Remembering Shel Silverstein

...Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends. ...

-- An excerpt from Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends"

Shel Silverstein died this year at the age of 66. He was an acclaimed composer and playwright, but he will be best remembered for his children's poetry and prose.

Silverstein was gifted in his ability to write simply about complex things and ideas. The Giving Tree, perhaps Silverstein's most famous work, is a perfect example. For years, children have enjoyed its simple illustrations and text, while adults have grappled with the meaning behind a tree that gives so selflessly to a boy who only takes.

Read one of his stories or poems to your kids today in his honor. We can't think of a better way to remember him.

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