Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein

Do you remember Shel Silverstein? He was best known as an author/drawer of children’s books titled Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up. He passed away nearly a decade ago, but his family put out one final book featuring some of his best unpublished poems and drawings a few weeks ago. I’m not going to hold back: I loved the book. The poems are smart and witty, entertaining and funny. It made me feel young (even though I’m not that old).

I've never reviewed poetry before, so I’ve decided to share a few of my favorite poems (if this is copyright, I apologize and will remove the poems…but from my research on the web, this appears to be okay).

Years From Now

Although I cannot see your face

As you flip these poems awhile,

Somewhere from some far-off place

I hear you laughing – and smile.

Happy Ending?

There are no happy endings.

Endings are the saddest part,

So just give me a happy middle

And a very happy start.

The Clock Man

“How much will you pay for an extra day?”

The clock man asked the child.

“Not one penny,” the answer came,

“For my days are as many as smiles.”

“How much will you pay for an extra day?”

He asked when the child was grown.

“Maybe a dollar or maybe less,

For I’ve plenty of days on my own.”

“How much will you pay for an extra day?”

He asked when the time came to die.

“All of the pearls in all of the seas,

And all of the stars in the sky.”

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!

There were a bunch of other poems I really liked: The Lovetobutcants, Growing Down, Call the Please, Jake says..., Investigating, The Kid-Eating Land Shark, the list goes on and on. I really hope others read this book. It’s for all ages, not just children. I would love to know which others’ favorites were. You can pick it up and read a few poems at a time to brighten your day.

My rating for Every Thing On It: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. Do you know any other popular poets of our time? I would love to read more of it, but no one sticks out in my mind.