About

Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein was a poet, playwright, illustrator, screenwriter, and songwriter. He was best know for his amazing children's books like The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends.

He was born in Chicago on September 25, 1930. While growing up, he began to draw and write. Never having studied anyone else's style, he developed his own unique style.

Shel first drew cartoons for adult readers of Pacific Stars and Stripes while serving as a G.I. in Japan and Korea in the 1950s. There he learned to play guitar and write songs. He wrote some hit songs later, such as "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash.

He had never planned to write for children, but published The Giving Tree in 1964. The book was moderately popular at first, but soon its fan base grew. His collections of poems, including Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling up were noted for their wise and kind wit. In 1984, he won a Grammy Award for Best Children's album, in which he read Where the Sidewalk Ends.