Falling Up

As a child I loved all things Shel Silverstein, and have been waiting on pins and needles to share his books of poetry with my daughter.  Recently my mother mailed me a box of books from my childhood bedroom, and this was one of them.

Author/Illustrator: Shel Silverstein
Publisher: Harper Collins (1996) 
Prices: Special Hardcover - $19.99
Reading level: Ages 6-10
Interest level: Middle Grades
Physical Characteristics: 7.2 x 9.5 inches, 171 pages,
ISBN: 9780060248031 
Genres: Poetry 
Subjects:
Humorous Poetry
American Poetry
Children’s Poetry

Annotation: A book of poems and drawings by the famed American poet Shel Silverstein.

Summary: Mr. Silverstein’s last book of poems before his death.  This book consists of 144 poems and illustrations done in Mr. Silverstein’s whimsical, surreal and childlike style.

Evaluation:  I have to say up front that this is not my favorite of Mr. Silverstein’s books of poetry, but I still enjoy it. I feel that his first two collections of poetry for children had more heart and soul, while these seem just silly.  That is not to knock silly, I think there is much merit to this book of poetry.  The familiar Silverstein illustrations and the nonsensical poems are very attractive to children.  My daughter and I love the illustrations and find them wonderful conversation starters, do to their incredible detail.  And the poetry itself lends itself to laughter and repeated reads.  I am looking forward to more reads of this book and in sharing Mr. Silverstein’s other work with my daughter.

Similar Titles or Authors:
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein 
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein 
Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss

Websites:
http://www.shelsilverstein.com/

http://www.harpercollins.com/9780060248024/falling-up

Awards and Recognitions:

ALA Booklist Editors' Choice

Parents' Choice Gold Award

Maine Student Book Award

Professional Reviews:
New York Times


Language Arts

Horn Book Magazine



All images (c) Shel Silverstein