characters some might think too remote from children's lives. (John Warren Stewig
American Alliance for Theatre and Education 2000)