Silverstein, Shel

Silverstein, Shel(by)

(born Sept. 25, 1932, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—died May 10, 1999, Key West, Fla.) U.S. cartoonist, children's author, poet, songwriter, and playwright. Often compared to Dr. Seuss (see Theodor Geisel), Silverstein is best known for his children's stories and poems. Among his memorable characters are the protagonist in Uncle Shelby's Story of Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back (1963), the boy-man and tree in The Giving Tree (1964), and the partial circle in The Missing Piece. Silverstein was credited with helping young readers develop an appreciation of poetry, and his serious verse reveals an understanding of common childhood anxieties and wishes.

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Silverstein, Shel (Shelby) (Uncle Shelby, pen name) (1932–  ) poet, cartoonist, composer; born in Chicago. He served in the U.S. armed forces in Japan and Korea as a cartoonist for Stars and Stripes (1950s), returned to New York City and became a roving reporter, composer, and folksinger. Encouraged by Ursula Nordstrom, children's editor of Harper & Row, he published several innovative books of verse for readers of all ages, such as Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974), and A Light in the Attic (1981). He lived in Greenwich Village, New York; Key West, Fla.; and on a houseboat in Sausalito, Calif.