A Midsummer Night's Drama

There’s a drama unlike anything you’ve seen before and it’s being played out in a woodland theatre called The Glade that is owned by animal friends, who also have key roles. So, let’s meet the actors. There’s star of the show Bill Bear who loves staging plays and his pals, Sir Bun Bun, Foxy and Lady Bushytail. These productions attract large audiences from all over the kingdom. There’s great excitement as Bill and his pals are appearing in a brand new play. Its entire cast comprises a fairy queen, a fairy king, a cheeky sprite Puck, and Bottom. The duties of stage manager, props manager, set designer, understudy, and lighting technician are all done by various insects.

The first performance of their play is a terrific success, but that night Bill Bear’s brain is bursting with ideas and suffering from brain overload, he just cannot sleep. Instead he begins working on a new play. Then in buzzes Queen Bee who says, ‘I COMMAND you to zzzzzzzsleep!’ and buzzes out again leaving the acting troupe to proffer sleeping advice. Can any of them come up with a plan that will finally send him off to slumberland?

Cleverly unfolding in three acts with word usage hinting at the story’s Shakespearean background and origins, Louie Stowell’s text together with suitably dramatic illustrations by Isobel Lundie is sure to be a winner; the first so we believe in a splendidly creative series of Shakesbearean Tales. Whether shared at home or in the classroom, take time to peruse the book’s final spread, which presents some information about William Shakespeare and his work. Make sure you look closely at the front endpapers too.

I look forward to the next Shakesbearean Tales production.