I read a bit out of each of the books, and then decided to see what else I could find out about the author before I continued. I went to both his website as well as Wikipedia. What some people may not know, is that Mr. Silverstein was more than a children's author. According to his biography, he wrote the song "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash, winning a Grammy for this song in 1970. He also authored cartoons during his time in the military in Korea, extending this into cartoons for Playboy when he returned from the war. Even during the years that he was writing his children's poetry, he was composing, singing and recording songs as well. He was also a playwright towards the end of his life. It's amazing the different types of media he was involved with. He passed away in 1999 of a heart attack in Florida.
Some of the poetry was not to my liking; however, but I found some real gems in both of the books I picked up. For example:
Alice
She drank from a bottle called DRINK ME
And so she grew so tall,
She ate from a plate called TASTE ME
And down she shrank so small.
And so she changed, while other folks
Never tried nothin' at all.
From Where the Sidewalk Ends, Harper Collins Publishers, New York, copyright 2004, Special 30th Anniversary Edition, page 112.
Putting aside grammar and spelling, this little poem could open up a discussion about taking chances in life instead of staying in the safe place. There are many more thought provoking poems you can use to open up discussion about how a child is feeling about brothers and sisters, playing sick to stay home from school and other situations. I would recommend that a parent or teacher read through the poems prior to reading them with a child, as there are poems and language that some parents and/or teachers might find objectionable. All in all, I think I'd recommend his poetry and would like to have this book in my classroom should I decide to teach again.
More books and media by Shel Silverstein can be found at Amazon.
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