Friends, Romans, countrymen: this is not your average book of quotations by Shakespeare.

Wherefore? Here you will find no comparisons to summers days, or advice to be true to oneself. Ladies will not protest too much, or demand the departure of damned spots. We are quite content with our winter, thank you very much, and our kingdom has plenty of horses. The stage of this brave new world has no men or women, rose-scented or otherwise, to bid goodnight to each other until the ides of March, or at least 'til it be morrow.

So what kind of book can this be? That is the question.

Shakespeare's brilliance shines through, not just in his most famous lines, but in every line. The tiniest snippet of his work contains fantastic wordplay and depth of imagery. This book takes some of his less-known bits about various animals and pairs them with Laudea Martin's unique illustrations assembled from textured layers.

And, like all Shakespeare, each page will become easier to understand the more you read it. The brilliant words of Shakespeare are meant to be heard, not seen, so read the words aloud and listen to the rhythm. Read them again and again, and let your imagination fill in the details of the scene.

Each illustration was digitally constructed using layers of textured color. Some textures will be immediately recognizable, such as wood grain or leaves; others may be more difficult to discern, but all come together to create whimsical representations of just a few of the animals mentioned by Shakespeare.

This volume, Shakespeare's Zoo, includes: falcon, eel, baboon, robin, bee, lizard, cricket, dove, camel, bat, crocodile, owl, fish, calf, parrot, crab, urchin, unicorn, spider, cat, and fox.

Other books in the series:

Shakespeare's Menagerie includes: raven, butterfly, horse, frog, mole, fly, ape, swan, barnacle, snail, tiger, mouse, beetle, wren, sheep, whale, adder, eagle, elephant, chameleon, and stag.

Shakespeare's Complete Paragon includes: all of the above.
About the Author: A very old (c. 1896) and well-loved boxed set of the complete works of William Shakespeare, which once belonged to Laudea's great grandmother, graces her overstuffed bookshelves. It was Laudea's determination to read all of them one summer that sparked her interest in the richness of Shakespeare's written words. Laudea (pronounced: LAH-dee-ah) has also long been a fan of all kinds of animals, and could spend hours simply watching them be. Each new line discovered while creating her illustrations deepens Laudea's understanding of the myriad ways in which animals move and live. Laudea loves experimenting with new art techniques, and her favorite pieces of art are those that make you want to reach out and touch them. Though Laudea occupies most of her time creating art, thinking about art, or reading, she also takes some time to teach local students about both art and animals (often at the same time). Laudea lives in Portland, Oregon.