The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Romeo and Juliet

My 7 year old checked this book out at the library early in 2017. After we returned it, she couldn't stop talking about it. Then during the course of the year she checked it out and re read it probably 30-40 times. When she opened the gift of the book on Christmas morning she actually went and found a corner in the room and digested the book again, calling out her favorite quotes and laughing over the images. We couldn't pull her away from the book until she finished. I am a huge fan of a children's book that not only grabs the child's attention but also teaches them famous quotes and a classic story in a way they understand. Love the art work. Hope to see more than the current 2 Stratford Zoo books from this author/illustrator in the future.

Ian has a tremendous wit that resonates with young readers, but also with adults. The story line is similar enough to the original to be a great introduction to the stories of Shakespeare. My 7 year old loved this book and was quoting from it to us and staying up too late to read. The artistry is also amazing. Thank you for this series!

Just adorable! Macbeth was my favourite but this comes pretty close. That's probably my own bias though since I love Macbeth and don't like Romeo and Juliet. However, Lender changes everything about R&J that bothers me turning it into a cute little romp of a tragedy. Romeo is a rooster and Juliet is a bear and instead of being in love they become BFF's! They don't commit suicide but go into hibernation and the theme is prejudice: petting zoo animals vs forest animals. The book is a joy to read; Lender has such a crazy sense of humour and Giallongo's art is comical. Regular characters return from the last book and mention of last week's play, Macbeth, is made. The monkey family returns and the audience antics are probably my favourite part. I'd hardly call these a real introduction to Shakespeare as the plots have been changed so much rather it's just a jumping off point for Lender to make a riotous pastiche of classic literature. The ending tells us that the next book will be a comedy, I wonder what it will be?? I'd love to see this author/illustrator duo take on "The Taming of the Shrew"!

I've been looking for this exact book without knowing it. My son's name is Romeo and I've been looking for a comic type book that tells the story of Romeo and Juliet.

My first-grader now loves Shakespeare. Macbeth is his favorite one so far.

The Stratford Zoo animals are putting on another play. This one is their version of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is a rooster in the petting zoo. Juliet is a young bear in the wild. The wilders and the petters do not mix, but when Romeo sneaks into a party Juliet is at, the two become friends. They sneak out for a play date and seek the wisdom of the wise old owl for how to keep their friendship alive. The owl advises them to declare each themselves best friends and when that isn't enough, he cooks up a scheme involving hibernation. Meanwhile a young lamb and a monkey in the audience have a petty feud going on based on nothing but blind prejudice, and they may learn a lesson from the play if they aren't careful.I know, it's hard to imagine a kid-friendly and non-romantic version of Shakespeare's classic romantic tragedy, but Lendler has managed to pull it off. The hibernation thing was a stroke of genius. And I liked that he had the two just be friends rather than romantic interests. Parents will like the anit-prejudice moral of the story emphasized in this version. I even learned a few things about the original Shakespearean players and Shakespeare's inspiration for the play from the notes in the back of the book.Notes on content: One minor swear word (an old word for a donkey that is used with double meaning). No sexual content. One death in the play from embarrassment. (The actor isn't really dead.) There's a fight scene but it gets mostly blocked out by an entrance of an elephant to the theater.

This is easily my favorite new graphic novel series out there! My kids absolutely devoured the first book, MACBETH, and they are on the bed right now, reading ROMEO AND JULIET together and cracking up. Ian Lender's hilarious take on Shakespeare is brilliant, and Zack Giallongo's bright and vibrant art makes everything happy, even the tragic parts. If you're looking for a way to introduce kids to some true classics, this is the perfect series for you. I'm hoping to see many more Shakespearean plays interpreted by these two and their talented troupe of animal actors!

THE STRATFORD ZOO MIDNIGHT REVUE PRESENTS graphic novel series by Ian Lendler and Zack Giallongo is an engaging way to introduce youth to the works of Shakespeare.Romeo and Juliet is the second book in this growing graphic novel series. In this fantasy adaptation of the famous play, animals are both the actors and the audience members. The brightly colored illustrations will draw young readers into the story and provide an engaging introduction Shakespeare for middle grade youth.Librarians will find this series to be a wonderful way to introduce Shakespeare’s greatest works. Consider building literature circles that focus on each of Shakespeare’s key works.To learn more about Ian Lendler, go to http://ianlendler.com/.To learn more about Zack Giallongo, go to http://zackgiallongo.com/.Published by FirstSecond, an imprint of Macmillan.