Take Your Poet to Work Day is one of the happiest days of the year. It is marked by only the tiny sadness that it takes place in the summer. Teachers and librarians join in as best they can (sometimes from the beach—thus, we note, the sadness is but tiny) in July, but they do let us know they would love to be able to celebrate when school is in session.
This year, for the first time, we’ll be celebrating Take Your Poet to School Week (yes, all week!) during the first full week of National Poetry Month (for 2018, that’s from April 2-6). The week will culminate with Poet in a Cupcake Day on Friday. (We do not anticipate any cause for sadness over this.)
So now, in the spring, instead of poets peeking out of briefcases or beach totes (as they do in July), you might see them in a backpack. You might see them looking out the window of a school bus. You might even see them trying their darndest to get picked for dodge ball during recess. (I can assure them, if any ask, that it is not worth the trouble.)
We’ll be adding a few faces to our poets-on-a-stick collection over the next couple of weeks, and we also invite teachers, librarians and students everywhere to take one of our other poets from prior years of Take Your Poet to Work Day celebrations (they’d love to go to school *and* work). Watch for an update of our coloring book with those new faces, as well as fun new cut ‘n color cupcakes to plop your favorite poet into (in case you’d rather not bake or find real cupcake frosting just a little too sweet).
Check out previously released Robert Louis Stevenson, Ogden Nash, and Mother Goose. We’re pretty sure it would not be a Take Your Poet to School Week without beloved poet Shel Silverstein.
Take Your Poet to School Week Cut ‘n Color Printable Shel Silverstein
Download Take Your Poet to School Shel Silverstein Printable
Shel Silverstein was an American writer famous for his songwriting, cartoons, and children’s books and poems. His books have sold over 20 million copies and have been translated into over 30 languages.
Silverstein was born in 1930. He was expelled from Roosevelt College, where he was first published in the college newspaper. He later attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts until he was drafted into the Army. He served in Korea and Japan, during which time his cartoons were featured in Stars and Stripes magazine. Take Ten was his first book, a collection of his military cartoons.
Many of his songs are classics performed by famous musicians such as “A Boy Named Sue” and others made famous by Johnny Cash.
He published several books for young readers including The Giving Tree and children’s poetry collections including Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic.
Silverstein died in 1999.
Post and illustrations by LW Lindquist.
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Bethany R. says
The first poem I remember reciting was Shel Silverstein’s “Sick.” Shared it with my 3rd/4th grade combination class. An understanding soul for Take Your Poet to School Week.