Shel Silverstein
Biogrpahy: Sheldon Allan Silverstein was born in Chicago, Illinois
on September 25, 1930. Shel had a happy childhood saying "When I was a kid-12,
14 around there-I would have much rather have been a good baseball player or a
hit with the girls. But I couldn't play ball. I couldn't dance. . . . So I
started to draw and write." Shel graduated from Roosevelt High School and went
on to the University of Illinois at Navy Pier were he was thrown out after one
year of study. He then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts for a year. After
that he went to Roosevelt University in Chicago for three years, but never
finished because he was drafted in 1953 to the United States military and served
in Korea and Japan.
Shel was married and later divorced after having a daughter. His daughter, Shanna, was born on June 30th 1970.
Shel wrote many songs as well and because he wasn't a good singer he gave them to many famous artists to sing them. For example, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Jerry Lee Lewis and many more. Some of his more well known songs are "A Boy Named Sue" and "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh."
Shel wrote and had many books published, his more famous ones were for children but he wrote for adults as well. Some of his books include: The Giving Tree, The Missing Piece, Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O and Falling Up.
Shel won awards for many of his books including: The Michigan Young Readers Award for Where the Sidewalk Ends (1981); a School Library Journal Best Books (1982) for A Light in the Attic, and an International Reading Association's Children's Choices Award for The Missing Piece Meets the Big O. He also recorded ten poems from his book Where the Sidewalk Ends and ended up winning a Grammy for it.
Shel was more then just a poet and songwriter he was a well known cartoonist, and musician as well. When he was in the war he drew cartoons for a newspaper and Playboy. He also illustrated all three of his books of poems for children.
Shel was a very quiet man only ever doing a few interviews and living a very private life. In 1975, he did agree to do a interview with Jean Mercier of Publishers Weekly magazine. In it he told her: "Lots of things I won't do. I won't go on television because who am I talking to? . . . Twenty million people I can't see? Uh-uh. And I won't give anymore interviews." He never did, that was his only interview ever.
Sadly Shel Silverstein died on May 10th, 1999 of a heart attack.
Biogrophy Referance
The Giving Tree
Once there was a tree....
and she loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come
and he would gather her leaves
and make them into crowns
and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
and swing from her branches
and eat apples.
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired,
he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree....
very much.
And the tree was happy.
But time went by.
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.
Then one day the boy came to the tree
and the tree said, "Come, Boy, come and
climb up my trunk and swing from my
branches and eat apples and play in my
shade and be happy."
"I am too big to climb and play" said
the boy.
"I want to buy things and have fun.
I want some money?"
"I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I
have no money.
I have only leaves and apples.
Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in
the city. Then you will have money and
you will be happy."
And so the boy climbed up the
tree and gathered her apples
and carried them away.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time....
and the tree was sad.
And then one day the boy came back
and the tree shook with joy
and she said, "Come, Boy, climb up my trunk
and swing from my branches and be happy."
"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy.
"I want a house to keep me warm," he said.
"I want a wife and I want children,
and so I need a house.
Can you give me a house ?"
" I have no house," said the tree.
"The forest is my house,
but you may cut off
my branches and build a
house. Then you will be happy."
And so the boy cut off her branches
and carried them away
to build his house.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time.
And when he came back,
the tree was so happy
she could hardly speak.
"Come, Boy," she whispered,
"come and play."
"I am too old and sad to play,"
said the boy.
"I want a boat that will
take me far away from here.
Can you give me a boat?"
"Cut down my trunk
and make a boat," said the tree.
"Then you can sail away...
and be happy."
And so the boy cut down her trunk
and made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy
... but not really.
And after a long time
the boy came back again.
"I am sorry, Boy,"
said the tree," but I have nothing
left to give you -
My apples are gone."
"My teeth are too weak
for apples," said the boy.
"My branches are gone,"
said the tree. " You
cannot swing on them - "
"I am too old to swing
on branches," said the boy.
"My trunk is gone, " said the tree.
"You cannot climb - "
"I am too tired to climb" said the boy.
"I am sorry," sighed the tree.
"I wish that I could give you something....
but I have nothing left.
I am just an old stump.
I am sorry...."
"I don't need very much now," said the boy.
