Because everyone loves a good story
Selections from Shel Silverstein
If you’re of the opinion that poetry should be a strictly-serious endeavor, you may have forgotten your childhood.
Children’s books are full of poems. Sure, they’re of varying quality and depth, but there’s a reason kids are drawn to poems. Rhythm and rhyme offer structure. Repetition makes memorization easy. And silly topics are the icing on the cake. Good poetry is a great starting place for kids to learn a love of words.
My Kids’ Current Favorite
My kids and I have been reading through Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends—the first of three children’s poetry collections he published between the ‘70s and ‘90s. My kids have been loving these poems and the ridiculous pen-and-ink sketches that go along with them.
The topics are varied, from political to humorous to downright ridiculous. Honestly, you’ll enjoy reading them with or without a kid on your lap! Recently I was reading them aloud to my kids while my dad was working in another room, and I kept hearing him chuckle. These aren’t just for kids—they’re for humans.
Whimsical Poems
“Early Bird” offers some good advice for survival, no matter where you find yourself on the food chain.
Oh, if you’re a bird, be an early bird
And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.
If you’re a bird, be an early early bird—
But if you’re a worm, sleep late.”
“Tree House” encapsulates the feelings of every feral child, including yours truly.
A tree house, a free house,
A secret you and me house,
A high up in the leafy branches
Cozy as can be house.
A street house, a neat house,
Be sure to wipe your feet house
Is not my kind of house at all—
Let’s go live in a tree house.
“Boa Constrictor” is probably one of my favorites because of its silly structure and funny premise. The implied rhyme in the last line is a real classic.
Oh, I’m being eaten
By a boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
I’m being eaten by a boa constrictor,
And I don’t like it—one bit.
Well, what do you know?
It’s nibblin’ my toe.
Oh, gee,
It’s up to my knee.
Oh my,
It’s up to my thigh.
Oh, fiddle,
It’s up to my middle.
Oh, heck,
It’s up to my neck.
Oh, dread,
It’s upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff . . .
Inspirational Poems
Silverstein also includes plenty of poems with a more serious undertone. They’re still great for children to enjoy while leaving them—and their parents—with plenty to mull over later on.
“No Difference” feels like a simple idea at first, but the conclusion is pretty heavy.
Small as a peanut,
Big as a giant,
We’re all the same size
When we turn off the light.
Rich as a sultan,
Poor as a mite,
We’re all worth the same
When we turn off the light.
Red, black or orange,
Yellow or white,
We all look the same
When we turn off the light.
So maybe the way
To make everything right
Is for God to just reach out
And turn off the light!
“When I Am Gone” is a good one to end on. It’s from Silverstein’s final collection of poems, and it combines a hint of sadness with hope for the future and inspiration for the reader.
When I am gone what will you do?
Who will write and draw for you?
Someone smarter—someone new?
Someone better—maybe YOU!
Lifelong Confidence
I think Silverstein zeroed in on one of the greatest benefits of poetry here: inspiring creativity and freedom with words. Kids who read poetry may become great writers of poetry and prose, or they may just be better able to express themselves and process ideas every day. Either way, it’s a win.
The benefits don’t end with childhood, either. When we feel confident with language, we enable our minds to grasp bigger ideas and think bigger thoughts. All this can start with a collection of children’s poems! So go ahead—grab a copy and see what happens.
2 Comments on “Selections from Shel Silverstein”
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In our house when I was a child we had a set of “Childcraft” books. Preschool me couldn’t get enough of the one with nursery rhymes. Mother read to me daily and I learned them well enough to enjoy the book by myself. The illustrations were fun except the one that depicted a stalking black panther and some Oriental designs. That panther terrified me and I don’t even remember the poem. I don’t think I understood the poem. It turned me off everything Asian for years. Oh well. Silverstein: I relate to the poem “Tree House.” The one about the boa constrictor I can’t enjoy at all. It’s another predator. I do not like predators. It reminds me of pythons who eat their prey starting with the head. Also, in spiritual warfare it’s those serpent spirits that squeeze and suck our life’s breath away. Reality intrudes on my fanciful and makes me selective. Morbid? My oldest sister discovered Silverstein in the 70s and ALL his poems and illustrations delighted her and filled her with joy. I’m sure they still do. She found a kindred soul.
You’re right–it’s easy for illustrations to stick in the mind for good or for ill. I remember a book of scary stories from when I was young. When I saw the pictures again as an adult, it gave me the creeps! Good thing there’s so much other good literature to choose from.