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Celebrate 50 Years of the Giving Tree and the Anniversaries of Five Other Shel Silverstein Classics!
® Teach Celebrate 50 Years of The Giving Tree and the anniversaries of five other Shel Silverstein classics! Teaching Guide contains discussion questions and writing activities for: The Giving Tree Don’t Bump the Glump! A Giraffe and a Half Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back Where the Sidewalk Ends Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? www.shelsilverstein.com About Shel Silverstein “And now . a story about a very strange lion—in fact, the strangest lion I have ever met.” So begins Shel Silverstein’s very first children’s book, Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. It’s funny and sad and has made readers laugh and think ever since it was published in 1963. It was followed in 1964 by four new books. The first, The Giving Tree, is a tender tale about the enduring relationship of a boy and a tree. Then came the riotously funny Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? and A Giraffe and a Half. The fourth book published in 1964 was Don’t Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies, Shel’s only book illustrated in full color. Shel combined his unique imagination and bold brand of humor in this collection of silly and scary creatures. Shel’s second collection of poems and drawings, Where the Sidewalk Ends, was published in 1974. Shel invited children to dream and dare to imagine the impossible, from a hippopotamus sandwich to Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who would not take the garbage out. This was followed by The Missing Piece, published in 1976, and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, published in 1981—two companion fables that explore the concept of fulfillment. -
Examining the Relationship Between Children's
A Spoonful of Silly: Examining the Relationship Between Children’s Nonsense Verse and Critical Literacy by Bonnie Tulloch B.A., (Hons), Simon Fraser University, 2013 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Children’s Literature) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) December 2015 © Bonnie Tulloch, 2015 Abstract This thesis interrogates the common assumption that nonsense literature makes “no sense.” Building off research in the fields of English and Education that suggests the intellectual value of literary nonsense, this study explores the nonsense verse of several North American children’s poets to determine if and how their play with language disrupts the colonizing agenda of children’s literature. Adopting the critical lenses of Translation Theory and Postcolonial Theory in its discussion of Dr. Seuss’s On Beyond Zebra! (1955) and I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! (1978), along with selected poems from Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974), A Light in the Attic (1981), Runny Babbit (2005), Dennis Lee’s Alligator Pie (1974), Nicholas Knock and Other People (1974), and JonArno Lawson’s Black Stars in a White Night Sky (2006) and Down in the Bottom of the Bottom of the Box (2012), this thesis examines how the foreignizing effect of nonsense verse exposes the hidden adult presence within children’s literature, reminding children that childhood is essentially an adult concept—a subjective interpretation (i.e., translation) of their lived experiences. Analyzing the way these poets’ nonsense verse deviates from cultural norms and exposes the hidden adult presence within children’s literature, this research considers the way their poetry assumes a knowledgeable implied reader, one who is capable of critically engaging with the text. -
Shel Silverstein
BIOGRAPHY: SHEL SILVERSTEIN CHILDREN’S AUTHOR, ONE-OF-A-KIND SONGWRITER Shel Silverstein is most famous, especially among younger generations, for the best-selling children’s books that he wrote and illustrated: The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and A Light in the Attic. But Silverstein’s abundant creativity also stretched into songwriting, and he played a significant role in Outlaw- era music making. “Shel is the greatest lyricist there ever was,” said Country Music Hall of Fame member Bobby Bare, who frequently collaborated with Silverstein. “What he writes is so, so descriptive — so visual — that you couldn’t help but respond to it.” Born on September 25, 1930, in Chicago, Silverstein soaked up country music as a boy, but he felt the strongest tug toward art and words that were meant to be read. “When I was a kid — twelve, fourteen, around there — I would much rather have been a good baseball appeared on the landmark Wanted! The Outlaws album player or a hit with the girls,” he recalled. “But I couldn’t in 1976. Waylon Jennings released “The Taker” play ball. I couldn’t dance. Luckily, the girls didn’t want (co-written with Kris Kristofferson) in 1971. Silverstein me; not much I could do about that. So, I started to also scored two hits on the 1972 pop chart with Dr. Hook draw and to write.” & the Medicine Show’s “Cover of the Rolling Stone” and “Sylvia’s Mother.” Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953, Silverstein became the staff cartoonist for the Pacific edition of Stars and The songwriter formed an enduring partnership with Stripes, the military newspaper. -
The Giving Tree and the Anniversaries of Five Other Shel Silverstein Classics!
