“Things ain’t as sweet as they used to be.” Was a woodpecker peckin’ at a plastic tree. And if I denied my oldest son A Light in the Attic, then he would also be denied other parts of this book that are wonderful: What it comes down to is this: These kids are my responsibilities, and I should have the right to determine what they are exposed to. Some of the material is more appropriate for older children.
Would I forbid my child from reading A Light in the Attic? For my almost-nine-year old, I would not. If it’s objectionable, then you have the right – as the parent – to forbid your child from reading it.
It is my belief that parents should review books (or TV shows or movies or video games, for that matter) prior to letting their child see it. Overall, A Light in the Attic is book full of kid-speak poems and pictures that children can relate to. This poem has pictures of skulls and Halloween masks. Here are the final lines, written in parentheses: “This is a good story/To read to your folks/When they won’t buy/You something you want.”Ģ) “How Not To Have To Dry The Dishes” – In a nutshell, if you have to dry the dishes – “such an awful, boring chore” – then drop a dish on the floor and “maybe they won’t let you dry the dishes anymore.”ģ) “Day After Halloween” – It’s a Halloween sale! For a nickel a pail, you can get all the skeletons, spirits and haunts you want. Abigail gets sick and dies of a broken heart.
She said that she’d die if she doesn’t get this pony, and her parents protest that no one has ever died from not receiving a pony. Here is a quick summary:ġ) “Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony” – Abigail wants a pony that she sees for sale, and her parents tell her no. Main objections include subject matters about disobeying parents, dying children and the presence of supernatural forces in the poetry.Īs I read through this book today, I spotted some of these “questionable” poems. Published in 1981, this 167-page collection is typical Silverstein – a mixture of the silly and the serious written (and drawn) in a language that kids understand.Ī Light in the Attic is ranked number 51 of The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000. In honor of this year’s Banned Books Week, I selected A Light in the Attic - a collection of poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein.
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