Every Thing On It [Hardcover]

Shel Silverstein (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: September 20, 2011 | Age Range: 6 - 8 years

A spider lives inside my head
Who weaves a strange and wondrous web
Of silken threads and silver strings
To catch all sorts of flying things,
Like crumbs of thought and bits of smiles
And specks of dried-up tears,
And dust of dreams that catch and cling
For years and years and years . . .

Have you ever read a book with everything on it? Well, here it is, an amazing collection of never-before-published poems and drawings from the creator of Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up. You will say Hi-ho for the toilet troll, get tongue-tied with Stick-a-Tongue-Out-Sid, play a highly unusual horn, and experience the joys of growing down.

What's that? You have a case of the Lovetobutcants? Impossible! Just come on in and let the magic of Shel Silverstein bend your brain and open your heart.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Exclusive: A Q&A with Toni Markiet, Shel Silverstein’s Longtime Editor

Q: What was the first book you worked with Shel Silverstein on?

Markiet: The first book was The Missing Piece in 1976. I was the assistant to his editor at that time, Edite Kroll. Was I lucky!

Q: What was his creative process like and how did you two work together?

Markiet: I remember most clearly that Shel was meticulous in every aspect of a book... the trim size, the paper, the binding and of course, the contents. No piece of the whole was too small to consider carefully. He looked at every spread to be sure art and text were positioned the best way possible. And, he considered every word and expression until it, and the whole text, was just right. I learned how a book is made in the best possible way.

Q: Shel passed away in 1999 but more than ten years later you’re publishing Every Thing On It, which includes tons of his never-before-seen poems and drawings. Can you tell us how this project came to be?

Markiet: Over the years, Shel continued to write and draw and work on poems. He left a rich archive of finished material. In the past few years, the Silverstein family has allowed us to unveil some of these in special editions of both Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic. The response was so amazing that the family felt it was now the right time to publish this book.

Q: What is your favorite poem from Every Thing On It?

Markiet: This is an almost impossible question to answer but if pressed, I will say “Mer-Maid.”

Book Description

Shel Silverstein, beloved author of the acclaimed and bestselling poetry collections Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up, will have a brand-new book of poetry published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in September 2011. This is only the second original book to be published since Silverstein’s passing in 1999. With more than one hundred and thirty never-before-seen poems and drawings completed by the cherished American artist and selected by his family from his archives, this collection will follow in the tradition and format of his acclaimed poetry classics.

Generations have grown up with the works of Shel Silverstein, known not only as a poet and illustrator but also for his work as a cartoonist, playwright, performer, recording artist, and Grammy Award–winning songwriter. He has encouraged children to dream and dare to imagine the impossible with his extraordinary poetry and unforgettable characters. Now fans will have a chance to discover even more riches, and new readers will delight in the timeless magic of his works.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 6 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (September 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061998168
• ISBN-13: 978-0061998164
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (122 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Humorous

More About the Author

"And now, children, your Uncle Shelby is going to tell you a story about a very strange lion- in fact, the strangest lion I have ever met." So begins Shel Silverstein's very first children's book, Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. It's funny and sad and has made readers laugh and think since it was published in 1963. It was followed the next year by three more books. The first of them, The Giving Tree, is a moving story about the love of a tree for a boy. Shel returned to humor the same year with A Giraffe and a Half, delighting readers with a most riotous ending. The third book in 1964 was Uncle Shelby's Zoo Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies, Shel's first poetry collection, and his first and only book illustrated in full color. It combined his unique imagination and bold brand of humor in this collection of silly and scary creatures. Shel's second collection of poems and drawings, Where the Sidewalk Ends, was published in 1974. His recording of the poems won him a Grammy for best Children's Album. In this collection, Shel invited children to dream and dare to imagine the impossible, from a hippopotamus sandwich to the longest nose in the world. With his next collection of poems and drawings, A Light in the Attic, published in 1981, Shel asked his readers to turn the light on in their attics, to put something silly in the world, and not to be discouraged by the Whatifs. Instead he urged readers to catch the moon or invite a dinosaur to dinner- to have fun! A Light in the Attic was the first children's book to break onto the New York Times Bestseller List, where it stayed for a record-breaking 182 weeks. The last book that was published before his death in 1999 was Falling Up (1996). Like his other books, it is filled with unforgettable characters. Shel Silverstein's legacy continued with the release of a new work,Runny Babbit, the first posthumous publication conceived and completed before his death and released in March 2005. Witty and wondrous, Runny Babbit is a poetry collection of simple spoonerismsH, which twist the tongue and tease the mind. Don't Bump the Glump! And Other Fantasies was recently reissued in 2008 after being unavailable for over 30 years. Shel was always a believer in letting his work do the talking for him--few authors have ever done it better.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

