Common Sense Media Review
Poet delivers both a moral lesson and mischief.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In light verse Shel Silverstein delivers both a moral lesson and mischief. Had everyone who ever read these poems followed their teachings, we would live in a funky, imagination-fevered world free of whiners, charlatans, spoiled brats, and losers.
Is It Any Good?
For many modern children, Shel Silverstein is their introduction to the joys of poetry. For decades he has tickled and enchanted generations of kids, and acted as a counterweight to the insipid poems they encounter in their basal readers. Silverstein looks at life from unexpected angles -- full of spirit and merriment and salad days. He sticks it to the naggers and the greedy and the lazy; their only recourse is to get a grip.
He gives voice to fears that are hard to express: "Last night, while I lay thinking here, / Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear." Said Whatifs quickly get to work: "Whatif they start a war? / Whatif my parents get divorced? / Whatif the bus is late? / Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight? / Whatif I tear my pants? / Whatif I never learn to dance?" The poems are complemented with Silverstein's expressive and innovative pen-and-ink illustrations.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the pleasure of these poems. Why do you enjoy them?
These are great poems for kids to perform aloud and could inspire kids to write their own poems.
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Shel Silverstein
- Genre : Poetry
- Book type : Non-Fiction
- Publisher : HarperCollins Children's Books
- Publication date : January 1, 1971
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
- Number of pages : 177
- Last updated : January 25, 2025
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