Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

Schlitz, L. A. (2007).  Good masters, sweet ladies.  Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.

This book is written in 17 short plays that took place during the  Middle Ages in an English manor in 1255. It introduces twenty-two characters, such as maidens, monks, shepherds, a plowboy, and many more.  Each character has their own story to tell about their life.  There is Hugo, the Lord’s nephew who had to kill a boar to prove his manhood.  Taggot is the blacksmith’s daughter who feels she is ugly, fat, and that there is no one for her.  There is Alice, the shepherdess, her mother died and is raised by sheep.  She calls them mother and sister.  Mogg is the villein’s daughter, who gets a lesson about saving a cow from the greedy landlord.  These short plays were written by Schlitz, a librarian.  She wrote the book for students who were learning about Middle Ages.   These plays help them experience how children lived during the medieval time.  This is a historical picture book play and the author uses monologues and dialogues to allow students to be able to star in each play.  She also used footnotes to give information about the characters.  The illustrator used a pen-and-ink  drawings to capture beauty of the characters and setting.   You can have your students act out one of the plays.  You can create props and costumes.