A Light in the Attic [Hardcover]

Shel Silverstein (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Last night while I lay thinking here
Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
And pranced and partied all night long
And sang their same old Whatif song:

Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?...

Here in the attic of Shel Silverstein you will find Backward Bill, Sour Face Ann, the Meehoo with an Exactlywatt, and the Polar Bear in the Frigidaire. You will talk with Broiled Face, and find out what happens when Somebody steals your knees, you get caught by the Quick-Digesting Gink, a Mountain snores, and They Put a Brassiere on the Camel.

From the creator of the beloved poetry collections Where the Sidewalk Ends and Falling Up, here is another wondrous book of poems and drawings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Adventures Of A Frisbee
Almost Perfect
Always Sprinkle Pepper
Anchored
Anteater
Arrows
Ations
Backward Bill
Batty
Bear In There
Blame
Bored
Buckin' Bronco
Captain Blackbeard Did What
Catching
Channels
Clarence
The Climbers
Cloony The Clown
Come Skating
Crowded Tub
Day After Halloween
Deaf Donald
Dinner Guest
Dog's Day
The Dragon Of Grindly Grun
Eight Balloons
Examination
Fancy Dive
Fear
The Fly Is In
Friendship
Frozen Dream
God's Wheel
Gooloo
Gumeye Ball
Hammock
Have Fun
Headache
Here Comes
Hiccup Cure
Hinges
Hippo's Hope
Hitting
Homework Malchine
Hot Dog
How Many, How Much
How Not To Have To Dry The Dishes
How To Make A Swing With No Rope Or Board Or Nails
Hula Eel
Hurk
If
Importnt?
In Search Of Cinderella
It's All The Same To The Clam
It's Hot
Kidnapped
Ladies First
A Light In The Attic
Little Abigail And The Beautiful Pony
The Little Boy And The Old Man
Longmobile
The Lost Cat
Magic Carpet
The Man In The Iron Pail Mask
The Meehoo With An Exactlywatt
Memorizin' Mo
Messy Room
Monsters I've Met
Moon-catchin' Net
Mr. Smeds And Mr. Spats
My Guitar
The Nailbiter
Never
Nobody
The Oak And The Rose
One Two
Outside Or Underneath
Overdues
The Painter
Peckin'
Picture Puzzle Piece
Picture Puzzle Piece
Pie Problem
The Pirate
Play Ball
Poemsicle
Prayer Of The Selfish Child
Prehistoric
Push Button
Put Something In
Quick Trip
Reflection
Rhino Pen
Rock 'n' Roll Band
Rockabye
Senses
Shadow Race
Shaking
Shapes
She Wanted To Play The Piano
Signals
The Sitter
Skin Stealer
Snake Problem
Snap
Somebody Has To
Something Missing
Sour Face Ann
Spelling Bee
Squishy Touch
Standing Is Stupid
Stop Thief
Strange Wind
Superstitious
Surprise
Suspense
The Sword-swallower
They've Put A Brassiere On The Camel
This Bridge
Thumb Face
Ticklish Tom
Tired
The Toad And The Kangaroo
Tryin' On Clothes
Turtle
Tusk, Tusk
Twistable, Turnable Man
Union For Children's Rights
Unscratchable Itch
Wavy
What Did?
Whatif
Who Ordered The Broiled Face
Wild Strawberries
Zebra Question
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

About the Author

Shel Silverstein is the author-artist of many beloved books of prose and poetry. He was a cartoonist, playwright, poet, performer, recording artist, and Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated songwriter.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (October 7, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060256737
• ISBN-13: 978-0060256739
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Silverstein, Shel
  • #3 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Humorous
  • #10 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where does the sidewalk end? In the attic., August 7, 2001

By 

Altso Nonaz (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Light in the Attic (Hardcover)

If you don't remember these rhymes from your childhood, then it's about time you visited the attic, "A Light in the Attic," that is. Silverstein combines humorous sketches, whimsical poetry and fanciful word play in another amusing collection. "Where the Sidewalk Ends" will always be my favorite, but poems like "Spelling Bee," "Deaf Donald," "Nobody" and "Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony" definately make "A Light in the Attic" a close runner-up.

If you know Silverstein's work, then you are familiar with his simple rhyming style. His flair for combining drawings and words make for a book that's much more than just a collection of poetry. His poems are an experience that would be diminished without the visual aspect.

Silverstein's collections are great for all ages. I read them as a kid, but I enjoy them just as much now. Silverstein has the soul of a child, but the wit of a sage.

"The saddest thing I ever did see
Was a woodpecker peckin' at a plastic tree.
He looks at me, and 'Friend,' says he,
'Things ain't as sweet as they used to be.'"
-Shel Silverstein page 83

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book of all times, exiting and very funny., March 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Light in the Attic (Hardcover)

This poem book is the best yet, I have never read any poems as funny as the ones Shel Silverstein writes."A Light in the Attic" is a book for people of all ages.The whole class of seventh graders enjoyed it.We were laughing our heads out when we heard the poem,"Standing is Stupid".I recomend this book to anyone who is having a bad day and wants a moment of happiness!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As sweet as they used to be, May 24, 2007

By 

Eva Monplaisier - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Light in the Attic (Hardcover)

Silverstein is our favorite author of children's books. He is just perfect! In fact his works are as good for the parents as for their children. Whichever Silverstein's book I bought for any of my five children (each one of them has his own Silverstein), we have ALL read them. That includes my children, myself, and even sometimes my husband. "Light in the Attic" is no exception to that rule. I think that all of Shel's books are equally good. Check also Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook, A Giraffe and a Half, Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings. If you are a loving mother that wants to see smile on your child's face, give him Silverstein - it's children's literature classic and a safe bet. A recent discovery for me is Boszenna Nowiki and her series Why Some Cats are Rascals, Book 1, Why Some Cats are Rascals, Book 2, Why Some Cats are Rascals ( Book 3) with some very touching stories of speaking cats...