About Shel Silverstein
Sheldon Alan Silverstein, better known as Shel Silverstein, was born September 25, 1930 in Chicago. His drawing and illustrating started out due to the fact that he was not able to play ball and he did not dance.
The first cartoons that he drew were for adult readers of the Pacific Stars and Stripes in the 1950’s during the time he was in Korea and Japan as a G.I. During this time he picked up playing the guitar and started writing songs, and this talent is something that would go on to produce songs for Dr. Hook and Johnny Cash.
It was never in Shel Silverstein’s plans to become a children’s writer, which is a surprising fact since his books went on to become much beloved by children and adults alike. Shel Silverstein’s books are available around the world in excess of 30 languages. One of the most notable and best loved books by Shel Silverstein is The Giving Tree, which is still a best seller even 45 years after it was published.
Shel Silverstein’s first book of poetry, “Where the Sidewalk Ends”, published in 1974 and instantly became a classic. The poems in drawing in this book were hailed for the irreverent wisdom, tender heart, and zany wit, and enjoyed by both adults and children alike. There were two more collections that would follow this initial classic: in 1981 A Light in the Attic and in 1996 Falling Up. These two books were permanent fixtures on the bestseller lists for many months, and A Light in the Attic shattered all the previous records thanks to it’s almost four year appearance on the list put out by the New York Times. Very often, schools use the poetry books written by him to introduce children to poetry.
Although Shel Silverstein’s books are the ones that have made him most memorable, he has done other things in his career, including writing songs and plays. In fact, he won a Grammy for his song A Boy Named Sue in 1970.
Shel Silverstein had a son and a daughter. His daughter Shoshanna was born June 30, 1970 and tragically died due to an aneurysm in her brain at the age of 11. Shel Silverstein’s “A Light in the Attic” was dedicated to her. His other child was a son named Matthew, who was born November 10, 1983 and had the book “Falling Up” dedicated to him.
Shel Silverstain died sometime between the days of May 8th and 9th in the year 1999 of a heart attack in Key West. Two housekeepers found his body on May 10, and the coroner reported that he could have died at any time during that weekend.
Shel Silverstein is never going to be gone as long as children and adults continue to love reading his books and remember the bits of wisdom which are contained within. Shel Silverstein’s books have immortalized him and are going to be enjoyed by children for many generations to come.
More information at the Shel Silverstein website. | 
