Unit Study-loving families may find in Starting with Shakespeare a very useful resource! This book is literary filled with Shakespeare-related activities! In the introduction we get to know the authors and their passionate belief in the benefits of bringing Shakespeare to elementary school. They are quite convincing with a top 20 reasons list, secrets for success and even some criticism of how memorization has been dropped from school curricula a long time ago. The introduction also helps the reader understand how the book is organized and what to expect. The first part of the book is entitled "Setting the Stage" and it offers biographical sketches on Shakespeare, very detailed ways to get the students interested, and creative tips for success. The second part presents four William Shakespeare plays, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Macbeth," "Hamlet," and "Romeo and Juliet" introduced for kids in a unique way alongside a plethora of resources and ideas for each one. As the publisher states: "a complete historical background, an introduction to the characters, a retelling of the story, a variety of integrated activities, verses for memorization, a complete script for class performance, and a list of resources accompany each play. Activities extend learning to history, geography, science, art, music, movement, math, and language arts." Each play is explained, character by character, plot, themes, and then told to children in prose with points for discussion in class. The authors encourage the making of a class film or video, as opposed to a performance, stating that it is simpler to use a video camera than setting up a live performance. What I enjoy about this book is that, albeit geared towards elementary school aged kids, it makes plenty of use of genuine Shakespeare language. Each play is also presented in "Will's Words--Selections for recitation", where key excerpts of the play are quoted on top of the page. Obscure words are defined and explained right below under "Say what?", and then a paragraph explains what is going on in plain English under "Kispeak". The illustrations are all made by elementary school students and some of them are quite interesting. All in all this book can be a wealth of resources for homeschool families daring the tackle the Bard of Avon in elementary or middle (or even high) school!