Illustrator: Shel Silverstein
ISBN: 978-0060256531
This weeks blog was on a poem. What a great way to end the blog assignments on a positive entry. Poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response.
I wanted to blog poems by Shel Silverstein. There are so many wonderful poems by him. I posted a little background information on him in case no one has heard of him.
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| Shel Silverstein Born: Sept.25th, 1930 Died: May 10th, 1999 |
Shel Silverstein was born September 25th, 1930 in Chicago Illinois. He began writing when he was twelve years old. He wanted to play ball and talk to girls, but he had no athletic ability and girls showed no interest. When he was in the military, he worked as a cartoonist for "Pacific Stars and Stripes." Silverstein wrote his first children's book in 1964, it was The Giving Tree. This was the first of many wonderful stories and poems written by Shel Silverstein.
I had to pick three, so I picked the three poems from the Runny Babbit collection.The poems in the Runny Babbit collection is written in "Spoonerisms." If you do not know the meaning, or like me, have never heard of the word, it means an error in Speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched. The word "Spoonerisms" is named for Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930) who was prone to do this type of speaking.
The first poem is Runny on Rount Mushmore.
Runny vook a tacation
To see some brand new places
He climbed right up Rount Mushmore
To pree sesidents faces
There was Jashington and Wefferson
Rincoln and Loosevelt too
And after Runny came back down
There was a bunny too
-This poem is pretty self explanatory. But nevertheless it is a cute poem about a mischievous bunny who wanted to explore different places. To make his mark, he put his face next to the President's faces. We can probably picture Runny as Shel Silverstein who made his place in society by writing great children's books. I think at some point as individuals we all need to make our mark in society somehow. Whether it is helping someone or showing our creative side, we will all be known for something. I still don't think that I have made myself known yet in society. But then again, I do not pay attention to the wonderful things that I do that would be considered my mark.
The second poem is Runny and Sea Poup
Runny went to Snerry Jake's
To get some taisin roast
But all Jake had was sea poup
Which Runny hated most
He cried, 'I wont eat sea poup
I simply can not bear it.'
Snerry said, 'Since you wont eat it
Maybe you can wear it.'
- This poem was another smile maker for me. Shel Silverstein showed in character how a child or adult can act when approached with a food we do not like. I think as children we all had a food that we refused to eat. It did not matter to any extent what our parents did to get us to try it, we still wouldn't budge. I remember as a child I would not eat any vegetables. It did not matter how hard my mother tried to hide them in food i refused to eat them. As an adult, every meal I eat has to come with a vegetable. I can't get enough of them. As we get older, I think we own up to our defenses and settle in and try new things.
The third poem is Runny's Hind Keart.
On a mosty frornin' Runny woke
And heeked outside his pole
And he saw all the wugs and borms
A-ceezin in the frold
The flagondries, the hassgroppers
And patercillars too,
We're shiverin' and quiverin'
As freezin creatures do
So Runny took them all inside
Where it was carm and wozy
He rubbed each tiny tozen froe
He warmed each ice-nold cosie
He fed them nice hot sarrot coup
And after they were fed
He blapped them up in wrankets
And but them all to ped
- I enjoyed reading this poem. Shel Silverstein showed us the fulfillment of being compassionate to everyone and everything. Knowing how the world is, and that there are not many people who are compassionate, it is nice to read about someone or something that is compassionate. I am being honest when I say that this poem brought me to tears. It was so compassionately written that I could not hold my emotions in. Being a Mother of a special needs child, I constantly worry how other children will treat my son. I think that if children are shown how to treat people and other living things, they can make a difference in making the world a better place.
Teaching Shel Silverstein poems has a great message and unknowingly teaches students phonemic awareness. This is a great poem collection book to keep in your Children's Book Library.
Kim,
ReplyDeleteWow what a genius Shel Silverstein is. I must admit I wasn't familiar with his work, however the way his poems have that infamous sing song like quality to them along with how he changes up the letters of some words to make it seem like a child is talking. I have never seen this approach done and it is quite different! I must admit I read your poems a couple of times thinking "wait what"? I did eventually get that tone and pronunciation that Shel was trying to get across and it is so unique.
I know from talking to you that you were very enthused with doing this particular blog because of who it was, now I see why.A child should be introduced to many types of poems especially the easy to read and understand ones like the ones you picked. I too thought my author was a genius in his own as well.I definitely would love to read more of Shel's humorous poems and perhaps introduce him to my class too!
you mean, tunny boo?
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