A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

Silverstein’s poetry appeals to the human spirit, which is why his poetry can be taught to a broad age range and to varying depths.Ī Light in the Attic is filled with examples of well executed literary devices, like alliteration, consonance & assonance, malapropisms, oxymorons, and hyperbole. Silverstein’s acumen for soberly addressing topics of human experience with an air of fun and frivolity makes his poetry appealing to children, teens, and adults. “Bored” from A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (1981) Shel Silverstein is a master of the silly poem, complimenting his well crafted words with pen-and-ink images that spring off the page in giggles.

But there is one exception: Silly poems are still a favorite. In my experience, around the 4th and 5th grade when students have become more independent readers, gravitating toward chapter books with complex story lines and well developed characters (think Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, etc.), collections of poetry begin to gather dust on bookshelves.

By the early teen years, the acceptance and enjoyment for poetry gets replaced with lyrics to popular songs played on the (digital) radio. But around the age of 11, when reading resistance begins to take hold over many children’s reading experience, poetry seems to be the first format to go – at least traditional poetry. Poems, especially those intended for small children, are often short and evocative, and meant to be read over and over something every child is hard-wired to demand. It is not uncommon to come across small children joyously repeating a favorite poem as they busy themselves with play, much like the young adult habit of singing a favorite song. Most cherish the rhythmic meter and rhyme of a poem, lending itself to memorization. I’ve found that poetry isn’t much of a touchy subject for young children. I haven’t met a small child who doesn’t love a well executed poem. I still have many of those poems at the ready for the times I need to delight a messy group of little ones. She had committed many to memory, delighting us with a perfectly timed poem inserted to grab our attention.

When I was a little girl, my Mom read poems to me and my siblings. William Allen White Children’s Book Award ( Kansas): General Category Garden State Children’s Book Award (New Jersey): Children’s Nonfiction

( Lexile: Not available ATOS: 2.0 Grade level equivalent: 3.2 see New Research on Text Complexity for more information)īuckeye Children’s Book Award (Ohio): Grades 6 – 8