TO SLEEP PERCHANCE TO DREAM: A CHILD'S BOOK OF RHYMES, illustrated by James Mayhew, is a children's picture book, with each page displaying a small snippet of a Shakespeare passage. There is an issue that becomes apparent almost immediately: the book is 100% authentic original Shakespeare and therefore the language is not fully accessible to the very young children for whom this book is intended (or, indeed, the adults who may be reading this book to them!). That being said, I admire the commitment to keeping Shakespeare's poetry and prose intact, and the large, colorful, lush illustrations bring each passage to life, making context and inference natural. Also, the language itself is well-chosen, tasteful, and sing-songy--easy enough to follow. What's more, the author has woven all of these disparate passages together to create a sort of loose narrative, a fairy-tale-like adventure with beautiful sights and sounds. I think the book achieves Mayhew's stated goal of being young children's first exposure to Shakespeare, and it makes a beautiful bed-time storybook for parents to read to their children, for mutual benefit. ( )

While this book is on a reading level much higher than it is illustrated for, if it is read to children it would be very enjoyable. Between the illustrations and the melody of the poetry I think any child could enjoy this book as long as it is read in a sing-song way. ( )

Verses from Shakespeare combine with large, surreal paintings to guide a reader or listener through a magical day. James Mayhew's watercolor paintings are breathtaking. Very soft tones mix the actions of the children, wonderfully green and blue settings, and small hints of the fantastical to wonderful effect. These paintings are created from literal interpretations of bits of Shakespeare verse, which often heighten the mood. However, it is here that the problem arises: Shakespeare is not easy to read. Some of these verses contain words adults won't know, and young children will have a very difficult time comprehending much of the meaning. Still, this book makes an excellent read aloud to a small child, who can enjoy the landscapes and antics while a voice provides a melody whose words don't need to be understood. ( )