Sheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein By gail arceneaux Sep 25, 1930 Date of birth Jan 1, 1953 Drafted by the US Army - served in Japan & Korea Jan 1, 1955 "Take Ten" his first book, a compilation of his military cartoon series was published Jan 1, 1957 Became one of the leading cartoonists in "Playboy" magazine Jan 1, 1959 Began a respectable career in music Jan 1, 1963 Published his first children's book "Uncle Shelby's story of Lafcadio" Jan 1, 1964 "The Giving Tree" finished the book in 1960, but took 4 years to find someone to publish it Jan 1, 1974 "Where the Sidewalk Ends", published Jan 1, 1981 "A Light in the Attic" published, dedicated to his daughter, Shoshanna Jan 1, 1996 "Falling Up" published, dedicated to his son, Matthew May 10, 1999 Found dead in his Key West, Florida home, died of a heart attack