The Life and Times of
Shel Silverstein - A Boy Named Shel by Lisa Rogak
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Editorial
Reviews
Review
Advance Praise for A Boy Named Shel
“I didn’t think any biography could do justice to one of the few
honest-to-goodness geniuses of our time, a walking paradox who wore a
cloak of complexity and elusiveness, but Lisa Rogak has done an
exemplary job of it.”---Otto Penzler, The Mysterious Bookshop
“Shel Silverstein...was a genius in a dozen genres, the last of the real
Renaissance men. He loved life and lived it more intensely than most of
us dare to dream. There’s a surprise on every page as Lisa Rogak tells
the whole untold story of this truly fabulous character.”---Dr. Demento,
syndicated radio personality
Few authors are as beloved as Shel Silverstein. His inimitable
drawings and comic poems have become the bedtime staples of
millions of children and their parents, but few readers know
much about the man behind that wild-eyed, bearded face peering
out from the backs of dust jackets.
In A Boy Named Shel, Lisa Rogak tells the full story of a life
as antic and adventurous as any of his creations. A man with an
incurable case of wanderlust, Shel kept homes on both coasts and
many places in between---and enjoyed regular stays in the
Playboy Mansion. Everywhere he went he charmed neighbors, made
countless friends, and romanced almost as many women with his
unstoppable energy and never-ending wit.
His boundless creativity brought him fame and fortune---neither
of which changed his down-to-earth way of life---and his
children’s books sold millions of copies. But he was much more
than “just” a children’s writer. He collaborated with anyone who
crossed his path, and found success in a wider range of genres
than most artists could ever hope to master. He penned hit songs
like “A Boy Named Sue” and “The Unicorn.” He drew cartoons for
Stars & Stripes and got his big break with Playboy. He wrote
experimental plays and collaborated on scripts with David Mamet.
With a seemingly unending stream of fresh ideas, he worked
compulsively and enthusiastically on a wide array of projects up
until his death, in 1999.
Drawing on wide-ranging interviews and in-depth research, Rogak
gives fans a warm, enlightening portrait of an artist whose
imaginative spirit created the poems, songs, and drawings that
have touched the lives of so many children---and adults.
Where the Sidewalks Ends - all Hebrew: Shel
Silverstein shook the staid world of children's poetry in 1974 with
the publication of this collection, and things haven't been the
same since. More than four and a half million copies of Where the
Sidewalk Ends have been sold, making it the bestselling children's
poetry book ever. With this and his other poetry collections (A
Light in the Attic and Falling Up), Silverstein reveals his genius
for reaching kids with silly words and simple pen-and-ink drawings.
What child can resist a poem called "Dancing Pants" or
"The Dirtiest Man in the World"? Each of the 130 poems
is funny in a different way, or touching ... or both. Some approach
naughtiness or are a bit disgusting to squeamish grown-ups, but
that's exactly what kids like best about Silverstein's work. Jim
Trelease, author of The New Read-Aloud Handbook, calls this book
"without question, the best-loved collection of poetry for
children." (Ages 4 to 10)
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"I know how you feel, Neshama," says G-d.
"You have been with Me for so long. Now it is your time to go down into
the world and give life to the baby that is not yet born."
In this profoundly simple and beautifully illustrated children's story,
a precious soul, Neshama, is delivered against her will into the world.
She discovers the purpose of her mission as she leaves heaven, gives
life to a little boy and goes with him on a spiritual journey. Witness
the story unfold through the easily recognizable images of the first ten
letters of the Alef-Beit, the Hebrew alphabet.
