The Missing Piece Meets the Big O [Hardcover]

Shel Silverstein (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 1981 | Age Level: 1 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

The missing piece sat alone
waiting for someone
to come along
and take it somewhere....

The different ones it encounters - and what it discovers in its helplessness - are portrayed with simplicity and compassion in the words and drawings of Shel Silverstein.

Editorial Reviews

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.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 104 pages
• Publisher: Harper & Row; 1st edition (May 6, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060256575
• ISBN-13: 978-0060256579
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Silverstein, Shel
  • #16 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > United States

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

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, November 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (Hardcover)

This book is a great book for kids from one to ninety-two! I read this book with my friend's children in mind and I found that this book has an important message about recognizing who your true friends are and finding that one true best friend who "fits" your personality and lifestyle. I recommend children of all ages and children at heart to check this book out. As always, Shel Silverstein has a very innocent, colorful and fun way of looking at life and this book reflects it. It's a breath of fresh air. For a better understanding of this book however, I would check out Shel Silversein's "The Missing Piece" before reading this one -it's also a very cute book.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uplifting, Encouraging, and Personal, June 19, 2003

By 

"amberraed" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (Hardcover)

Whether simply a children's book or an adult self-help book, this one is a gem! Adorable simplistic line drawings that make you wonder how an artist is able to create such an expressive characters out of basic circle shapes. Matched with a story that can be taken lightly or taken to heart.

Really, this is the journey of a character becoming a "whole" person...independantly being able to "roll" by itself. It also hints that to be happy in a relationship you must be your own independantly happy person...you can't rely on others to complete your deficiencies.

Anyone who is a "relationship leapfrog" needs to read this book. It may even make you cry-and probably will make you laugh-at the similarities with your own experiences. It is also appropriate for children...it is never to early to introduce someone to lifelong happiness, independance, and stability.

Rolling along...

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This simple story puts "The Rules" to shame., May 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Missing Piece Meets the Big O (Hardcover)

Three days after ending a relationship where I was constantly trying to be someone or something else in order to please my partner, I took a vacation that changed my life. On the first night of that vacation, while I was out with friends and family and the last thing I was looking for was another boyfriend, I met the most amazing person to enter my life so far. The next day, I found this book and decided to live my life like the big O. The man and I keep the book on our coffee table, and when we aren't rolling through the streets of the city, side by side, we go home to that wonderful story. Shel Silverstein has amazing insight. Every human should read this book.