Shel Silverstein
American
1930 – 1999
Sheldon Allan Silverstein was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he briefly attended college before being drafted into the United States Army. During his rise to prominence in the 1950s, his illustrations appeared in newspapers and magazines, including the adult-oriented Playboy, and he wrote the satirical, adult-oriented alphabet book Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book.
His books include The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends. The same career produced songwriting and music, while Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book shows that his humor could be aimed at adults. Taken together, the record presents a Chicago-born artist who moved between drawing, verse, satire, and song, and whose published work reached both magazine readers and book readers over time.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed 2 of Shel Silverstein's books, including Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree.
2
Books ReviewedShel Silverstein books in order
17 books; 1 reviewed on LuvemBooks. Dates and covers from Amazon.
1963Lafcadio, The Lion Who Shot BackAmazon ↗
1964A Giraffe and a HalfAmazon ↗
1964Uncle Shelby's Zoo Don't Bump The Glump and Other FantasiesAmazon ↗
1974Two BooksAmazon ↗
1974Our review →
1976The Missing PieceAmazon ↗
1985Uncle Shelby's ABZ BookAmazon ↗
1999Falling UpAmazon ↗
2002The Poems and Drawings ofAmazon ↗
2004Different Dances 25th Anniversary EditionAmazon ↗
2004The Giving Tree, 40th Anniversary EditionAmazon ↗
2005A Light in the AtticAmazon ↗
2005Runny BabbitAmazon ↗
2008Don't Bump the Glump!: And Other FantasiesAmazon ↗
2010Oh, Hell!: Two One Act PlaysAmazon ↗
2011Every Thing On ItAmazon ↗
2021Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?Amazon ↗
Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings
4.9/5
reader rating · 12,365 ratingsWhere the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings is Shel Silverstein's children's poetry collection, written and illustrated by Silverstein himself, gathering poems that address common childhood concerns alongside fanciful stories and imaginative images. Wikipedia notes that Silverstein's work is valued by people of all ages, primarily for his skill in subtly communicating social implications through simple language.
Reviewed Oct 25, 2026
The Giving Tree
4.8/5
reader rating · 37,179 ratingsShel Silverstein's picture book The Giving Tree follows an apple tree that gives a boy everything until only a stump remains. Reviewers split on whether it is tender or troubling, and the New Yorker reports it tops both favourite and least-favourite lists.
Reviewed Feb 13, 2026
Ask LuvemBooks about Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician whose children's verse reaches far beyond its young audience — as the summary for Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings notes, his work is valued by readers of all ages for its skill in subtly communicating social implications. On LuvemBooks we've reviewed 2 of his books, and both hold strong reader ratings on Amazon: Where the Sidewalk Ends at 4.9/5 from over 12,000 ratings, and The Giving Tree at 4.8/5 from nearly 37,000 — the latter still sparking fierce debate six decades after publication.
- Where should I start?
- Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings is the natural starting point. It's a self-contained collection of poems addressing common childhood concerns alongside fanciful stories and imaginative images, so you can dip in anywhere. It also carries the highest reader rating of the books we've reviewed — 4.9/5 from over 12,000 Amazon ratings.
- What's their writing style?
- Silverstein pairs simple, accessible verse with his own illustrations, addressing common childhood concerns while veering into fanciful stories and imaginative images. The distinctive quality critics point to is how subtly his work communicates social implications — the surface is playful, but there's more underneath. The Giving Tree shows a different register: a picture book whose meaning readers have debated for six decades.
- Books we've reviewed
- We've reviewed 2 Shel Silverstein books. Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings (reader rating 4.9/5) is his self-illustrated poetry collection mixing childhood concerns with fanciful invention. The Giving Tree (reader rating 4.8/5) is his 1964 picture book that remains one of the most debated titles in American children's literature.
- How do their books compare?
- The two books we've reviewed offer different entry points into Silverstein's work. Where the Sidewalk Ends is a poetry collection you can browse freely, built around childhood concerns and imaginative flights, and it edges ahead on reader rating (4.9/5 vs 4.8/5). The Giving Tree is a single sustained picture-book story whose meaning is still actively argued over — the more divisive but also the more discussed of the two.
- What genre do they write?
- Both books we've reviewed fall under Children's Books — poetry in the case of Where the Sidewalk Ends, and a picture book in the case of The Giving Tree. That said, Silverstein's range extended well beyond children's literature: he was also a songwriter and musician, and his poems are valued by adult readers for the social implications beneath their playful surfaces.
- What should I read after The Giving Tree?
- Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings is the natural follow-up among the titles we've reviewed. Where The Giving Tree is one sustained, much-debated story, the poetry collection shows Silverstein's range across dozens of poems addressing childhood concerns and fanciful scenarios — and it carries a 4.9/5 reader rating.
Who is Shel Silverstein?
Where should I start?
What's their writing style?
Books we've reviewed
How do their books compare?
What genre do they write?
What should I read after The Giving Tree?
Who is Shel Silverstein?
Sheldon Allan Silverstein was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. He's best known for children's books he wrote and illustrated himself, including Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings and The Giving Tree. His work is valued by readers of all ages, particularly for his skill in subtly communicating social implications through deceptively simple verse and drawings.
Follow up
What is Shel Silverstein best known for?
Did Shel Silverstein illustrate his own books?
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