"just a quiet place to sit and rest.
I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree, straightening
herself up as much as she could,
"well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting
Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy.
Bear In There
There's a Polar Bear
In our Frigidaire--
He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.
With his seat in the meat
And his face in the fish
And his big hairy paws
In the buttery dish,
He's nibbling the noodles,
He's munching the rice,
He's slurping the soda,
He's licking the ice.
And he lets out a roar
If you open the door.
And it gives me a scare
To know he's in there--
That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire.
Peanut Butter Sandwich
I'll sing you a poem of a silly young king
Who played with the world at the end of a string,
But he only loved one single thing--
And that was just a peanut-butter sandwich.
His scepter and his royal gowns,
His regal throne and golden crowns
Were brown and sticky from the mounds
And drippings from each peanut-butter sandwich.
His subjects all were silly fools
For he had passed a royal rule
That all that they could learn in school
Was how to make a peanut-butter sandwich.
He would not eat his sovereign steak,
He scorned his soup and kingly cake,
And told his courtly cook to bake
An extra-sticky peanut-butter sandwich.
And then one day he took a bit
And started chewing with delight,
But found his mouth was stuck quite tight
From that last bite of peanut-butter sandwich.
His brother pulled, his sister pried,
The wizard pushed, his mother cried,
"My boy's committed suicide
From eating his last peanut-butter sandwich!"
The dentist came, and the royal doc.
The royal plumber banged and knocked,
But still those jaws stayed tightly locked.
Oh darn that sticky peanut-butter sandwich!
The carpenter, he tried with pliers,
The telephone man tried with wires,
The firemen, they tried with fire,
But couldn't melt that peanut-butter sandwich.
With ropes and pulleys, drills and coil,
With steam and lubricating oil--
For twenty years of tears and toil--
They fought that awful peanut-butter sandwich.
Then all his royal subjects came.
They hooked his jaws with grapplin' chains
And pulled both ways with might and main
Against that stubborn peanut-butter sandwich.
Each man and woman, girl and boy
Put down their ploughs and pots and toys
And pulled until kerack! Oh, joy--
They broke right through that peanut-butter sandwhcih
A puff of dust, a screech, a squeak--
The king's jaw opened with a creak.
And then in voice so faint and weak--
The first words that they heard him speak
Were, "How about a peanut-butter sandwich?"
Other Poems by Shel Silverstein
The Loser
Whatif
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Shel was married and later divorced after having a daughter. His daughter, Shanna, was born on June 30th 1970.
Shel wrote many songs as well and because he wasn't a good singer he gave them to many famous artists to sing them. For example, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Jerry Lee Lewis and many more. Some of his more well known songs are "A Boy Named Sue" and "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh."
Shel wrote and had many books published, his more famous ones were for children but he wrote for adults as well. Some of his books include: The Giving Tree, The Missing Piece, Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O and Falling Up.
Shel won awards for many of his books including: The Michigan Young Readers Award for Where the Sidewalk Ends (1981); a School Library Journal Best Books (1982) for A Light in the Attic, and an International Reading Association's Children's Choices Award for The Missing Piece Meets the Big O. He also recorded ten poems from his book Where the Sidewalk Ends and ended up winning a Grammy for it.
Shel was more then just a poet and songwriter he was a well known cartoonist, and musician as well. When he was in the war he drew cartoons for a newspaper and Playboy. He also illustrated all three of his books of poems for children.
Shel was a very quiet man only ever doing a few interviews and living a very private life. In 1975, he did agree to do a interview with Jean Mercier of Publishers Weekly magazine. In it he told her: "Lots of things I won't do. I won't go on television because who am I talking to? . . . Twenty million people I can't see? Uh-uh. And I won't give anymore interviews." He never did, that was his only interview ever.
Sadly Shel Silverstein died on May 10th, 1999 of a heart attack.
Biogrophy Referance
The Giving Tree
Once there was a tree....
and she loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come
and he would gather her leaves
and make them into crowns
and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
and swing from her branches
and eat apples.
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired,
he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree....
very much.
And the tree was happy.
But time went by.
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.
Then one day the boy came to the tree
and the tree said, "Come, Boy, come and
climb up my trunk and swing from my
branches and eat apples and play in my
shade and be happy."
