|
I read Shel Silverstein when I was young and I loved his poetry. I used to read it to the kids I babysat (and I never sat on a baby) and I now read it to my own children. What can be said that hasn't been said already? This: Shel Silverstein wrote more than just silly. Some of his greatest poems bring tears to my eyes and make me think about things like justice, death, love, and even my Creator. Pretty deep stuff. I personally believe it's that inane sense of humor he had combined with an almost philosophical take on life that mades Shel a great children's poet. Some of my favorite poems by Shel are in this collection, The Light in the Attic. The Little Boy and the Old Man should make any person who reads it think about aging and reaching out to our loved ones who are er, how shall I say it, a little past their prime and also to those who haven't quite reached their prime yet. And How Many, How Much is a wonderful reminder that friendship starts in your own heart. And I wonder, was one of my favorite movies (Bruce Almighty) inspired by one of my favorite Shel Silverstein poems (God's Wheel)? Did the writer read that poem and think "What a great premise for a movie!" Could be. Whatever the case I know his work was one of my inspirations in becoming a children's writer. And now I'm writing a book of poetry for children and as I craft it I returned to all these funny, touching, ironic, wistful, poems and realized, "Uh oh, I set the bar too low. I need to kick it up a notch." I so I strive to do just that. My nightmare is being compared by a cranky reviewer to Shel Silverstein, "This writer is an imposter to the throne of the great Shel." Let me state here and now that I don't want the throne. I would just like to sit under a oak tree in the courtyard outside the palace if that's okay. And while I'm there I'll just take a big whiff of the rosebush that stayed so very small (read the book and you shall see what I mean). Finally, let me add this, I believe these poems expanded my creativity in my younger years and I believe they expand it to this very day. Buy a Light in the Attic for your children and read the poems together. You will expand their vocabulary, help them develop a sense of comedic timing, cultivate an interest in poetry, and give them their first lessons in philosophy, all the while having a fantastic time together. Now that's what I call maximum return on a minimal investment(...)
|
