I read Shel Silverstein when I was young and I loved his poetry. I used to read it to the kids I babysat (and I never sat on a baby) and I now read it to my own children. What can be said that hasnt been said already? This: Shel Silverstein wrote more than just silly. Some of his greatest poems bring tears to my eyes and make me think about things like justice, death, love, and even my Creator. Pretty deep stuff. I personally believe its that inane sense of humor he had combined with an almost philosophical take on life that mades Shel a great childrens poet.
Some of my favorite poems by Shel are in this collection, The Light in the Attic.
The Little Boy and the Old Man should make any person who reads it think about aging and reaching out to our loved ones who are er, how shall I say it, a little past their prime and also to those who havent quite reached their prime yet. And How Many, How Much is a wonderful reminder that friendship starts in your own heart.
And I wonder, was one of my favorite movies (Bruce Almighty) inspired by one of my favorite Shel Silverstein poems (Gods Wheel)? Did the writer read that poem and think "What a great premise for a movie!" Could be. Whatever the case I know his work was one of my inspirations in becoming a childrens writer. And now Im writing a book of poetry for children and as I craft it I returned to all these funny, touching, ironic, wistful, poems and realized, "Uh oh, I set the bar too low. I need to kick it up a notch." I so I strive to do just that.
My nightmare is being compared by a cranky reviewer to Shel Silverstein, "This writer is an imposter to the throne of the great Shel." Let me state here and now that I dont want the throne. I would just like to sit under a oak tree in the courtyard outside the palace if thats okay. And while Im there Ill just take a big whiff of the rosebush that stayed so very small (read the book and you shall see what I mean).
Finally, let me add this, I believe these poems expanded my creativity in my younger years and I believe they expand it to this very day. Buy a Light in the Attic for your children and read the poems together. You will expand their vocabulary, help them develop a sense of comedic timing, cultivate an interest in poetry, and give them their first lessons in philosophy, all the while having a fantastic time together. Now thats what I call maximum return on a minimal investment(...)
Shel Silverstein does it again. This time with "A Light in the Attic". A great compelation of poems that will have you laughing throughout the day. When I first picked this book up, I couldnt put it down for its gripping the reader techniques with such humorous poems. With characters in his poems ranging from any animal to any human, this book definitely has variety. I love the way Shel is able to rhyme things together and come up with such great stories in his poems......this is very evident in this book.Most of th peoms run about half a page, some long, some short. All of course, though, have humor and really show the work put in to them. This poem book is one of Silversteins finest and deserves some sort of award.
I want to thank Shel Silverstein for creating such a wonderful poem book and such great ideas that make you want to read the whole book in one sitting. That would definitely take time though it would be worth it.
As you can see, I really recommend anyone of any age buying this book so they can enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you for reading my review and have a nice day!!
