Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet by Coville, Bruce. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780803724624.

Joining Bruce Covilles earlier prose adaptations of Shakespeares plays is this picture book treatment of the Bards most popular work ever. The tender story of the young star-crossed lovers from warring families, Romeo and Juliet has moved audiences to tears for four hundred years. And Coville tells it in a way that will surely whet the appetite of young audiences, who will then find even greater enjoyment in the original. As with his earlier adaptations, Coville expertly combines his own dramatic language with key lines from the play. Dennis Nolan, who illustrated Covilles version of A Midsummer Nights Dream, contributes stunning paintings, including a gatefold of the famous balcony scene. In addition to A Midsummer Nights Dream, which Publishers Weekly called "A first rate entree to the Bard," Coville also retold The Tempest and Macbeth. Of the latter, School Library Journal said, "Covilles muscular sentences, full of dramatic word choices, make this a good read-aloud." Both Macbeth and A Midsummer Nights Dream were honored as ALA Quick Picks for Young Adults.