I picked up this first book of Shel Silverstein's poetry (which has been out of print for over 30 years) and I felt like I was getting a chance to reconnect with an old friend. This re-release of his 'bestiary' collection from 1964 lives again to give another generation of children the thrill of imagining a Quick-Digesting Gink sneaking up from behind:
"Oops!"
We've been caught by a Quick-Digesting Gink
And now we are dodging his teeth
And now we are restin'
In his small intestine,
And now we're back out on the street. . .
Silverstein let's us titter nervously at the idea of the Bibley's appetite for girls and boys while softening the scary creatures through his watercolor illustrations and the warm cadence of his poetry.
"One-Legged Zantz"
Please be kind to the One-Legged Zantz.
Consider his feelings -
Don't ask him to dance.
After one reading my daughter asked to hear the rhymes, "Again, again!" and as she took her 'monster book' to bed with her that night, I was overwhelmed with nostalgia as Where the Sidewalk Ends was a constant bedtime companion back in my own reading-under-the-covers days. - April Peveteaux
Don't Bump the Glump! And Other Fantasies (HarperCollins, 2008) by Shel Silverstein is available on Amazon.
Book of the Week
appears every other Friday. Sometimes every Friday. We’re fickle like that.