106 of 109 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Still great, still wonderful, but new September 20, 2011

By Wulfstan TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I hope everyone has read Shel Silversteins intriguing and heartwarming poetry before, such as "Where the Sidewalk Ends". If perchance you haven't done so- run, don't walk, and get a copy now! You have a real treat in store for you.

Here is yet another collection, recently unearthed after the authors untimely end in 1999. Where his family is finding these, I'll never know, but I hope they never run out.

We have well over 100 new poems and illustrations, all done in that wonderful and inimitable style we have all come to know and love.

"Although I cannot see your face /
As you flip these poems awhile, /
Somewhere from some far-off place /
I hear you laughing--and I smile."

I hope he does.

76 of 78 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No holds barred --- right to the end September 20, 2011

By Jesse Kornbluth TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

"Every Thing On It," published eleven years after Shel Silverstein's death, arrived yesterday. Homework was instantly abandoned. The Girl Who Hates To Read simply had to dive into this collection of 139 poems.

This speaks volumes.

Shel Silverstein's books are said to be for children 9 to 12. Nonsense. We started reading him when The Girl Who Hates To Read was six, and now we have the full collection. Only Roald Dahl comes close --- and he's a distant second.

What is Silverstein's appeal?

Simple: He's not full of the pap that used to pass for children's books. Starting way back in the `60s --- when "Ozzie and Harriet" values were finally starting to wither and die everywhere but in kids' books --- he talked to kids with respect. He thought they were smart. And creative. And they needed to be encouraged, not sedated.

Here's Silverstein's message in 34 words:

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be."

In "Every Thing On It," he goes much further. There are poems about garlic breath and hats and why you start work in a candy store without getting sick if you insist on sampling the merchandise, but he also deal with death. Wow, death! Once said to be an idea terrifying to kids. Here addressed directly. No wonder kids love him.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars That's the first and last time I ask, For a Poetry Book with everything-On-It September 20, 2011

By Didaskalex TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

*****
"When Shel Silverstein wrote the poem "Years From Now," he seemed to know that one day he'd be gone but that his playful words and images would still be making children happy." --NPR Staff

Generations of Americans have grown up with the poems of Shel Silverstein, a poet and illustrator, playwright, performer, and popular songwriter. Shel has inspired children to dream and venture to imagine beyond human reach, with the help of beautiful poetry and memorable characters. Shel Silverstein, was first and foremost a gifted illustrator and an imaginative cartoonist for his poetry collections: A Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and Falling Up. Although I was not introduced to his early works as a kid, his impressive bare art was mesmerizing before I ever knew his name.

Have you ever read a book with everything on it? Silverstein has confessed, "I never planned to write or draw for kids," at the time his popular books were translated into 20 languages, and have sold over 20 million copies! I thought the least is to leave everything in hand (on it) to meditate at the memory of his art and humility. This is a great occasion to review this fine collection of his pen, published twelve years after Shel has departed us in 1999. One hundred and thirty first timer poems and drawings created by the impressive artist and selected by his entourage.

I love his rare imaginative funny poetry:
"I asked for a hot dog, with everything on it,
And that was my big mistake, 'Cause it came with a parrot,
A bee and a bonnet, A wristwatch, a wrench, and a rake.
. . . . . . .
That's the last time I ask, For a hot dog with everything." S.S.