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Rating: 
Summary: Great Intro to Shakespeare
Review: Although this book is written for children it is great for all ages and is great to get the basic story line before you go to a play. I read most of the plays in this book (I have not yet read all of them) when I was 11. Now that I have been reading the actual plays of Shakespeare I always start by reading the short version of the play in this book and than read the actual play. I can understand what is going on much better that way. I also recommend "Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children" by Edith Nesbit which gives about ten page versions of each story verses the thirty pages per story in this book and also has a smaller vocabulary which makes it better for younger children.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice read for children
Review: As a younger person in the nineties, I dipped into the plays of Shakespeare, and this book let me get into the classic stuff. It was interesting, put into kids' stories so as not to intimidate the younger enthusiast, and altogether, it was a good book. I suppose you have to be in to Shakespeare to enjoy it wholly though....A gentle, relaxing dip into Shakespeare. I'll give two stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Archaic language
Review: Boring for the adult, utterly inaccesible to the young reader. Note that this book was written in 1807. If your goal is to expand your child's vocabulary, especially in the direction of archaisms, this might be a useful study text. If your goal is to teach your child to love literature and theatre, this could deal a ... blow to the effort.
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Summary: The Lambs book not as appealing to today's children
Review: Charles and Mary Lamb's classic book on Shakespeare retains too much of the archaic language of the actual works to interest grade school children. While the work might appeal to upper grades and high school students anxious to find an alternative to reading the actual plays, as an introduction to Shakespeare for young children, the book is a failure. It compares unfavorably with Ian Serralier's out-of-print classic THE TEMPEST AND OTHER TALES: STORIES FROM SHAKESPEARE, which uses modern language and glowing imagery to effectively communicate the universal appeal of Shakespeare to the very young. I can testify to this since it was Serralier's book, read in the third grade, that first interested me in the Bard. I stumbled upon Lamb's book later. If I had found Lamb's book first, I would have concluded that Shakespeare was something dry and dull for grownups, and it would have been forced down my throat in the upper grades. As things turned out, I have a lifelong love of the Bard thanks to Serralier's book. A publisher with any sense would reprint it
Rating:
Summary: Tales from Shakespeare
Review: I love this book! I have always loved Shakespeare and wanted my children to enjoy the bard as well. I always read these stories to them before we watch a play on TV, video, or rarely, on stage. They are a step ahead in that they already know the plot and can then enjoy the language more fully. They are developing a love for Shakespeare, too!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Introduction to Shakespeare for Kids
Review: I love this book! I have always loved Shakespeare and wanted my children to enjoy the bard as well. I always read these stories to them before we watch a play on TV, video, or rarely, on stage. They are a step ahead in that they already know the plot and can then enjoy the language more fully. They are developing a love for Shakespeare, too!
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Summary: Read it as a child and now use it as a professor
Review: I remember my father giving me this book when I was young. He was a junior high school english teacher and used this book in class. Together we read the stories and I loved them. Now I am a college professor and use the book in class myself. While some of the summaries are "dated," they are still useful in communicating the basic action of the play to students and the very fact that they are "dated" allows the book to serve as an illustration of how interpretations of Shakespeare's plays have changed since the Lambs' time.
I recommend this book heartily.
Rating:
Summary: Great Intro to Shakespeare
Review: It's a great book that allows you to remember the main elements of Shakespeare's plays. It's great for exams and essays because you can understand the plot, theme, tone and characters through these very nicely written stories. It's a must to anyone who has to revise for those exams or just to get a feel for Shakespeare's work. It maybe a little bit hard for kids aged 12 or less.
Rating:
Summary: understandable
Review: This book puts Shakespears works into understandable form
Rating: 
Summary: Good for Older Readers
Review: This is a good book to glance through, whether you're brushing up on a play you've forgotten or familiarizing youself with the story for the first time. Even though it is easier than actually reading Shakespeare, though, the language is still a little too difficult for children maybe under twelve or so. Adults and teenagers will be able to understand, though.
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