Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Shel Silverstein

Sheldon Alan “Shel” Silverstein was born on September, 25, 1930 in Chicago, IL. He grew up there and attended the Chicago School of Performing Arts and other schools surrounding the Chicago area. Shel went on to have two children, Shanna and Matt. Shanna died at the age of 11 due to a cerebral aneurysm, and Matt was born in 1983 and presumed to still be alive. Shel died during the weekend of May 8, 1999 of a heart attack. Shel was a composer, an artist, and the author of numerous books of prose and poetry for younger readers.
Shel’s writing started kicking off when he was in the military in the 1950s. He wrote adult cartoons for the newspaper, Starts and Stripes. Some of his classics include:
Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book (1961)
Uncle Shelby's story of) Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back (1963)
The Giving Tree (1964)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974)
A Light in the Attic (1981)
Falling Up (1996)
Runny Babbit (2005) (published posthumously)
Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies (2008, originally published in 1964)
A Light in the Attic was actually the first children’s book to be on the New York Times best sellers list, and it stayed there for 182 weeks. Publishers Weekly did an interview with Shel on February 24, 1975 where he mentions when he was a young adolescent he wanted to be a star baseball player or a hit with the girls. However, he wasn’t great at either one so he started to draw and write, and that is when he developed his own style and own talent. He definitely has a unique one! Here is a list of some of the awards and honors Shel accomplished in his life:
1974 New York Times Outstanding Book Award for Where the Sidewalk Ends
1981 Michigan Young Readers’ Award for Where the Sidewalk Ends
1981 School Library Journal Best Books Award for A Light in the Attic
1982 International Reading Association’s Children’s Choice Award for The Missing Piece Meets The Big O
1983 Buckeye Award for A Light in the Attic
1984 George G. Stone Award for A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends
1984 William Allen White Award for A Light in the Attic
1985 Buckeye Award for A Light in the Attic
Shel was known and appreciated by many children as well as adults. People saw him as both wicked and giddy. His work is seen as sly and serious, and gruesome as well as just plain old silly!

Bibliography

Books:

Silverstein, Shel. Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book. Simon & Shuster: New York, NY. 1961.

Silverstein, Shel. Uncle Shelby’s story of Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back. Harper & Row :New York, NY. 1963.

Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. Harper & Row: New York, NY. 1964

Silverstein, Shel. The Missing Piece. Harper & Row: New York, NY. 1976

Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends. HarperCollins: New York, NY. 1974

Silverstein, Shel. A Light in the Attic. Harper & Row: New York, NY. 1981

Silverstein, Shel. Falling Up. HarperCollins: New York, NY. 1996

Silverstein, Shel. Runny Babbit. HarperCollins: New York, NY. 2005.

Silverstein, Shel. Don’t Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies. HarperCollins Publishers. New York, NY. 2008.

Essays:

Thomas, Joseph T. "Reappraising Uncle Shelby". Horn Book Magazine. May/Jun 2005, Vol 81 Issue 3, p.23-293.

Myers, Mitch. "Shel Silverstein". Rolling Stone. June 1999, Issue815, p26.

Interviews:

Lingeman, Richard. "The Third Mr. Silverstein". New York Times Book Review. April, 30, 1978.
Mercier, Jean. "Shel Silverstein." Publisher's Weekly. Feb., 24 1975

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