Author, illustrator, and native Chicagoan Shel Silverstein honored with 'The Giving Tree' stamp
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Renowned children's author and Chicago native Shel Silverstein has been honored with a new "forever" postage stamp.
The stamp was dedicated at Charles R. Darwin Elementary, at 3116 W. Belden Ave. in the Logan Square community. Silverstein (1930-1999) attended the school as a boy.
"He could be silly or serious – and anything in between. With his witty rhymes and whimsical, nonsensical verse, it was clear that he loved to play with language," Postal Service vice president of corporate affairs Judy de Torok said in a news release. "It was also clear that his many readers – young and old alike – loved him for his clever word play. His books are bestsellers, with more than 20 million copies sold in more than 47 languages."
At the dedication Friday, Chicago Literary Hall of Fame founding executive director Don Evans pointed out that Silverstein grew up in West Town and Logan Square.
Published reports noted that Silverstein's father had a bakery at Walton and Rockwell streets that later moved to Western Avenue at Rice Street. Silverstein himself grew up at 2853 W. Palmer St. – having moved there with his family as a boy.
Fourth-graders at Darwin recited some of Silverstein's most memorable poems at the event Friday. The walls at Darwin Elementary also featured student poster re-creations of some of Silverstein's most famous illustrations.
The stamp honors Silverstein's "The Giving Tree," published by Harper & Row in 1964. The book tells the story of a boy and a self-sacrificing tree who gives him shade, apples, branches, and even her trunk as he grows up to be a man and grows old. Some call it a tale of selflessness and generosity, while others take issue with the way the boy treats the ever-generous tree. But it has been known to generations as a classic.
Silverstein was also well-known for his self-illustrated poetry volumes, "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (1974), "A Light in the Attic" (1981), "Falling Up" (1996), and "Every Thing On It" (2011). He also wrote several poems that appeared on the classic 1972 children's album "Free to Be… You and Me."
Silverstein graduated from Roosevelt High School, and studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and Roosevelt University before joining the U.S. Army. His cartoons appeared in "Stars and Stripes" magazine during his stint in the Army.
Silverstein also wrote and illustrated books for adult readers, recorded albums of his own music, wrote plays performed off-Broadway. He wrote classic Johnny Cash song "A Boy Named Sue" and the song "The Unicorn" – best-known for its rendition by the Irish Rovers. He also co-wrote the screenplay for "Things Change" by David Mamet.
Silverstein spent many years as a cartoonist and columnist for Playboy magazine, beginning in 1956, published reports noted.
Silverstein died at his home in Key West, Florida in 1999 at the age of 68.