Last night while I lay thinking here
Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
And pranced and partied all night long
And sang their same old Whatif song:

Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?...

Here in the attic of Shel Silverstein 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.

From the creator of the beloved poetry collections Where the Sidewalk Ends and Falling Up, here is another wondrous book of poems and drawings.

Notable Children's Books of 1981 (ALA)
Best Books of 1981 (SLJ)
Children's Books of 1981 (Library of Congress)
1981 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
1981 USA Children's Books of International Interest
Winner, 1983-84 William Allen White Award (Kansas)
Winner, 1983 Garden State Children's Book Award (New Jersey Library Association)
1984 Garden State Children's Book Award for Non-Fiction (New Jersey Library Association)
1984 George C. Stone Center for Children's Books (Claremont, CA) "Recognition of Merit" Award

FROM OUR EDITORS

It's hard to imagine a world without A Light in the Attic. This now-classic collection of poetry and drawings from Shel Silverstein celebrates its 20th anniversary with this special edition. Silverstein's humorous and creative verse can amuse the dowdiest of readers. Lemon-faced adults and fidgety kids sit still and read these rhythmic words and laugh and smile and love that Silverstein. Need proof of his genius? Rockabye

Rockabye baby, in the treetop
Don't you know a treetop
Is no safe place to rock?
And who put you up there,
And your cradle, too?
Baby, I think someone down here's
Got it in for you. Shel, you never sounded so good.

ANNOTATION

A collection of humorous poems and drawings.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Here in the attic of Shel Silverstein you will find Backward Bill, Sour Face Ann, the Meehoo with an Exactlywatt, and the Polar Bear in the Frigidaire. You will talk with the 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 a Camel.

From the creator of the classic Where the Sidewalk Ends, here is a wondrous new collection of poems and drawings.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature

Most of us grew up listening to our teachers or our parents reading to us from Shel Silverstein's poetry collections A Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends, or The Giving Tree and loved every humorous moment of them. The only thing better than listening was to hear them and look at the illustrations Silverstein provided for each poem. In this 20th anniversary edition of A Light in the Attic, a new generation of readers is provided the additional joy of listening to Silverstein read—with great enthusiasm—eleven of his personal favorites from the collection. From the woes of homework to the practicalities of the best way to get out of doing the dishes; from the joy of imagining oneself in a rock and roll band to the amazing abilities of the Twistable, Turnable Man; young and "young-at-heart" readers alike will find themselves laughing at or nodding with the charming characters found in Silverstein's poetry. This collection has been and continues to be a "must-use" book for teachers working with students of any age to encourage or reinforce a love of poetry. 2001 (orig. 1981), HarperCollins, $22.95 and $17.89. Ages All. Reviewer: Jean Boreen