A Light in the Attic: Poems and Drawings

This is a classic of children's literature. Now that I'm older, I really do understand why Silverstein was so controversial at the time his books were published. Many of the poems show disrespect. A young reader might think the attitudes are acceptable rather than being the puns probably intended in the day and age they were written--particularly now that society, in general, shows less respect. I do not like his poems about God. I'm not sure I'd want a child reading all of the poems included. I would be very selective!

I LOVED this book. I still love it. I have my original copy from when I was a kid. I used to hide it under my pillow at night, so after my parents tucked me in and closed the door I could keep reading into the night. It has severely affected me. I love poetry. I love dark humor. I love how things don't always work out. It's wicked. It's delightful. And the drawings are so peculiar but approachable, if that's the right way to describe it. Hooray for A Light in the Attic.

"The baby bat screamed out in fright 'Turn on the dark I'm afraid of the light!'"

:D

The main thing I enjoy about Shel Silverstein's poetry is his use of interesting and sometimes made up words or names. For example, he uses the phrases "Quick-Digesting Gink" and "Mehoo with an Exactlywatt". These words do not have meanings that can be found in a dictionary and this allows the reader to use their imagination and Silverstein's language to conjure images and meanings in their mind. I also enjoy the variety of the poems. Some of the poems are completely fantasy-based, while others have a realistic feeling to them. For example, there is a poem about an anchor being too big for the children's boat, but there is also a poem about a child swinging from a tree using his mustache. This variety keeps the reader very interested. show more I'm not so sure that Shel Silverstein was trying to send a message, but I do believe he was trying to entertain his young audience, as well as try to interest this audience in poetry, because he made poetry that can be very interesting to children. show less

I found reading “Light in the Attic” to be similar to reading “Where the Sidewalk Ends”. I loved reading the poetry and found each poem as funny and creative as the next. I found that the poems that were intended to be sentimental were emotionally moving and provided the audience with a nice message. The illustrations were hilarious. I particularly liked the picture of the birthday snake for the poem titled, 'Birthday'. The snake's crooked smile is perfect for this goofy story of a birthday snake that was given as a last resort present. Another characteristic of the book that I found intriguing was the way the book made me think between the lines. Often I found myself thinking analytically about the poems and to see if there was show more a deeper meaning. I used the illustration of a 'Light in the Attic' to infer that the 'light' refers to your thoughts, personality and brain. I loved reading these poems and found that they were fun and made for an interesting light read. show less

I read this to my 4-year-old at bedtime, and more often than not, she'd beg me to keep reading "one more poem." But what's up with the author photo? Silverstein is made to appear (or so it seems to me) as if his primary target market were Williamsburg hipsters. And neither I nor my 4-y.o. are hipsters. Anyway. I'm carping because no review feels complete to me w/o at least one, good, grumpy voiced carping.

A Light in the Attic delights with remarkable characters and hilariously profound poems in a collection readers will return to again and again.

Here in the attic you will find Backward Bill, Sour Face Ann, the Meehoo with an Exactlywatt, and the Polar Bear in the Frigidaire. You will talk with Broiled Face, and find out what happens when Somebody steals your knees, you get caught by the Quick-Digesting Gink, a Mountain snores, and They Put a Brassiere on the Camel (Amazon).

This has been just what the funny bone doctor has ordered for years. It is fun, strange, silly, bizarre and makes one think. There is no subject untouched.