To Wee or Not to Wee

Written by Pamela Butchart
Illustrated by Thomas Flintham
Part of the Baby Aliens Series

            

The Lovereading4Kids comment

Of the many tributes to Shakespeare in this anniversary year, To Wee or Not to Wee must be the zaniest. It features retellings of four favourite Shakespeare plays with a definite focus on the action and character motivation. The twist however is that this is Shakespeare through the eyes of Izzy, star of the Baby Aliens series, so her retelling of Hamlet is prompted by Zach’s inability to decide between the hat and the car in Monopoly. Her version is certainly to the point: ‘As soon as the gravediggers said that Hamlet screamed “I knew him, Horatio”, and jumped RIGHT into the grave and began SPEAKING to the skull and asking it loads of questions, like “What should I do about EVERYTHING?” and just “Why?”’. For all the silliness, it gets across the main themes of the plays, and Izzy’s top-speed accounts are irresistible. ~ Andrea Reece

The Editor says: “Who better to introduce children to Shakespeare than Pamela Butchart? If anyone can see the role of lasagne in Hamlet, or how annoying it must be for Lady Macbeth to have to lay on an
unexpected buffet for Duncan, she can. The perfect introduction to the Bard, with all the suspense,
heroics and Italian food of the originals.”