A story about witches, ghosts, murders and moral values by the greatest dramatist of them all: what else does one need at KS2?

There is a growing awareness (as a recent report on young people’s reading has revealed) that children today brought up on the internet and multi-channel TV are showing less and less inclination to read.

This is an issue that we, as publishers of Shakespeare, have faced and one that we feel we have answered with a unique publication of “Macbeth” for use in primary schools.

Our approach takes the majority of Shakespeare’s original text and offers it alongside both a modern English translation and page upon page of full colour illustrations.

The value of the combination of the original text and the contemporary “translation” is obvious – but there is also an added bonus from including the illustrations throughout.

The report on the decline in reading in young people I mentioned above also reveals that where young people are provided with suitable illustrations their willingness to read, and the level of knowledge that they take in, is greatly enhanced.

In our approach Shakespeare’s characters are presented in a way that allows KS2 children to consider and debate the questions that Macbeth raises: questions about whether Macbeth is a hero, who is to blame for Duncan’s murder, and indeed, what makes a good ruler of a nation, can all be considered in a more approachable manner.

This new edition of Macbeth in full colour with both the original text and a modern English translation is now being widely used in primary schools across the UK and is available direct from the publisher.

You can get a feel for the book here. Then just click on the small pictures that run down the web page to the right of the cover picture, and you’ll see exactly what individual pages of the resource look like.

There are more details of how to order on the website.  And If you would like to know more please do email us at info@shakespearecomics.com or call 01691 770165.

I do hope you find the approach of interest.

Simon Greaves