Book Review: A Light in the Attic
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What Parents Should Know
The playful language and light look at (sometimes serious)
subject matter keep kids entertained. The art is expressive and
sometimes pleasingly over-the-top.
Common Sense Media Review
For many modern children, Shel Silverstein is their
introduction to the joys of poetry. For decades he has tickled
and enchanted generations of kids, and acted as a counterweight
to the insipid poems they encounter in their basal readers.
Silverstein looks at life from unexpected angles--full of spirit and merriment and salad days. He sticks it to the naggers and the greedy and the lazy; their only recourse is to get a grip.
He gives voice to fears that are hard to express: "Last night, while I lay thinking here, / Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear." Said Whatifs quickly get to work: "Whatif they start a war? / Whatif my parents get divorced? / Whatif the bus is late? / Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight? / Whatif I tear my pants? / Whatif I never learn to dance?"
Silverstein's pen-and-ink illustrations are expressive and innovative: In "Snake Problem," the python's body twists and turns to spell out "I love you." And the title character in "Wild Strawberry" has pointy teeth and little legs.
If you like this one, try Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends and Falling Up. Richard Wilbur's Runaway Opposites is another book of funny poetry.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
