An Author Study in April...Isn't this Poetry Month Though?

Shel Silverstein: An Author Study 

A Giraffe and a Half

• Silverstein, S. (1964). A giraffe and a half. New York: Harper & Row.

A rhyming book about a giraffe that accumulates some ridiculous things, like glue on his shoe and a bee on his knee,-only to lose them again, one by one.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

• Silverstein, S. (1974). Where the sidewalk ends: The poems & drawings of Shel Silverstein.New York: Harper and Row.

Shel Silverstein's masterful collection of poems and drawings is outrageously funny and profound. You meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale, a unicorn and a Bloath. He writes about Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. His writing is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens, a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist.

A Light in the Attic

• Silverstein, S. (1981). A light in the attic. New York: Harper & Row. 

Silverstein's humorous and creative verse can amuse the dullest of readers. The poems include lemon-faced adults and fidgety kids who cannot sit still. These rhythmic words are full of laughs and smiles.

The Missing Piece

• Silverstein, S. (1976). The missing piece. New York: Harper & Row.

An unhappy circle searches for its missing piece as it rolls along singing a song. The circle is an animal like creature that is missing a wedge of itself. It does not like that it is missing a piece and seeks to find it.

All of these books could be easily used in a poetry unit or an author study. In my author study, I focus on Silverstein's use of poetry and illustrations. There are also many character  lessons by utilizing the themes in his poems. I wrote my author study with the 5th grade in mind, With that said, Shel Silverstein's writing can be used for many different grades and purposes. 

Here are some potential activities! I used this as a resource in my author study unit plan.