Trust father of three William Shakespeare for all the advice you need for any parenting dilemma, in this witty and erudite guide--a handy collection of wisdom drawn from his most beloved works, from Hamlet to King Lear to Much Ado About Nothing.

With a series of cunningly extracted lines from his best-loved plays and sonnets, hilariously illustrated in a simple, almost child-like style, James Andrews proves once again that Shakespeare--expert on love, death, vanity, ambition, war, deceit, regret--is the font of all wisdom, including raising children.

Your thirsty toddler wakes you up at 3 a.m. Shakespeare describes your thoughts perfectly:

What cursed foot wanders this way tonight? (Romeo and Juliet)

Your child throws a temper tantrum, clinging to your legs. Shakespeare has the perfect response:

Vile thing, let loose, or I will shake thee from me like a serpent. (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

Your son throws a booze party, crashes the car, or commits some other vaguely humiliating infraction or minor illegal act. Shakespeare feels your pain:

Good wombs have borne bad sons. (The Tempest)

And for your fussy, ungrateful eater? Shakespeare has an answer:

I'll make you feed on berries and on roots, and feed on curds and whey, and suck the goat (Titus Andronicus)

Organized by periods of parenting hell--from the newborn nightmares to the teenage trials--Shakespeare's Guide to Parenting is the perfect gift book for every literary parent or parent to be. If you want the last word with your children, nothing beats a quote from Shakespeare.