![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() A seed germinated way back in 1972 when Silverstein mentioned to his then-editor, Joan Robins, that he was toying with writing a book for kids that features poems written bass-ackwards (so to speak) came to fruition with the publication last month of Runny Babbit, and the result is both expected and unexpected: the former because it has all the usual tropes of Silverstein’s voice, and the latter because it’s perhaps the best book for children he wrote since 1981’s A Light in the Attic. Over time, some of those projects were completed, including an album of children’s songs co-written with Pat Dailey and two productions of short plays, but only silence on the children’s book front.īut fate, family wishes and judicious editing had other ideas. ![]() In other words, to quote Bela Bartok, he died “with still so much to say,” and it looked as if there would be no more opportunity for Silverstein to do so. When the noted renaissance man - he was, whenever he wanted to be, a singer, songwriter, cartoonist, playwright, Playboy staple, children’s author or all of the above – died in 1999 of a heart attack, he was in the middle of several projects and extremely active. This year marks the 75th anniversary of Silverstein’s birth, so the arrival of a previously unpublished work has to be put into proper context. ![]()
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