A Light in the Attic (Hardcover)

by Shel Silverstein (Author, Illustrator) "There's a light on in the attic..." (more)
Key Phrases: roll band, Backward Bill, Pamela Purse

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®

Product Description

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.

Notable Children's Books of 1981 (ALA)
Best Books of 1981 (SLJ)
Children's Books of 1981 (Library of Congress)
1981 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
1981 USA Children's Books of International Interest
Winner, 1983–84 William Allen White Award (Kansas)
Winner, 1983 Garden State Children's Book Award (New Jersey Library Association)
1984 Garden State Children's Book Award for Non-Fiction (New Jersey Library Association)
1984 George C. Stone Center for Children's Books (Claremont, CA) "Recognition of Merit" Award

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (October 7, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060256737
• ISBN-13: 978-0060256739
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,380 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Entertainment > Humor > Limericks & Humorous Verse
  #3 in	Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry > Humorous
  #4 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( S ) > Silverstein, Shel

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 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

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

22 of 24 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 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!

12 of 12 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

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...