Thirty Plays from Favorite Stories

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4--The plays in this volume are short (4 to 14 pages) and are all based loosely on folktales. While many are taken from European stories, there are a few set in Asia, Africa, and South America. The writing is pedestrian and the characters are merely sketched. In fact, many have only been given names such as Boy or Old Woman. Due to the brevity of the scripts, the stories have been trimmed to their bare bones. In some cases, they have been significantly changed in order to fit into the short format. Students new to the experience of acting may find the simple dialogue and brief plots right up their alley--just be sure they know they are not telling the whole story.--Darcy Schild, Schwegler Elementary School, Lawrence, KS