A Light in the Attic

Summary:
This is a remarkable collection of poems for children. Shel does an amazing job of using silly language and interesting pictures to capture the hearts of children and adults alike. For example his poem "Stop Thief!" is a short five line poem that claims a person stole a pair of knees and that their feet and legs won't connect. These poems stimulate the imagination and are great examples to get kids started into a poetry unit.




About the Author: Shel Silverstein
Shel actually had beginnings of his career with Playboy magazine as a cartoonist. He continued on to publish another famous book The Giving Tree. Shel's way with words has made an imprint on readers even after his death. Books are still being published of his work and you are able to work with the poems  and other fun games on his website. Sadly, Shel pasted away in 1999 due to a heart attack.


Theme/Skill: Poetry, Fantasy, Fiction
Grade Level: Read Aloud: K-2. Reading and assessing 3-12


Pre-Reading Activity:
Introduce Shel Silverstein as a person. Ask the students if they have ever read his other books such as The Giving Tree or Where the Sidewalk Ends. Also you can introduce him and his work by using his interactive website.


Post-Reading Activity:
After reading any of his poems, ask the students how it made them feel or what emotions were stimulated. Shel's magical work is able to strengthen creativity. Assign students to try and model his work and create a poem totally outside the box.


Reflection:
As a person who is afraid of poetry, I would use this book during a poetry unit. The poems are short and easy to read. Shel captures the essence of childhood so well that older students would feel youthful while reading and would find this a refreshing mix to their heavy workload. One aspect that I wish was different was that Shel included color in his illustrations. Color would provide these images with a more vivid meaning. But perhaps Shel was trying to not take away from the poems.