Customer Reviews

Every Thing On It

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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.

"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.

*****

"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.

I was fully grown when I discovered Shel Silverstein. My oldest daughter brought home Where the Sidewalk Ends from her school library. I don't think she opened the book, but I did, and I've been a huge fan since. My youngest daughter is also a fan. When she was about 9 she made a point of memorizing several of her favorite Silverstein poems. It is this ability to reach some children that makes Shel Silverstein such a unique artist. His passing was a true loss for the country as a whole, but for children specifically.

I've purchased and read Every Thing On It and will be sharing this volume with my granddaughter when she visits. I may even read a poem or two to my now fully grown daughters.

So what if nobody came?

I have all the ice cream and tea,

And I'll laugh with myself,

And I'll dance with myself,

And I'll sing "Happy birthday to me!"

Of course, when you read Silverstein's poems you experience the same lyrical wordplay that he is famous for. These fresh poems continue his legacy of talking to children with respect and at the same time honoring their wonder at the world around them.

I highly recommend Every Thing On It to children (of all ages) everywhere.

Peace to all.

It is simply grand to again glimpse the mind of legendary poet/illustrator Shel Silverstein via "Everything On It." The poems and illustrations are vintage Silverstein: funny, wry, silly, absurd, touching, insightful, and wise. The book is a worthy addition to his previous poetry collections, yet for all its inherent brilliance, it somehow lacks the true magic of the collections that Shel himself oversaw. He was, to Harper-Collins, a meticulous client, selecting, arranging and rearranging poems and illustrations until order, accompaniment, composition, contrast and balance were ideal. HC & Shel's heirs did a fine job, but the overall feel is somehow slightly off, which only underscores the depth of loss we fans of his still feel these many years later over his tragic passing. Still, I would never pass up any collection of Shel Silverstein poems, and despite no one matching his exquisitely fine-tuned genius, I shall continue to buy his posthumous works until the last of the 1,350 or so remaining poems are depleted. There is an old saying, "Next to genius is one's appreciation of it," and the HC team and Silverstein family deserve plaudits for their efforts.

I read poems from Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic to my kids most nights before bed, so when I heard there was a new posthumous collection from Shel Silverstein, I ordered it up immediately.

I'm absolutely thrilled with this volume! I love that it has the same look and feel as my old 1980's editions of Shel's other collections, right down to the typeface, layout, dust jacket, and weight of the paper! I was a little worried the poems might not be as good as the ones I'm familiar with -- that they might be the third-string attempts that didn't make the cut for the earlier books -- but I'm happy to report they're fantastic! In fact several of the poems in this book are edging out older poems of Shel's as my favorites! The illustrations are also just as phenomenal as those in the earlier books.

I'm really glad Shel's family took the time to make such a perfect sequel to some of my family's favorite books!

To say I am overjoyed is an understatement.

Ever since I was graced by The Giving Tree (thank you, Laura B.) I have sought powerful wisdoms from the simplest of words.

Shel delivers. And each read delivers more and more.

This, a gorgeous collection of his unpublished works, makes for some of the most entertaining reading in the decade+ since Shel lay down to sleep one last time.

"School" reminds us of the mindset of every child at one time or another: "Rain and hail, Cold and snow, Are good excuses not to go"...

"Mustache Mo," doesn't end well (a frequent piece of Silverstein writings).

Mustache Mo of the B. & O.

His mustache grows ten feet or so

It got caught in the wheels below.

Now there's no mustache... And no mo' Mo.

Brilliant!

This soon-to-be classic is as snarky as Go the F**k to Sleep - but you can actually read it out loud to your kids.

It's as beautiful as The Point - and like Nilsson, you can hum along to it forever.

It's as inspiring as Novel Writing Muse - with fewer mouseclicks.

And this book rivals The Little Prince Graphic Novel - as a tool to touch the heart and mind.

I love it. I think it's awesome that Shel's posthumous works could rival his current. But it's true!

Thank you, Miss Publisher, for bringing heart and soul to these pages. For that, we thank you kindly.

We ordered this on the strength of the NPR piece in which several of the family members who worked on the book discussed their approach and read some of the poems. Shel would be proud of them -- they have managed to compile a great addition to his legacy. THoroughly enjoying this book.

This is a wonderful book that is long overdue. Silverstein has crafted wonderful books for children (and adults!) in the past and this is just what we all needed at the right time.

The words are crafted masterfully and is definitely entertaining and enlightening, and perfect for the developing child.

Buy this book - you won't regret it!

This is such a wonderful collection of poems - sweet, funny, sentimental and completely off-the-wall, typical Shel Silverstein. Honestly, reading this book is like getting an unexpected visit from an old friend. The sketches are, as always, just breathtaking.

The collection is well-put together, edited beautifully, and in the same style as Shel probably would have wanted. Several poems made me cry - not easy for a poem to do - but I did cry. And my sons and I laughed our way through most of the work.

I read the entire book, and felt the ending was just right with his poem:

"When I Am Gone"

When I am gone what will you do?

Who will write and draw for you?

Someone smarter - someone new?

Someone better - maybe YOU!

I know he left behind over 1,500 poems and sketches. I hope to see more works released, because holding a new Shel Silverstein book feels wonderful!