Good Ol' Shel

I am surprising myself that I’m going to start with poetry, because I’m definitely more of a story girl, but these are books that I have read over and over again, and have found that children of all ages love. I also think they’re a great place to start if you want to try reading aloud to your kids, because they are just so easy (and fun!) to read.

When I think of poetry, the first person that comes to mind is Shel Silverstein. I remember my kindergarten teacher reading his poems to the class, and it was my favorite time of the day. You have probably already heard of A Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and maybe even Falling Up. (If you haven’t, you should definitely check them out.) But did you know that a new book of Shel’s poems have been released? His family found and published them. It’s called Every Thing On It, and the moment I heard about it, I knew I had to have it.

After reading the first poem in the book, I knew I was going to love it. Well, I guess I knew that before I even opened it, but you’ll see what I mean.

YEARS FROM NOW

Although I cannot see your face

As you flip these poems awhile,

Somewhere from some far-off place

I hear you laughing – and I smile.

Does that not give you chills? I mean, this brilliant man is no longer with us, and he’s still giving us these poems. Ok, maybe you’re not quite as excited about it as I am, but I promise you won’t be disappointed with the book.

Another of my favorites from Shel is not a book of poems, like the ones mentioned above, but a long poem turned picture book. A Giraffe and a Half is funny from beginning to end, and will have children of all ages laughing. The illustrations of what the child in the book does to this giraffe are just as funny as the words themselves, and are sure to send your kids into a laughing fit. A suggestion for reading… Try to read each page in one breath. This means you will have to read quickly, with a rhythm, and you’ll probably be running out of breath by the end. Reading it this way makes my kids laugh hysterically.

One more book that I feel must be mentioned here is The Giving Tree. Unlike most of his other works, this book is not funny. It is the story of a tree that loves a boy. The boy grows older and needs the tree less and less, but the tree continues to do everything it can for the boy. Parents will recognize this as the story of a parent and child, but children (who usually don’t make this connection) love it as well.

If you’d like to hear Shel read some of these poems himself, you can buy the A Light in the Attic CD. I found that I really enjoyed Shel’s voice and style of reading, and in fact, I didn’t even mind when my kids insisted on listening to the 39 poems on the CD over… and over… and over…