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Born on September 25th 1930 in Chicago, Illinois.. His full name was Sheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein
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He started playing guitar around the age of twelve
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In the 1950's he enlisted in the Korean war during his time in the military he worked as a cartoonist for the "Pacific Stars and Stripes".
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After he finished his military duty, he was hired as a cartoonist for "Playboy" in 1956
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In 1963, at the suggestion of fellow illustrator Tomi Ungerer, he was introduced to Ursula Nordstrom who convinced him to begin writing for children.
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The next year he published the book "The giving tree". Surprisingly, just a few years prior, editor William Cole rejected this book, claiming that it would never sell because it fell between the interests of children and adults.
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Shel Silverstein wrote the lyrics for the song "A boy named sue" performed by Johnny Cash which was a number one hit.
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In 1974 Shel published the book "Where the sidewalk ends" which won the New York Times Outstanding Book Award, 1974, and went on to win the Michigan Young Readers' Award, 1981, and the George G. Stone Award, in 1984.
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Shel published the book "The missing peice". It was a non-traditional books which Silverstein himself sees as being a little "disturbing" because of the unique ending he chose for the book.
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"A light in the attic" was published in 1981. It was a collection of poems and drawings, It won the Best Books, School Library Journal in 1981. This book also won the Buckeye Awards, 1983, and 1985, the George G. Stone Award, 1984, and the William Allen White Award, 1984.
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Shel started writing plays in 1981. One of his most famous plays was "The Lady or the Tiger Show" which aired the same year.
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"The missing peice meets the big-o" is the sequal to "the missing peice" and was published in 1982 and won the International Reading Association's Children's Choice Award.
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In 1988 Shel colaberated with David Mamet on the screenplay for the 1988 Colubmia Pictures film "Things Change."
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Shel Silverstein co-wrote the soundtrack for the 1990 film "Postcards From the Edge," which was nominated for an Academy Award for best song in 1991, and for a Golden Globe for the same category and year.
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"Falling up" hit bookstores in 1996. This book was praised by critics
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Sheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein passed away in Key west florida from a heart attack.
