Gr 5-8-In his introductory remarks, Ryan points out that in writing his poetry and plays, Shakespeare liberally adapted from tales he read and heard. Ryan is a liberal adaptor, too. His parallel compendium pairs each of seven stories he has assembled with some discussion of one of Shakespeare's plays. In the opening set, for instance, a two-page commentary on Shakespeare's writing of The Taming of the Shrew introduces "The Devil's Bet," a story of a shrewish wife and a devilish water spirit, cobbled from folklore from several countries. The essays comment variously on elements in the Bard's life; literary works scholars have identified as his progenitors; speculation on traditional oral tales that the playwright may have known; and explanations of themes, characters, and sources in Ryan's accompanying story. The connections here are sometimes tenuous. Readers learn a bit about Shakespeare and the plays, but mostly the book is a framework for the tales. The writing of both essays and stories is uneven, sometimes clear and interesting but often lapsing into the pedagogical or just plain wooden. The appealing layout employs watercolor and pen-and-ink vignettes, borders, decorative devices, and a full-page scene for each story. Young people new to Shakespeare's works might be interested in the background material in the essays, while the stories probably work better in a teller's oral repertoire. Ryan's extensive bibliography cites general works on literature of the time and titles on Shakespeare along with lists of sources from which his stories are derived.Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
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Gr. 3-5. Drawing from some of the very same sources that Shakespeare did, Ryan retells seven folktales containing incidents or motifs that lie at the heart of as many plays: in "The Devil's Bet," for example, a sassy newlywed wins a wager with kindness rather than a smart mouth (Taming of the Shrew); in "Ashboy," a boy sees his father killed by his own mother and uncle (Hamlet); and the tragic deaths of Romeus and Julietta are commemorated in "Hill of Roses." Ryan points out the Shakespearean parallels in introductory synopses, and closes with a bibliography (in dismayingly miniscule type) of old versions and original texts. Illustrator Mayhew's elaborately costumed figures, often posed within motif-strewn borders, add a theatrical element. Children who have already been exposed to the Bard will find plenty of new insight here, but even without the Shakespearean connection, these well- (and some cases rarely) told tales will please readers and listeners alike. John Peters
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