Shel Silverstein

By Lauren Wawrzyniak and Steven Thompson

1932• Born in Chicago on September 25th

1950’s• Begins Army service in Korea• Cartoonist for Pacific Stars and Stripes

1956• First Cartoon Published in Playboy Magazine

1963• The Lion Who Shot Back is Published

1964• The Giving Tree, A Giraffe and a Half, Who wants a cheap Rhinoceros?, and

Uncle Shelby’s Zoo: Don’t Bump the Glump! are published

1974• Where the Sidewalk Ends is published, receives award for New York Times

Outstanding Book

1976• The Missing Piece is published

1981

• A Light in the Attic is published and chosen as one of School Library Journal’s Best Books for 1981; The missing Piece Meets the Big O is published; receives the Michigan Young Readers’ Award for Sidewalk

1982• Big O is chosen one of the International Reading Association's Children's Choices

1983• Light in the Attic receives Buckeye Award

1984• Records Selection from Attic and Sidewalk for CBS records

1996• Falling Up is published.

Shel Silverstein’s Early Cartoons

• The Giving Tree: favorite among college students, saw as “a parable about perfect, selfless giving, and its ultimate rewards.” Received the most critical attention of all his books, religious connections; more blessed to give than to receive. The Nature of love.

• Lafcadio, The Lion Who Shot Back: closest thing to a novel, humor throughout that only older readers would understand.

• Where The Sidewalk Ends: anthology of poems from several years, not intended for publication in this collection but rather inspired by other events. New voice of variety and veracity about modern childhood, unencumbered by expectations of what poetry for children should be, determined to tell what a child’s life is.

• A Light in the Attic: clearly designed as a book by itself rather than as a collection of pieces. More focus on school and schoolwork, more clever, artful dodging of adult prohibitions, and more wordplay. Only book where he approaches issues of sex and sexiness.

• Falling Up: appeared as a surprise after being absent for 20 years. Poetry about new gadgetry, especially that unavailable to him earlier. Catching up with 20 years of technology. Observing life's oddities and humor.

• Themes:– Violation of expectation!! – the child has the ability to create, imagine, and communicate his or her own interesting

stories. – Naturalness is a virtue, nudity is a fit subject for children’s poetry.– children’s ability to create magic, to reconstruct the world in a more enjoyable form.– Criticism of adults and their injunctions– He speaks of what children think about but dare not say in adult company– FREEDOM

What makes Shel’s work so distinctive?

• Drew Reid (Songwriter)– “He was a lonely kid. He was always aware that he

was different from the other kids around him. Let’s face it, musicians, artists – anybody who’s creative – we’re all kind of wacky because we don’t look at stuff the way other people do, and Shel always knew that.”

• Dr. Demento (syndicated radio personality)– Shel Silverstein… was a genius in a dozen genres, the

last of the real Renaissance men. He loved life and lived it more intensely that most of us dare to dream”

What makes Shel’s work so distinctive?

• Spencer Leigh (Writer)– “In his books, cartoons and songs, Sheil Silverstein was know

for his wry, humorous slant on life; his own life was every bit as eccentric as the characters who peopled his work.”

• Frédérique Courard Hauri (Writer)– “Often, being labeled as a "children's artist" carries with it an

implication of irrelevance. Shel Silverstien's poetry was anything but irrelevant. Not only did his poetry take the world which children experience very seriously (thus affirming their fears and joys as valid and worthwhile), but his influence in turning kids on to poetry (in this day and age of enslavement to television a true feat!) cannot and should not be taken lightly.”

The Giving Tree Overview• The Giving Tree was published in 1964.• It took Shel four years to get the book

published, due to the sad ending.• The book tells the story about a boy and a

tree. As a child, the boy would play with the tree and they grew to love each other. As the boy aged he forgot about the tree and only came to it when he needed something. First, he took the trees apples to sell. Then he took the trees branches to build a house. Finally, he took the trunk to sail away in. Throughout the story the tree was happy to give to the boy who he loved. In the end the boy, now an old man, returns to the tree and they are reunited as the boy just wants to sit on the trees stump.

The Giving Tree Teaching Suggestions• Third Grade Language Arts - 3.01

Respond to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes– After reading the book the students

can discuss or write the following questions• Why do you think the tree loved

the boy in the beginning? • Why do you think the boy loved

the tree? • Are the two “loves” the same

type of love? • Do you think the boy is selfish?

Why or why not? • Do you think the tree does too

much for the boy?• At the end of the story are you

happy or sad? Why?

• Fifth Grade Science - 1.06 Explain and evaluate some ways that humans affect ecosystems.– This book can introduce students

to how humans sometimes take too much from the environment. After reading the book they can answer some of the following questions to have them think about it.• What is the difference between a

want and a need?• What types of products are made

from trees? • What do you think deforestation is? • What is affected by a loss in habitat

due to development?• If humans take what they want

from nature with out regard for the consequences, what effect might this have on the planet?

Most Important Awards• Grammy Awards for Best Country Song, "A Boy Named

Sue":1969.• Grammy Awards for Best Children's Recording was for Where

the Sidewalk Ends in 1984.• ALA Notable Book for Where the Sidewalk Ends in 1974.• Outstanding Book Award for Where the Sidewalk Ends in

1974.• ALA Notable Book for A Light in the Attic in 1984.• Children's Choice Award for The Missing Piece Meets the Big

O in 1982.• William Allen Book Award for A Light in the Attic in 1984.

Most Noteworthy Books• Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back (1963)• The Giving Tree (1964)• Don’t Bump the Glump! (1964)• Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? (1964)• A Giraffe and a Half (1964)• Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974) • The Missing Piece (1976)• Falling Up (1996)• A Light in the Attic (1981)• The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (1981)• Runny Babbit (2005)• Every Thing On It (2011)

Bibliography

• http://www.fchcomm.com/silverstein.html (quote)• http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainmen

t/obituary-shel-silverstein-1095751.html (Quote)

• http://www.shelsilverstein.com/play.asp (noteworthy books)

• http://www.mccsc.edu/~jcmslib/jaguar/shel/awards.htm (awards)

• MacDonald, Ruth K. Shel Silverstein. New York: Twayne, 1997. Print.