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Falling Up (by Shel Silverstein)

common sense media says

Silverstein has childhood covered like a rug.

parents & educators say
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the art in this book is inviting, and the style and economy of the writing, plus the subject matter, hold children's interest.

Positive messages: Silverstein makes infrequent forays into bathroom humor, nose picking, and regurgitation.
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: A backside is exposed during a rain dance.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Falling Up

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the poetry and language in this book. Does writing conjure up vivid images? What are some of your favorite passages, and why?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Shel Silverstein is on the loose with wise, witty, unconventional verse and electrifying line drawings. From thoughtful observations to bathroom humor, Silverstein has childhood covered like a rug. His insight and humor make this a favorite for adults as well as children.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
This book's expressive verse and narrative line drawings make a good match. A little girl bends over and looks through her legs: "Upside-down trees swingin' free, / Buses float and buildings dangle; / Now and then it's nice to see / The world--from a different angle." Another little girl looks right and left before crossing the street, while her tentative sense of safety is about to be erased by a falling safe.

Sometimes it's Silverstein's indecorum that lights up the page: "We gave you a chance / To water the plants. / We didn't mean that way-- / Now zip up your pants." The verse is quick and economical, the spirit unconventional, and the voice unique and distinctly American.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Shel Silverstein
Illustrator: Shel Silverstein
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Publication date: January 1, 1996
Number of pages: 171
Hardcover price: $12.59
This review was written by Peter Lewis
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

Sam M.
kid, 12 years old
9
 
FALLING UP? NO, FALLING DOWN!
The book may be one of the installments of a perfect kids series, but it's not that good of a book and also the most inappropriate installment. The book has an improper use of nudity that overshadows the rest of the installments. I would suggest reading a book of lighter levels, like Where the Sidewalk Ends.
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helped me decide (2) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (2)
anaBB
teen, 14 years old
13
 
i really loved this book!!!! at some points in Falling Up, it was sad and yet some of the poems i didnt realy get bu a lot of the poems were VERY funny!!!!!!!!
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was this review useful?
helped me decide (2) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (2)

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