® Teach Celebrate 50 Years of The Giving Tree and the anniversaries of five other Shel Silverstein classics! Teaching Guide contains discussion questions and writing activities for: The Giving Tree Don’t Bump the Glump! A Giraffe and a Half Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back Where the Sidewalk Ends Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? www.shelsilverstein.com About Shel Silverstein “And now . a story about a very strange lion—in fact, the strangest lion I have ever met.” So begins Shel Silverstein’s very first children’s book, Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. It’s funny and sad and has made readers laugh and think ever since it was published in 1963. It was followed in 1964 by four new books. The first, The Giving Tree, is a tender tale about the enduring relationship of a boy and a tree. Then came the riotously funny Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? and A Giraffe and a Half. The fourth book published in 1964 was Don’t Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies, Shel’s only book illustrated in full color. Shel combined his unique imagination and bold brand of humor in this collection of silly and scary creatures. Shel’s second collection of poems and drawings, Where the Sidewalk Ends, was published in 1974. Shel invited children to dream and dare to imagine the impossible, from a hippopotamus sandwich to Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who would not take the garbage out. This was followed by The Missing Piece, published in 1976, and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, published in 1981—two companion fables that explore the concept of fulfillment. -
Insights Into Children's Literature Dr. Abdel Mohsen Ibrahim Hashim
Enriching the Child's World in Selected Poems by Christina Rossetti, Shel Silverstein, and Valerie Bloom: Insights into Children's Literature Dr. Abdel Mohsen Ibrahim Hashim Associate Professor of English Literature, Department of English, Faculty of Arts, The New Valley University, Egypt. Abstract: Employing English language children's literature as a theoretical framework that sheds light on the definition of the term and its historical development, this paper strives to explore a variety of insights into enriching the child's world. To achieve this goal, the paper focuses on selected poems for children written by three poets who have varied backgrounds of place and time. The first of these figures is the nineteenth- century English poet Christina Rossetti (1830 –1894); the second is the twentieth-century American poet and cartoonist Shel Silverstein (1930 –1999); and the third is the contemporary Jamaican-born poet Valerie Bloom (b.1956). Depending on the poems selected for discussion, the researcher argues that each of these authors writes a kind of poetry that enriches the child's world in a specific way. The various ideas and experiences offered by the three writers in the selected poems are beautifully integrated, providing young readers with comprehensive insights and useful mechanisms that enable them to achieve success and lead a happy life. Keywords: Children's Literature, insights, poems, Christina Rossetti, Shel Silverstein, Valerie Bloom 65 مجلة وادي النيل للدراسات والبحوث اﻹنسانية واﻻجتماعية والتربوية )مجلة علمية محكمة( )ISSN : 2536 - 9555( امللخص العربي إثراء عامل الطفل يف قصائد خمتارة لـ "كريستينا روسيتي" و"شيل سيلفرستني" و"فالريي بلوم": رؤى يف أدب اﻷطفال د. -
Mr Grumpledumps's Song
Mr.Grumpledump's Song by Shel Silverstein Everything's wrong, Days are too long, Sunshine's too hot, Wind is too strong. Clouds are too fluffy, Grass is too green, Ground is too dusty, Sheets are too clean. Stars are too twinkly, Moon is too high, Water's too drippy, Sand is too dry. Rocks are too heavy, Feathers too light, Kids are too noisy, Shoes are too tight. Folks are too happy, Singin' their songs. Why can't they see it? Everything's wrong! Shel Silverstein Shel Silverstein was born on September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois and began writing and drawing at a young age. He became a cartoonist, playwright, poet, performer, recording artist, and Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated songwriter. Silverstein is best known as the author of iconic books of prose and