Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. ( )

I liked Macbeth better, but that's probably mostly because I just like Macbeth more than Romeo and Juliet. Still, such a fun interpretation of Shakespeare and totally accessible for kids. I can't wait to see what'll come next! ( )

What a disappointing follow-up to the Macbeth volume. The creators stray a little too far from the source material with true love replaced with "best friends," family rivalry replaced with prejudice, and death replaced with "hibernation." Big fail. ( )

I reviewed the first Stratford Zoo title for No Flying No Tights and I loved it. Unfortunately, it really didn't circulate much despite my booktalking and I was disappointed but sadly decided not to purchase the second volume. However! A young patron desperately wanted to read the next book and no other library had purchased them. So I got to buy it after all!

I didn't like this one as much as Macbeth, but it was still fun. The zoo animals are putting on another production, this time of the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. A rooster and a bear, representing the petting zoo and the wild animals, find themselves becoming best friends. Unfortunately, their friends and families do not approve and Juliet's father wants her to be best friends with a lion! A wise owl has a clever plan, but things keep getting wrong and in the end....they both end up hibernating together.

I loved the silly chatter of the audience, the side story of the lamb and monkey kids fighting, and the dramatic hilarity of the story. I did feel that substituting the best friends/playdate/hibernation for the love/marriage/death was a little silly. I'm pretty sure most kids are going to realize that in the "real" story they die. I do love Giallongo's art - there's no fancy artistic subtleties to it, just strong, classic cartoon art with his own style keeping it unique.

Verdict: I still think these are delightful fun and I can't wait to see what's next - the book says they're going to tackle a comedy! but I have to admit they haven't clicked with my audience. However, as long as I've got at least one (two including me) fan I will definitely keep purchasing them and trying to think of fun ways to promote them.

ISBN: 9781626722781; Published 2015 by First Second; Purchased for the library

This is another unique and interesting addition to Ian Lendler's Stratford Zoo series. Just like Macbeth, he easily softens the tragedy of Shakespeare into a digestible story for young reader's who aren't even in high school yet. The perspective of the zoo animals watching a play and making humorous asides about the story is a genius way of allowing the reader to better understand the story. The tale holds true to Romeo and Juliet and plays out similarly, but with a less traumatic ending. Juliet is a bear who lives in the wild and Romeo is a rooster who lives in a petting zoo; and these types of animals aren't supposed to be friends, but Romeo and Juliet go on playdates anyway. Fun, cute, and a highly recommended graphic novel for young reader's. ( )