Last Sunday wasn’t just St George’s Day, it was also the day most people consider to be Shakespeare’s birthday. So, with me having a track record of being late to a fair few bookish parties, it’s only fitting that I share this book 3 days after the big event!
Everything you could ever want to know about the talented Mr S is crammed into this high-quality hardback book. It looks at his life, times and legacy, and collates his works into tragedies, comedies, histories, romances and sonnets, shining a spotlight on each in turn. There’s also a whole host of other interesting facts and a useful timeline of his works at the end. The bold and bright illustrations are really quite something and the accessible language and explanations make it perfect for Key Stage 2/middle grade-aged children upwards. An added bonus is that it’s really well organised, so it’s super-easy to hone in on specific facts if you are using the book as a reference source, but equally, it encourages you to keep turning the pages from beginning to end (which is what I did). I really love it: it’s user-friendly, colourful and engaging and it’s definitely one of those books that I know I’ll dip into time and time again.