A Child's Portrait of Shakespeare: Shakespeare Can Be Fun!

Ray Doiron is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at the
University of Prince Edward Island and the Preschool to Grade 6
nonfiction reviews co-ordinator at Resource Links.

Lois Burdett is an award-winning teacher who shares the life and works
of William Shakespeare with her Grade 2 students (see the following
review). She brings his words to life by having those students read and
perform Shakespeare’s works. This latest edition in her Shakespeare
Can Be Fun! series is a biography of Shakespeare, written by her
students in the form of an unedited, book-length poem. The story is told
in rhyming couplets and richly illustrated with the children’s
artwork. The poem begins, “On a day that was just like today, but many
years ago, / A boy was born in England who we think you all should
know.” Mixed in with the poem and artwork are some of the students’
reading responses, where a student has assumed the role of a character
in the poem and has written a letter in that person’s voice (a
technique used in many whole-language classrooms). The book concludes
with a note to parents and educators that outlines suggested uses for
the book.

A Child’s Portrait of Shakespeare stands as a wonderfully rich
example of how young children absorb language and make it their own.
Elementary teachers who read this book will likely be inspired to mount
similar projects with their students. All readers will delight in the
wonderful way Burdett’s students developed a deep understanding and
appreciation of Shakespeare. Highly recommended.