ROMEO & JULIET

AS TOLD BY GARETH HINDS 

READER RESPONSE I never thought Shakespeare could be so exciting. The images inside this book are also found in a comic book. How the characters are speaking made the story more enjoyable. Because it’s written in language that sounds more modern, I don’t get lost in the words. I even want to read them out loud and I don’t want to put the book down. I can now say that I’m a fan of William Shakespeare. Not only that, the artist who drew these pictures has shown some great ideas on how literature can be connected to images that are fun, exciting and tell stories even without the words being there. The images almost tell me everything I need to know. 

EVALUATOR RESPONSE As a traditionalist, I believe children need to know Shakespeare in its truest form, however, Hinds has been able to introduce the major themes of the novel fairly successfully. Characters are given strong and clear voices, in spite of a much narrower dialogue that takes place. The illustrations allows for further engagement and makes it an easier process to understand cultural norms present at that time particular with regards to familial struggle between families. The social constructs of the time give an evident tone of angst yet normalcy. 

TEACHER RESPONSE For middle school students one of the biggest ideas they are shifting through daily is identity, and how that identity is both shaped and fueled by familial bonds, community places and ideas promoted by society. The story of Romeo and Juliet speaks to these themes and particularly how one fits inside of expectations from these separate entities. The artwork lends itself well to art students, and they can pull inspiration from this artist to create meaningful illustrations to speak about their problems, struggles and solutions. I've read Shakespeare before and can honestly say that I was drawn to this adaptation for multiple reasons and believe my students will appreciate it too. 

LITERACY COACH The format of this book has great accessibility for this age group. Careful weaving such a text into a broader theme is crucial, and not hard to do. Before introducing a novel in this format, discussions about familial ties, and the definitions of family, loyalty and choice in shaping one's destiny are just a few themes to pull from, which usually cause students to discuss and share. Another means to help students become familiar with the dialogue and experiencing it together would be a form of role playing; breaking students into groups and have them act out various scenes, alternating between each. In taking this approach students can enjoy a kinesthetic response and interact with the text in a different way. Lastly students can keep a sketchbook that will include personal drawings and reflections. These can also be shared within smaller groups and the whole class.