Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book ( ISBN 067121148X) is a satirical alphabet book by Shel Silverstein. First published in 1961, it is sometimes described as "subversive". The cover on some editions of the book read "A primer for adults only" while other editions read "A primer for tender young minds" instead.
Much of the humor derives from a cynical drive to give the reader misleading, harmful advice. A portion of the book originally appeared in a slightly different form in Playboy magazine. Silverstein urges the reader to keep termites as pets, play hopscotch with real Scotch whisky and give their father a haircut while he sleeps. He tells the reader that "Mommy loves the baby more than she loves you", and he uses the letter "E", first, to discourage the reader from ever wanting to eat eggs, and then, to encourage the reader to throw eggs up to the ceiling:
He also misdefines a gigolo as a woodwind musical instrument similar to the oboe, assumes the reader can eat as many as 116 green apples in a single day and states that quarantine means, "Come in, kids — free ice cream." He also tells kids that there is a real live pony inside the car (in order to encourage them to put sugar in the gas tank) and elves inside the TV set, repeatedly misspells "hippopotamus" and uses the letter "I" to inform readers that they can drink ink:
Of course this is all offered in a humorous vein; nevertheless, some readers have been offended by the satire. Indeed, Silverstein is one of the American Library Association's most challenged authors. While some view the book's humor as directed towards adults, it was Silverstein's belief that children and elderly people should be treated no differently from anyone else. [3]
Sheldon Allan Silverstein was an American writer, poet, cartoonist, songwriter, and playwright. He was best known for his cartoons, songs, and children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in some works. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold more than 20 million copies. His songs have been recorded and popularized by a wide range of acts including Johnny Cash, The Irish Rovers, and Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. He was the recipient of two Grammy Awards as well as Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nominations.
"A Boy Named Sue" is a song written by humorist, children's author, and poet Shel Silverstein and made popular by Johnny Cash. Cash recorded the song live in concert on February 24, 1969 at California's San Quentin State Prison for his At San Quentin album. Cash also performed the song in December 1969 at Madison Square Garden. The live San Quentin version of the song became Cash's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and his only top ten single there, spending three weeks at No. 2 in 1969, held out of the top spot by "Honky Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones. The track also topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Easy Listening charts that same year and was certified Gold on August 14, 1969, by the RIAA.
Jules Ralph Feiffer is an American cartoonist and author, who was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 as North-America's leading editorial cartoonist, and in 2004 he was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame. He wrote the animated short Munro, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1961. The Library of Congress has recognized his "remarkable legacy", from 1946 to the present, as a cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, adult and children's book author, illustrator, and art instructor.
The Giving Tree is an American children's picture book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. First published in 1964 by Harper & Row, it has become one of Silverstein's best-known titles, and has been translated into numerous languages.
A Light in the Attic is a collection of poems by the American poet, writer, and children's author Shel Silverstein. It was first published by Harper & Row in 1981. The poems for children are accompanied by illustrations also created by Shel Silverstein.
The Tramp is Charlie Chaplin's sixth film for Essanay Studios and was released in 1915. Directed by Chaplin, it was the fifth and last film made at Essanay's Niles, California studio. The Tramp marked the beginning of The Tramp character most known today, even though Chaplin played the character in earlier films. This film marked the first departure from his more slapstick character in the earlier films, with a sad ending and showing he cared for others, rather than just himself. The film co-stars Edna Purviance as the farmer's daughter and Ernest Van Pelt as Edna's father. The outdoor scenes were filmed on location near Niles.
Falling Up is a 1996 poetry collection primarily for children written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein and published by HarperCollins. It is the third poetry collection published by Silverstein, following Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974) and A Light in the Attic (1981), and the final one to be published during his lifetime, as he died just three years after its release. Falling Up was the recipient of the Booklist Editors' Award in 1996.. In 2015, a special edition of the book was published, with 12 new poems.
Robert Joseph Bare Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician.
Where the Sidewalk Ends is a 1974 children's poetry collection written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. It was published by Harper and Row Publishers. The book's poems address many common childhood concerns and also present purely fanciful stories and imagination inspiring images. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association list the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." Controversial because of profanity and subject matter, the book was banned in many libraries and schools.
Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back, first published in 1963, is a children's story written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. It is narrated by Shel Silverstein in the voice of a character named Uncle Shelby.
Brian P. Cleary, is an American humorist, poet, United States patent holder, inventor and author. The bow-tie wearing children's author is best known for his books that explore grammar in humorous ways written for grade-school children. He is Senior Editor, Digital Content at AmericanGreetings.com where he has written digital greetings performed by Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, William Shatner and more.
There have been a variety of Sesame Street video games released for video game platforms. Most of the Sesame Street video games were published and developed by NewKidCo.
"The Unicorn" is a song written by Shel Silverstein and was first released in 1962 on his album Inside Folk Songs.
Razi Hirmandi (with the real name of Seyed Mohammad Razi Khodadadi is an Iranian writer/translator who translates from English into Persian for children and adults.
Dino Time is a 2012 South Korean computer-animated fantasy comedy adventure film produced by CJ Entertainment and distributed by Clarius Entertainment. The film was released on November 30, 2012 in South Korea.
Ron Haffkine is an American record producer, composer and music manager most recognized for his work as a producer and manager of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, an American rock band, producing hit singles including "Sylvia's Mother", "The Cover of Rolling Stone", "Sharing the Night Together", "A Little Bit More" and "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" and achieving 67 Gold and Platinum records.
The Gumazing Gum Girl! is an American children's superhero chapter book series by Rhode Montijo and co-authored by Luke Reynolds. It came out on August 20, 2013. The series is inspired by retro-styled superhero comic books and low-budget monster films.
DC Graphic Novels for Kids, formerly known as DC Zoom, is an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics consisting of original one-shots and reprints of books previously published under other imprints. The imprint intends to present traditional DC Universe characters for middle-grade readers. The first title of the DC Zoom imprint, DC Super Hero Girls: Search for Atlantis was published on September 26, 2018. Black Canary: Ignite and Super Sons Book Two: The Foxglove Mission were the last titles to be published under DC Ink. Diana: Princess of the Amazons, the first title of DC Graphic Novels for Kids, was published on January 7, 2020. The first Reprint, DC Super Hero Girls: Weird Science was published on July 14, 2020.