Born:

November 23, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois

Family:

One daughter; divorced.

Career:

Cartoonist, songwriter, recording artist, and writer. Playboy magazine, Chicago, IL, writer and cartoonist, 1956. Appeared in film "Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He saying Those Terrible Things about Me?". 1971; composer of soundtracks for motion pictures. Military srvice: Served with U.S. forces in Japan and Korea during the 1950's; cartoonist for Pacific Stars and Stripes.

Decision to write:

"When I was a kid....12, 14, around there -- I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls, but I couldn't play ball, I couldn't dance. Luckily, the girls didn't want me; not much I could do about that. So I started to draw and write...By the time I got where I was attracting girls, I was already into work, and it was more important to me."

References:

• Something about the Author. Vol. 92, pp. 208-11.
• Horn Book. September-October, 1996, p. 606.
• Children's Literature Review Vol. 5, Gale, 1983, pp. 208-13.
• Language Arts. January, 1982, p. 53.

Books by author Shel Silverstein:

• Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book (1961)
• Uncle Shelby's Story of Lafcadio, the Lion Who 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 (poems) (1981)
• Falling Up: Poems and Drawings (1996)

For Adults; Self Illustrated

• Now Here's My Plan: A Book of Futilities (1960)
• Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book: A Primer for Tender Minds (humor) (1961)
• A Playboy's Teevee Jeebies (cartoons) (1963)
• More Playboy's Teevee Jeebies: Do-It-Yourself Dialogue for the Late Late Show (1965)

Awards/Honors:

• Where the Sidewalk Ends:
• New York Times Notable Book designation (1974)
• Michigan Young Readers award (1981)
• George G. Stone award (1984)

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

• The Missing Piece Meets the Big O:
• International Reading Association's Children's Choice award (1982)

ACTIVITIES:

Activity #1:

Appropriate for grade 4.

Materials: Shel Silverstein's book of poems Where the Sidewalk Ends. Paper and Pencil.

Procedure: Read Poem "Boa Constrictor" to class. Ask students to list the various animals that inhabit the Amazon. If they do not recall the boa constrictor, remind them that boa constrictors live in the Amazon jungle. Split the class up into small groups. Have each group responsible for choosing one animal, other than the boa constrictor, that exists in the Amazon jungle. The students must alter Shel Silverstein's poem, by putting the name of the animal they choose in place of the boa constrictor (e.g. Oh I'm being eaten by a crocodile...). Followup: Students can study/research the animal they chose.

Activity #2:

Appropriate for grades 2-5

Materials: Construction paper, paper for the bark rubbing, crayons, pencil, notebook paper, and reference books (trees).

Procedure: Read Shel Silverstein's book The Giving Tree to the class. Ask the students to take a piece of paper and draw a tree or trees. Don't ask for a particular type of tree or size, etc. Then take students on a nature walk near a wooded area. Ask the students to describe the trees to you. Ask them, what are some of the similarities and differences? Return to the classroom and have them draw a tree or trees again. Have them compare the two sets of pictures, were the second drawings more detailed? Were they more aware of the shape of the trees? Then discuss and research the different trees (e.g. coniferous and deciduous trees). Go back outside and have students adopt a tree, take a bark rubbing, a leaf, and draw a picture of their tree. When they return to the classroom have them look up and identify their tree in a reference book. The students then can write facts down about their tree anyway they want.

Activity #3:

Materials:Shel Silverstein's book of poems A Light in the Attic. Pencils, crayons, markers and paper.

Procedure: Read a few poems to class. Talk about poetry and the different genres of poetry. Ask students to write a poem or story (can be fact or fiction) and draw a picture that describes their poem. Have each student either post or share at their poem and picture for the class.

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