poetry for young readers. His works include such modern classics as Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back (1963), The Giving Tree (1964), A Giraffe and a Half (1964), The Missing Piece (1976), and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (1981). His immensely popular poetry collections are Where the Sidewalk Ends, a 1974 Michigan Young Readers Award winner; A Light in the Attic, recipient of the School Library Journal Best Books Award in 1982; Falling Up (1996); and Don’t Bump the Glump! And Other Fantasies, which was originally published in 1963 and reissued in 2008. Runny Babbit, a posthumous poetry collection of spoonerisms, was conceived and completed before his death. Silverstein’s books, which he also illustrated, are characterized by a deft mixing of the sly and the serious, the macabre, and the just plain silly. -
Shel Silverstein Biography
Shel Silverstein Biography http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/biography A truly unique and multi-faceted artist, Shel Silverstein was a renowned poet, playwright, illustrator, screenwriter, and songwriter. Best known for his immensely popular children’s books including The Giving Tree, Falling Up, and A Light in the Attic, Silverstein has delighted tens of millions of readers around the world, becoming one of the most popular and best-loved children's authors of all time. Born in Chicago on September 25, 1930, Sheldon Allan Silverstein grew up to attain an enormous public following, but always preferred to say little about himself. “When I was a kid,” he told Publishers Weekly in 1975, “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. So I started to draw and to write. I was lucky that I didn’t have anyone to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style.” Silverstein drew his first cartoons for the adult readers of Pacific Stars and Stripes when he was a G.I. in Enlarge Picture Japan and Korea in the 1950’s. He also learned to play the guitar and to write songs, a talent that would later produce such hits as “A Boy Named Sue” for Johnny Cash and “The Cover of the Rolling Stone” for Dr. Hook. Shel Silverstein never planned on writing for children – surprising for an artist whose children’s works would soon become available in more than 30 languages around the world. -
[ Poets of the Past & Present ]
[ POETS OF THE PAST & PRESENT ] Table of Contents 3 AL-KHANSA 4 JALAL AL-DIN RUMI 6 MIRZA ASADULLAH KHAN GHALIB 7 EMILY DICKINSON 10 MUHAMMAD IQBAL 13 MAYA ANGELOU 16 SHEL SILVerSTEIN 19 LANGSTON HUGHES AL -KHANSA World Eras , 2002 Born: 575 Died: 644? Occupation: Poet EARLY LIFE Tumadir bint ‘Amr of the tribe of Sulaym, a pastoral tribe in Najd in central Arabia, was a well- known pre-Islamic poet whose poetry continued to be celebrated in the Muslim era. Her nickname was al-Khansa’, possibly meaning “gazelle” or “pug-nosed,” the latter being the better-known explanation. A strong-willed woman, she rejected the marriage proposal of a renowned tribal chief, Durayd ibn al-Sim- mah al-Jushami, because she considered him too old. Perhaps the most traumatic events in her life, perhaps, were the deaths of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr in tribal battles in 612 and 615. Much of her poetry consists of sorrowful eulogies for them, through which she encouraged her tribe to avenge itself on their killers. Al-Khansa’ is also said to have appeared at the festive market of ‘Ukaz in Makkah for the poetry contests. CONVERSION TO ISLAM In about 630, late in the Prophet Muhammad’s career, al-Khansa is said to have gone to Madinah and embraced Islam, and Muslim tradition states that four of her six sons were slain in 637 while fighting for Islam against the Persians at al-Qadisiyyah, a battle at which she is also said to have been present. Afterward, she returned to her Arabian homeland, where she died. -
Poetry Month 2011 Ebrate
