When You Have Nothing Left to Give...

Shel Silverstein was a poet that I grew up with, Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Light in the Attic. I was surprised to learn that his first book was published in 1974 but was so popular when I was in school. He had a wit for poetry and a knack for cartooning. I was surprised to learn that he had not intended for his books to capture the attention of the youth, but was more geared for adults. However, his books of poetry are introduced to young students and exposes many of them to their first dose of poetry.

I can remember reading them when I was in the third grade, but just reading them over and over. My mother had bought me the book and I found the poems to be really random and funny, which made them memorable.

Another book that Shel Silverstein is known for is The Giving Tree. It is a simple story about a tree and a boy. I recommend this story for everyone. If you had read this story as a child it might be read simply as that, just a story. But as an adult this is a very touching story about giving, and taking. What do you do when you have nothing left to give?

I appreciate Shel Silverstein's poetry because he can be really inspiring to young children to practice and understand poetry. He would write about things that are real and some things that are imaginary, but it would make you feel that you could write about something that you saw on the ground walking to school, or something that your parents bug you about, or any little aspect of life.

This is great for understanding what we have been discussing in class, we learn to write by reading. Poetry is a prime example of this. Children often study poems in class together and are then asked to create their own. They may study the different types of poems and how they are written. They would not be able to write their own if they had not been exposed to the poems and how they are to be read. Now as they write them they can hear them in their head and determine how they want them to sound. They will complete the writing process as they go through the prewriting and planning the poem, to drafting, revising, editing, and publishing the final product.