The book opens with a page long note from Mr. Silverstein in which he describes his devotion to children. To quote,



         "Many of my little friends have asked Old Uncle Shelby why he has written this book and why he loves children so doearly, and to these I must answer that although Uncle Shelby has never been blessed with the children of his own, the little ones have always had a very special place in his tired old heart.

         "Yes, I have heard them crying late at night, and I have thought about them - I have heard them playing and laughing outside my window while I was trying to sleep and I have thought about them - I have seen the pictures they have drawn on my car and I have thought and thought and thought about them. And so this book - to help all my little friends get all the things in life that they so richly deserve."



The rest of the book is comically sarcastic as it satirizes the stereotypical alphabet book. It does not follow the alphabet, nor does it urge children to good behavior, but it is a fun look at what's in the mind of Shel Silverstein.

I enjoyed that the book was not at all typed, but fully written out and illustrated by Shel Silverstein.

I didn't like how I discovered this book. My little brother, age 8, brought it home from his elementary school library, and while the book is comical, it is in no way suitable for young children.

I wanted to share it with all of my friends. Anyone who appreciates sarcasm will love this short book.

Shel Silverstein has written a great many books of children's stories and poetry. What some people may not know, however, is that Silverstein wrote comedy and satire for Playboy magizine through the late 60's and early 70's after catching the eye of Hugh Hefner in 1956.

I'd recommend this book because it's very funny, as long as you can take a joke where children are concerned.

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Created Mar 23, 2003 at 2:33am • Submit your own review...