Parents' Guide to

A Light in the Attic

By Peter Lewis, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Poet delivers both a moral lesson and mischief.

Book Shel Silverstein Poetry 1971
A Light in the Attic Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Lebron12James3
Lebron12James3 Parent
January 19, 2022
age 2+

This book is ridiculous

A light in an attic is not that newsworthy smh
KidsFaith2018
KidsFaith2018 Parent of 1, 6, 11 and 14-year-old
July 8, 2018
age 5+

I read this book when I was a lttle girl

it's really a good way to start your kids to independent reading

This title has:

Great messages
See all 4 parent reviews

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?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (5):

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

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