Sheldon Alan Silverstein confirmed he never studied the poetry of others, and therefore developed his own style: laid-back and conversational, occasionally employing profanity and slang.
Silverstein was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. His talents were developed as a young man, long before he served in the U.S. armed forces. Alan was stationed in Japan and Korea in the 1950s. While in the military, he was a cartoonist for the Pacific edition of the military newspaper, "Stars and Stripes".
His name is most commonly known for writing and illustrating children's literature including; "The Missing Piece", "A Light In The Attic", "Lafcadio, Where the Sidewalk Ends", "Falling Up", "The Giving Tree", and "A Giraffe and a Half" (one of my personal favorites). When my children were young I used to read his poems and stories to them.
My oldest son, Ray was where my love for Silverstein began. When he was three years old in 1976, I purchased my first book of Silverstein poetry; "Where the Sidewalk Ends" © Copyright 1974. I went on to purchase several books of poetry, both adult and children's. Ray's all time favorite poem was/is;
"God's Wheel"
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/32619-Sheldon-Allan-Silverstein-God-s-Wheel
I love the take on the word "Will" and the child-like imagination of this poem. Just the other day my son said he read this poem to his daughter Rielyn, and she giggled.
My youngest son, Ryan especially loved;
"Crowded Tub"
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/26880-Sheldon-Allan-Silverstein-Crowded-Tub
I promise...I had to read this poem to Ryan to coax him into taking a bath. Boys love dirt, as it seems.
My youngest daughter, Rochelle was a free-spirited child and had a favorite;
"Eight Balloons"
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/60837-Sheldon-Allan-Silverstein-Eight-Balloons
My oldest daughter, Rachel always cared for animals and wanted to be a Veterinarian. She even studied Veterinarian Medicine at OSU. That is until she had to dissect the cadaver of a cat. That changed her mind instantly. Her favorite;
"Double-Tail Dog"
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/60759-Sheldon-Allan-Silverstein-Double-Tail-Dog
The Official Silverstein Site for Children:
http://shelsilverstein.com/indexSite.html
My favorite; yup...you guessed it, a very notable work;
"A Boy Named Sue"
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/32625-Sheldon-Allan-Silverstein-A-Boy-Named-Sue
For adults he wrote; "Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book", a satirical mock children's book, and created "Different Dances", a coffee table book of wordless, adult-themed cartoons. He continued to write colloquial poetry on occasion throughout his life, including a rap version of; "Shakespeare's Hamlet" that was published (on yellow-beige specialty paper) in Playboy magazine in 1998. He also co-wrote the screenplay; "Things Change" with David Mamet.
In 2005, Silverstein's last book, "Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook", was published posthumously. As the title suggests, every poem, and illustration in the book consists of spoonerisms. In an NPR interview, Mitch Myers, Shel Silverstein's nephew, who wrote the liner notes for a "Best of Shel Silverstein" CD and helped compile the new collection of poems, said;
"I think he wasn't sure about how it would be received. It is and was very different. And it's not easy, even for adults to read. I think, actually, younger children have a better time at it because they're not so preconceived in their notions of how words work. And the playfulness of it really comes across."
Shel once was quoted to say; "I did not have any inspirations, my talent formed, because that was what I loved to do....(and forever will). Many kids should Know their talents form in their heart and soul."
I agree with his notions. Every child has been given at least one talent at birth. The responsibility of the parent(s) is to nurturer that talent so that it can branch off into other talents. I admire the works of Silverstein and wrote a children's book of stories because of him. My work is called; "A Spoonful of Animals" written in 1978, performed at Warrensville Heights Talent show that same year. I am inclined to take the works from the page to the stage. I do hope to someday publish my book and inspire children as Uncle Shelby has done.
The phrase "Renaissance man" tends to get overused these days, but apply it to Shel Silverstein and it practically begins to seem inadequate. Not only has he produced with ease country music hits, and popular songs, but he's been equally successful at poetry, short stories, plays, and children's books. His whimsically hip fables are loved by readers of all ages. "A Light in the Attic", showed staying power, on the New York Times chart—two years, to be precise—that most of the biggest names (John Grisham, Stephen King, and Michael Crichton) have never equaled for their own blockbusters.
And there's more: his unmistakable illustrative style is another crucial element to his appeal. Just as no writer sounds like Shel, no other artist's vision is as delightfully cockeyed, or enchanting.
One can only marvel that Shel made the time to respond so generously to his friends' requests. He shows with great ease how the deed is not just in the wish but in the application and the limitless talent.
The phrase "Renaissance man" tends to get overused these days, but apply it to Shel Silverstein and it practically begins to seem inadequate. Not only has he produced with seeming ease country music hits and popular songs, but he's been equally successful at turning his hand to poetry, short stories, plays, and children's books. Moreover, his whimsically hip fables, beloved by readers of all ages, have made him a stalwart of bestseller lists. A Light in the Attic, most remarkably, showed the kind of staying power on the New York Times chart—two years, to be precise—that most of the biggest names (John Grisham, Stephen King, and Michael Crichton) have never equaled for their own blockbusters.
As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included many songs which were hits for other artists.
Most notably, he wrote the music and lyrics for "A Boy Named Sue" that was performed by Johnny Cash (for which he won a Grammy in 1970), and "One's on the Way" (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn). Silverstein was posthumously inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. Silverstein was also a formidable playwright.
Shel had two children. His first child was daughter Shoshanna (Shanna), born June 30, 1970, with Susan Hastings. Susan Hastings died 5 years later, on June 29, 1975, in Baltimore, Maryland. Shoshanna's aunt and uncle, Meg and Curtis Marshall, raised Shanna from the age of 5 until her death of a cerebral aneurysm in Baltimore on April 24, 1982 at the age of 11. Shanna was attending the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore at the time of her death. Shel dedicated his 1983 reprint of Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros to the Marshalls. "It was the single most devastating event of his life, and he never really did recover from it", says a close friend. Had Shanna lived, she would have been 28 at the time of Shel's death. A Light in the Attic was dedicated to Shanna, and Shel drew the sign with a flower attached. Shoshanna means lily or rose in Hebrew.
Shel's other child was his son Matthew, born in 1984. Shel's 1996 Falling Up was dedicated to Matt. Matthew's mother is alleged to be the "Sarah" mentioned in the other thanks for Falling Up.
Shel Silverstein died sometime during the weekend of May 8, 1999, in Key West, Florida, of a heart attack. His body was found by two housekeepers the following Monday, May 10. It was reported that he could have died on either day that weekend (Saturday or Sunday).
Take time to visit this whimsical, witty poet and Master at our very own oldpoetry.com
http://oldpoetry.com/oauthor/show/Sheldon_Allan_Silverstein
Look for an upcoming contest called; "Spoonerism"
Adding your comment:
I honestly NEVER realized he wrote A boy named Sue ...I love that song!!!! I guess your never to old to learn! Thank you!
