Author/Illustrator

By Jenna Green and Jennifer Martling

“If you are a dreamer, come in,If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fireFor we have some flax-golden tales to spin.Come in!Come in!”

-S.S.

INVITATION

Shel Silverstein

Chicago

Pacific Stars and Stripes

“sketches from the satirical pen of a talented new cartoonist”

Personally?

“Renaissance Man”

“If you want to find out what a writer or a cartoonist really feels, look at his work. That's enough." –Shel Silverstein, 1963

Silverstein’s “Other Ten Commandments”

11: Thou shalt not compromise12: Thou shalt not judge13: Thou shalt not seek rewards14: Thou shalt not follow leaders15: Remember every day to keep it Holy16: Honor thy children17: Thou shalt not destroy thy body before its time18: Mind Thine Own Business19: Thou shalt not waste thy time20: Thou Shalt Not Lay Guilt Upon the Head of thy Neighbor

-S.S.

Purpose?

“Draw a crazy picture,Write a nutty poem,Sing a mumble-gumble song,Whistle through your comb.Do a loony-goony dance'Cross the kitchen floor,Put something silly in the worldThat ain't been there before.”

-S.S.

Genre

Children’s Poetry

Themes• Freedom from social expectations

ALICE“She drank from a bottle called DRINK MEAnd up she grew so tall,She ate from a plate called TASTE MEAnd down she shrank so small.And so she changed, while other folksNever tried nothin’ at all.”

-S.S.

Where the Sidewalk Ends, p. 112

Themes Cont.• Childhood Issues

WARNING“Inside everybody’s noseThere lives a sharp-toothed snail.So if you stick your finger in,He may bite off your nail.Stick it farther up inside,And he may bite your ring off.Stick it all the way, and heMay bite the whole darn thing off.”

-S.S.Where the Sidewalk Ends, p. 74

Themes Cont.• Moral Lessons

I’M MAKING A LIST“I’m making a list of things I must say

for politeness,And goodness and kindness and gentleness,

sweetness and rightness:HelloPardon meHow are you?Excuse meBless youMay I?Thank youGoodbye

If you know some that I’ve forgot,please stick them in your eye!”

-S.S.Where the Sidewalk Ends, p. 37

What makes Silverstein’s work unique?“I was lucky that I didn’t have anyone to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style.”

-S.S.

About his style…

• Rockwell• Growth• Age-Appropriate• Straight-forward• Light illustrations• Creativity• Down-to-Earth and relatable

List of Silverstein’s Books• Uncle Shelby's Story of Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back

(1963)• The Giving Tree (1964)• Uncle Shelby's Giraffe and a Half (1964)• Uncle Shelby's Zoo: Don't Bump the Glump! (1964)• Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? (1964)• Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings (1974)• The Missing Piece (1976)• The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (1981)• A Light in the Attic (1981)• Falling Up: Poems and Drawings (1996)• Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook (2005)• Every Thing On It (2011)

• Uncle Shelby's Story of Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back (1963)

• The Giving Tree (1964)

• Uncle Shelby's Giraffe and a Half (1964)

• Uncle Shelby's Zoo: Don't Bump the Glump! (1964)

• Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? (1964)

• Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings (1974)

• The Missing Piece (1976)• The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (1981)

• A Light in the Attic (1981)

• Falling Up: Poems and Drawings (1996)

• Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook (2005)

• Every Thing On It (2011)

Awards• Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings (1974)

New York Times Notable Book designation, 1974Michigan Young Readers Award, 1981George G. Stone Award, 1984

• A Light in the Attic (1981)Best Books, School Library Journal, 1981Buckeye Awards, 1983 and 1985George G. Stone Award, 1984William Allen White award, 1984

• The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (1981)International Reading Association's Children's

Choice Award, 1982

Wait… What?

Proof, please.

Ursula Nordstrom

And the tree was happy.

The End.

Uses in the Classroom• Try to not share personal interpretations

• Read around Thanksgiving or Mother’s/Father’s Day and discuss ways to give back

• Allow the students to lead the discussion• Have them think about who gives to them• Ask them to brainstorm ideas and activities on how to

give back

• Create a bulletin board with the students• Recreate the story• Incorporate qualities of a giving person

Curricular Connections (Fifth Grade)• 2.02 Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and

viewing by: – making predictions.– formulating questions.– supporting answers from textual information, previous experience,

and/or other sources.– drawing on personal, literary, and cultural understandings.– seeking additional information.– making connections with previous experiences, information, and

ideas.• 2.05 Evaluate inferences, conclusions, and generalizations and provide

evidence by referencing the text(s).• 2.07 Evaluate the usefulness and quality of information and ideas based

on purpose, experiences, text(s), and graphics.• 2.10 Identify strategies used by a speaker or writer to inform, entertain, or

influence an audience.

Bibliography of BooksSilverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. New York:

HarperCollins, 1964. Print.Silverstein, Shel. A Light in the Attic: The Poems

& Drawings of Shel Silverstein. New York:HarperCollins, 1981. Print.

Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends: The Poems & Drawings of Shel Silverstein. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. Print.

Bibliography of Biographical Information

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

Something about the Author. Ed. Kevin S. Hile. Vol. 92. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Print. p208-

211.Weinman, Sarah. Shel Silverstein Comes Alive In a New Book, 12 Years After His Death. The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2011. Web. 1 March 2012.