Literary Critters; William Shakesbear’s Journey For Inspiration
There are floor to ceiling bookshelves in every room of my home and they are all filled with books that we love. We read a LOT and we quote a LOT and we dramatize scenes from our favorite fiction a LOT. In the mid-aughts of 2000, my three oldest children made their theatrical debuts in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and continued to act their way through many (unabridged) scripts of Shakespeare’s. You’ll catch people muttering about what fools these mortals be, how Romeo and Juliet were rather unfocused on reality, and how someone’s behavior is wayyyyyy too Puckish for this situation. In fact, I’m going to be teaching a class at our homeschool co op this coming year on 6 of Shakespeare’s comedies. When Literary Critters; William Shakesbear’s Journey For Inspiration by Sophie Corrigan landed on my desk from the publisher, there was much rejoicing from my crew and they all crowded around and began laughing their ways through the pages.
This book is geared to be a read aloud for young children, but it also equally entertains adults. It follows Will Shakesbear who is on a quest for inspiration for his new work. He visits his friends, such a Yak Keroac, Edgar Talon Crow, Beatrix Trotter, Loris Carrol, and Charles Chickens. Each friend is engaged in an activity that hilariously harkens back to the character’s namesake’s work, but naturally telling the story to the younger listeners who may not know the ‘inside jokes’. The illustrations are soft and engaging, and bring us through to the end of the book where, upon waking from a winter’s hibernation, Will Shakesbear finds stacks of books from his friends to help inspire his new play. They form the Literary Critters Guild and become supports for each other’s work.
There are several ways to use this book in your ministry. This is a solid choice for a bedtime stories and prayers ministry. Adults and children alike will enjoy this book. You can extend the book’s reach by pulling out some of Beatrix Potter’s stories, or poems from Langston Hughs and William Wordsworth for subsequent sessions. It could be used as the spine of a seasonal author’s club ministry for the children in your church. They can form their own literary guild and share their struggles and inspiration with each other. This would be easy to do in person, virtually, or in a hybrid setting. It could also be a springboard for examining Biblical friendships and how different people through the Bible inspired and supported each other. Imagine this being done in a multigenerational setting! This little volume packs quite a punch in ministry!
