Willy Waggledagger: A belt around my bum by Martin Chatterton
Little Hare, 2009.
ISBN: 9781921272981.
(Ages 8-12) The young Willy Waggledagger, AKA William
Shakespeare, the eleven year old son of a local tanner, is traveling
with the
Black Skulls theatre troupe to perform for Queen Elizabeth. When the
self-appointed 'King of the Faeries' confronts the troupe and demands
they
retrieve his 'Golden Girdle' from the Queen, Willy is given a love
potion to
assist in the task. Things begin to go dramatically wrong when the
potion is
taken by the wrong characters and Willy again has to work hard and fast
to
resolve the situation.
As a humorous novel which shares some
elements of A Midsummer Night's Dream, this romp through the
childhood
of
William Shakespeare is hardly on a par with the works of the Bard. It
is not
brilliantly crafted 'literature' but is nonetheless an enjoyable read
and could
provide children with an introduction to Shakespeare's plays.
Gregory Rogers' illustrations, particularly
the silhouette style used on the cover, add their own unique brand of
humour to
the story. Both cover and title would be likely to draw the child in
and
maintain interest to the end to see how the story concludes. This could
be a
welcome addition as a class read aloud.
Jo Schenkel