Walker Books and The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to publish children’s edition of Shakespeare’s First Folio

Walker Books and The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) have teamed up to publish a children’s edition of Shakespeare’s First Folio, illustrated by Emily Sutton, with 10,000 copies to be donated to UK schools and libraries.

Walker Books publishing director Denise Johnstone-Burt acquired world and UK rights to publish Shakespeare’s Plays: A First Folio for Children, and Candlewick Press will publish the book in the US. The publisher has been a long-term partner of the SBT and supporter of the charity’s annual Shakespeare Week.

Shakespeare’s Plays: A First Folio for Children will be the first-ever illustrated children’s edition, to be published in spring 2024, marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio. The Folio, which the SBT holds three original copies of in its collection, first brought together all Shakespeare’s plays in one volume in 1623.

All 36 plays are included in the same order that they were published in the First Folio. Each play has been abridged by Dr Anjna Chouhan from the SBT to preserve Shakespeare’s original dramatic language, while allowing it to be performed by a minimum of eight performers in under 20 minutes.

The book will serve as a formative introduction to Shakespeare’s characters, dialogue and stagecraft for young people aged eight upwards. The SBT is also developing a series of free digital resources for teachers to use alongside the physical book.

The independent charity is funding the donation of copies to schools and libraries across the UK, with the aim of placing a copy in every primary school in England. To support the extension of their campaign, they are launching an international fundraising programme.

Illustrator Sutton’s previous titles with Walker include A First Book of the Sea, The Christmas Eve Tree and William Sieghart’s poetry anthology Everyone Sang. She has researched each play using the SBT’s collection, which includes weapons, domestic objects, textiles and early printed books.

Andy Reeves, head of learning development at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, said: “With 2023 being the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio, a book that first brought Shakespeare’s plays together in one volume and set the highest bar for creativity, performance and collaboration, we could think of no better way of celebrating than to re-introduce the works and words of Shakespeare to young people, empowering them to read or perform them as they choose.”

Johnstone-Burt added: “Without the First Folio, we would not have the works of Shakespeare as we know them. This flagship project is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate one of the greatest books ever published and bring the works of our most important writer to a younger generation, in an accessible form. We are enormously proud to continue our work alongside the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and inspire new audiences for the future.”