Poetry Month 2011 ebrate . © 1996 Evil Eye Music, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. © 1996 Evil Eye Music, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, ™ Falling Up Illustration from Poetry Month Activities Kit www.shelsilverstein.com Poetry Month 2011 Event Kit Dear Reader, It’s here, it’s here! Poetry Month is here once again—so let’s Shelebrate! Please enjoy these activities, which are perfect to use in a classroom, library, or bookstore, or at home. We hope this event kit will help you make the reading and understanding of poetry an exciting and meaningful experience. As we look forward to the coming publication of Shel Silverstein’s new poetry collection, Every Thing On It, let’s play with his delightful poetry that we already know and love. Have fun! HarperCollins Children’s Books Marketing Department © 2005 Evil Eye, LLC. All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. © 2005 Evil Eye, LLC. All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook © 1974, renewed 2002 Evil Eye, LLC; Where the Sidewalk Ends Where Illustrations from www.shelsilverstein.com Inventions Have an idea for a brilliant invention? So did Shel! Match the picture of the invention to the description. 1. I’ve made me a moon-catchin’ net, And I’m goin’ huntin’ tonight, I’ll run along swingin’ it over my head, And grab for that big ball of light. -
Shel Silverstein - Poems
Classic Poetry Series Shel Silverstein - poems - Publication Date: 2004 Publisher: Poemhunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive Shel Silverstein(September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) As Edwin McDowell reported in the New York Times Book Review (8 Nov 1981), Silverstein "for several years now... has refused interviews and publicity tours, and he even asked his publisher not to give out any biographical information about him." What is known about Silverstein, however, is that he was born in Chicago (Illinois) in 1932, is divorced and has one daughter. Most of what is known about his views and opinions, aside from what may be interpreted from his works, comes from a Publisher's Weekly (24 Feb 1975) interview with Jean F. Mercier. Silverstein discussed the roots of his career in his childhood with Mercier: "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... So, I started to draw and to write. I was... lucky that I didn't have anyone to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style, I was creating before I knew there was a Thurber, a Benchley, a Price and a Steinberg. I never saw their work till I was around 30." Silverstein's talents were already well-developed by the time he served in the US armed forces during the 1950s. He was stationed in Japan and Korea, and while in the military, he was a cartoonist for the Pacific edition of the military newspaper, Stars And Stripes. -
Teaching Guide
If you are a dreamer. come in. So begins the very first poem in Shel’s first Celebrate poetry collection, Where the Sidewalk Ends. It’s an invitation into the zany, wild, irreverent, and very creative world of Shel Silverstein. No poet has National touched children more than Shel through his simplicity, clarity, and fun with language. His books and performances are timeless treasures that address the deep feelings, joys, and fears of everyday life with humor and compassion. Poetry Month Shel Silverstein “is a magnificent poet of the spirit, and what he says in light with the verse and drawing to children is of such importance, such urgency, that we must be grateful that more than three* million [sic] copies of his books are being read. In a world that needs a generation of imaginative thinkers, may Works of there be millions and millions more.” —Myra Cohn Livingston, New York Times, March 9, 1986 HarperCollinsChildren’s Books hopes you will enjoy sharing his work with your classroom. The kit is based on the books below. Falling Up Where the Sidewalk Ends A Light in the Attic Booklist Editor’s Choice 25th Anniversary Edition ALA Notable Children’s Books ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Book with CD A School Library Journal Best Book Young Adult Readers CD Performed by Shel Silverstein A Library of Congress Children’s Book New York Public Library Book ALA Notable Children’s Book A New York Public Library for the Teen Age 1984 Grammy Award, Children’s Book A SPECIAL CLASSROOM New York Public Library Best Children’s Recording A USA Children’s Book of Children’s Books A New York Times Outstanding International Interest POETRY KIT TO HELP Children’s Choices (IRA/CBC) Children’s Book Winner of the William Allen 1988 Choice, Association of White Award (Kansas) CHILDREN OF ALL AGES Booksellers for Children George C.