"I am too big to climb and play" said
the boy.
"I want to buy things and have fun.
I want some money?"
"I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I
have no money.
I have only leaves and apples.
Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in
the city. Then you will have money and
you will be happy."
And so the boy climbed up the
tree and gathered her apples
and carried them away.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time....
and the tree was sad.
And then one day the boy came back
and the tree shook with joy
and she said, "Come, Boy, climb up my trunk
and swing from my branches and be happy."
"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy.
"I want a house to keep me warm," he said.
"I want a wife and I want children,
and so I need a house.
Can you give me a house ?"
" I have no house," said the tree.
"The forest is my house,
but you may cut off
my branches and build a
house. Then you will be happy."
And so the boy cut off her branches
and carried them away
to build his house.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time.
And when he came back,
the tree was so happy
she could hardly speak.
"Come, Boy," she whispered,
"come and play."
"I am too old and sad to play,"
said the boy.
"I want a boat that will
take me far away from here.
Can you give me a boat?"
"Cut down my trunk
and make a boat," said the tree.
"Then you can sail away...
and be happy."
And so the boy cut down her trunk
and made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy
... but not really.
And after a long time
the boy came back again.
"I am sorry, Boy,"
said the tree," but I have nothing
left to give you -
My apples are gone."
"My teeth are too weak
for apples," said the boy.
"My branches are gone,"
said the tree. " You
cannot swing on them - "
"I am too old to swing
on branches," said the boy.
"My trunk is gone, " said the tree.
"You cannot climb - "
"I am too tired to climb" said the boy.
"I am sorry," sighed the tree.
"I wish that I could give you something....
but I have nothing left.
I am just an old stump.
I am sorry...."
"I don't need very much now," said the boy.
"just a quiet place to sit and rest.
I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree, straightening
herself up as much as she could,
"well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting
Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy.
Bear In There
There's a Polar Bear
In our Frigidaire--
He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.
With his seat in the meat
And his face in the fish
And his big hairy paws
In the buttery dish,
He's nibbling the noodles,
He's munching the rice,
He's slurping the soda,
He's licking the ice.
And he lets out a roar
If you open the door.
And it gives me a scare
To know he's in there--
That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire.
Peanut Butter Sandwich
I'll sing you a poem of a silly young king
Who played with the world at the end of a string,
But he only loved one single thing--
And that was just a peanut-butter sandwich.
His scepter and his royal gowns,
His regal throne and golden crowns
Were brown and sticky from the mounds
And drippings from each peanut-butter sandwich.
His subjects all were silly fools
For he had passed a royal rule
That all that they could learn in school
Was how to make a peanut-butter sandwich.
He would not eat his sovereign steak,
He scorned his soup and kingly cake,
And told his courtly cook to bake
An extra-sticky peanut-butter sandwich.
And then one day he took a bit
And started chewing with delight,
But found his mouth was stuck quite tight
From that last bite of peanut-butter sandwich.
His brother pulled, his sister pried,
The wizard pushed, his mother cried,
"My boy's committed suicide
From eating his last peanut-butter sandwich!"
The dentist came, and the royal doc.
The royal plumber banged and knocked,
But still those jaws stayed tightly locked.
Oh darn that sticky peanut-butter sandwich!
The carpenter, he tried with pliers,
The telephone man tried with wires,
The firemen, they tried with fire,
But couldn't melt that peanut-butter sandwich.
With ropes and pulleys, drills and coil,
With steam and lubricating oil--
For twenty years of tears and toil--
They fought that awful peanut-butter sandwich.
Then all his royal subjects came.
They hooked his jaws with grapplin' chains
And pulled both ways with might and main
Against that stubborn peanut-butter sandwich.
Each man and woman, girl and boy
Put down their ploughs and pots and toys
And pulled until kerack! Oh, joy--
They broke right through that peanut-butter sandwhcih
A puff of dust, a screech, a squeak--
The king's jaw opened with a creak.
And then in voice so faint and weak--
The first words that they heard him speak
Were, "How about a peanut-butter sandwich?"
Other Poems by Shel Silverstein
The Loser
Whatif
Where the Sidewalk Ends