E. Nesbit has written many children's books. The one I'm most familiar with is The Railway Children. I really like that book and it influenced my decision to purchase this book. In the introduction of Shakespeare's Stories for Young Children, E. Nesbit explains her reasons for writing this book. She explains that her children love Shakespeare's story lines but at the time were too young to enjoy the actual play. So she took some of Shakespeare's most famous plays and summarized them, making it easier for children to understand. Shakespeare's influence is found everywhere and I wanted my children to be familiar with his plays. However Shakespeare didn't write for children and I know mine wouldn't understand the language and would be bored in a matter of pages. E. Nesbit did a great job explaining the stories. My children were able to comprehend the stories with little explanation. Each chapter is a different play and about six pages. She also includes direct quotes from the plays. It's the perfect introduction to Shakespeare for young children. ( )

The Dover edition (0486447626) is a republication of The Children's Shakespeare, published by Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia, 1900. It includes:
Romeo and Juliet
The Tempest
A Midsummer Night's Dream
King Lear
Cymbeline
The Taming of the Shrew
Hamlet
Twelfth Night
As You Like It
Pericles
The Merchant of Venice
The Winter's Tale