This short poetry book is full of quick and simple poems. They are nonsensical – what is a “glump”? The book allows the readers to use their imagination and be silly while thinking about the poems. This would be good for beginning readers, as Silverstein's words are simple.

Still a favorite, even if the entry about the Droan gave me the crawling horrors as a kid. ( )

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In Shel Silverstein's first collection of poetry, I had mixed feelings about this book after reading it. I liked this book because this is the only Shel Silverstein poetry book that has colored illustrations that he created, which I feel adds to the imaginary creatures described in the poems. I also liked the creative nonsense creatures described in the poems through the differing poetic structures in the book. What I didn't like about the book was the majority of the creatures were described to wanting to eat people while it can be funny, I thought it got a little old by the end. The big idea from all of these poems is to be careful around interesting and weird creatures, because you might break them or they could break you. ( )

This book is Shel Silverstein's first collection of poetry, originally published in 1964. It includes a menagerie of strange animal illustrations that Silverstein drew and colored himself. Each poem varies in length, some are only three lines while others can take up a whole page. Their rhyme scheme and accompanying illustrations have a Dr. Seuss vibe. There is even an imaginary animal called a grinch! I would recommend this book for students around second or third grade and older. I think the animals names might be difficult for younger kids to read on their own but it would make a great book for the teacher or a parent to read aloud. It can also be a great introduction to poetic elements like rhythm, rhyming words and the importance of imagery. ( )