Falling Up ~ BBW #2

Review #2 for Banned Books Week (BBW)

Falling Up: Poems and Drawings ~ by Shel Silverstein, 1996, children's, 8/10

A good part of the humor of Shel Silverstein's poetry is the play on words, often by one who is taking something literally.  Here's an example from page 75:

They Say I Have

They say I have my father's nose,
My grandpa's eyes,
My mother's hair.
Could it be that my behind's
The only thing that's really mine?

The drawing that accompanies this poem shows a child with arm outstretched to three relatives:  dad without a nose, mom without hair, and poor ole grandpa without any eyes.  We must study the child to imagine THOSE eyes for grandpa, THAT curly hair for his (her?) mother, and an appropriately adult-sized nose for like THAT for dear ole dad.

I can relate to this poem, because I remember a time when I was a very small child that I was quite perturbed when my mother said, "Keep an eye on your baby brother."  I was so perturbed and so anxious that, to this day, I can vividly recall the feelings I felt.  I wrote a post about it for my Words from a Wordsmith blog, with the words I threw back at my mother that day, "How can I keep an eye on him?  Do I take out my eye and put it on him?"

Some of the humor of these poems comes from their evocation of the questions most children ponder.  Did you ever wonder about God?  The kid on page 78 did:

Description

George said, "God is short and fat."
Nick said, "No, He's tall and lean."
Len said, "With a long white beard."
"No," said John, "He's shaven clean."
Will said, "He's black," Bob said, "He's white."
Rhonda Rose said, "He's a She."
I smiled but never showed 'em all
The autographed photograph God sent to me.

Ah, the last line throws us for a loop!  It's so unexpected.  Well, it was for me, anyway, 'cause God never sent me a photograph, autographed or otherwise.  I liked the poem about God in yesterday's book, too, but didn't find a way to fit it into the review.

Here it is, from page 152 of A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein:

God's Wheel

God says to me with kind of a smile,
"Hey how would you like to be God awhile
And steer the world?"
"Okay," says I, "I'll give it a try.
Where do I set?
How much do I get?
What time is lunch?
When can I quit?"
"Gimme back that wheel," says God,
"I don't think you're quite ready yet."

The wheel sticks up above one of the world's oceans, and that tiny boy would have a hard time turning it.  Have I learned anything about Shel's theology?  Nah, don't think so.

If you would like to hear a poem or three animated and spoken by the author/artist, click here.  After the intro, click on "Shel's Books."  Then click on "Falling Up" to watch an animation from page 77: "The Toy Eater."

Falling Up is fun, and funny, and playful, and I rate it 8 of 10, a very good book.

Also posted on my Banned Books blog.