Shel Silverstein mastered the crafts of book and poetry writing, music and film. Throughout his career, he passed on a love of reading to children and adults around the world. Her passion for writing books and poetry has taught children life lessons that carry them into adulthood, such as that there won't always be a happy ending, but giving up shouldn't not be an option. Throughout his life, Silverstein impacted the world of books and poetry and continues to impact readers of all ages today. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION heldon Silverstein was born in 1932 in Chicago, 'Illinois. He was the first child of Helen Balkany and Nathan Silverstein. Helen was 34 and Nathan was 39 when they decided to start their family (Rogak). As Silverstein's parents were older, he was greatly influenced by them growing up. Nathan constantly told Silverstein to focus on his schoolwork, but he focused more on his dream of one day playing for the White Sox. During his teenage years, he decided to become a hot dog vendor so he could get paid to attend every game, instead of paying to see the team play. Although he wasn't busy working as a hot dog vendor, he took up drawing. According to him, he was not popular with girls and was not good at sports, so drawing was the second best activity to do in his free time. As Silverstein grew up, he became a very private person, so little is known about his personal life. (Rogak). In the 1950s, Silverstein joined the United States armed forces, spending most of his time in Korea and Japan. He drew designs for the Pacific Stars and Stripes while in service. In 1952, Hugh Hefner discovered Silverstein's work and wanted him to start as a writer and cartoonist for Playboy magazine. ...... middle of paper ......oems inspired children and adults to live their dreams and never let the pressures of society change them. Works Cited Bowler, Hillary. “Book Review: Shel Silverstein’s Posthumous Collection “Everything In It.” » Desert News. Deseret News, October 1, 2011. Web. April 18, 2014.Rogak, Lisa. “Shel Games.” Living room. Salon Media Group, April 20, 2005. Web. April 17, 2014. “Shel Silverstein (American cartoonist and author). » Encyclopedia Britannica online. Encyclopedia Britannica, November 11, 2013. Web. April 17, 2014. “Shel Silverstein.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. April 18, 2014. Silverstein, Shel. “Where the sidewalk ends.” Famous poets and poems. Famouspoetsandpoems.com, nd Web. April 25, 2014. Weinman, Sarah. “Shel Silverstein comes to life in new book, 12 years after her death.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, September 20, 2011. Web. April 17. 2014.