Family movie night? There's an app for that
Download our new mobile app on iOS and Android.
The Sonnets by William Shakespeare
By Stacy Zeiger,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Slightly scholarly app features expert Bard interpreters.
Add your rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
The Sonnets by William Shakespeare
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
THE SONNETS BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE introduces kids to all 154 of Shakespeare's infamous sonnets. This includes some of the more popular ones such as "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (Sonnet 18) and "Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds" (Sonnet 116). Video and audio recordings of well-known Shakespearean actors such as Star Trek's Patrick Stewart, famous authors, and other Shakespearean scholars reading the sonnets accompany the text. As kids read or listen, they see individual lines highlighted. A notes feature lets kids save their thoughts, questions, and interpretations, and they also can save their favorites. Before or after reading the individual sonnets, kids have access to additional notes, commentary, and perspectives on Shakespeare, his sonnets, and the general form of poetry.
Is It Any Good?
Although a bit scholarly in its appearance and approach, kids get the opportunity to see Shakespeare's sonnets outside the pages of a traditional textbook. Rather than struggling to read the poems themselves, they can first hear the poems read by actors who have performed in numerous productions of Shakespeare's work, acclaimed authors, and those who have dedicated their lives to studying Shakespeare and his works. As they hear the words pronounced by these scholars and read the notes and commentary connected with each sonnet, kids will begin to gain a general understanding of each sonnet. This will in turn help improve their understanding of Shakespeare's language as a whole, particularly because many of the Bard's sonnets appear in his plays. Unfortunately, to truly get kids interested in all this resource has to offer, parents will have to encourage kids to get past the pretty academic vibe and focus on the poems themselves.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Stage an old-school poetry slam, imagining how it would've gone down in Shakespearean times.
Rewrite one of the sonnets using modern-day language.
Families can talk about the themes of the sonnets and how they apply to life today.
App Details
- Device: iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading : discussion, reading, reading comprehension, speaking, text analysis, vocabulary, Arts : acting, theater
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : part-whole relationships, thinking critically, Emotional Development : identifying emotions, Communication : listening
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: March 27, 2014
- Category: Entertainment
- Publisher: Touch Press
- Version: 1.0.3
- Minimum software requirements: 1.0.3
- Last updated: August 16, 2016
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Download
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate