Few twentieth-century writers have had nearly as much impact on literary society as Sheldon Allan Silverstein. His writing spans a wide range of styles, from adult to children, from the comic to the offbeat. One of his most common styles was that of fantasy: actions and events that cannot logically happen. This style was evident in his works, Loser, Thumb Face, Warning, Squishy Touch and Skin Stealer. Through his description of these absurd circumstances, Silverstein managed to entertain readers of all ages. In Sely Friday's reference to a biography, Shel Silverstein reportedly said, "...I would have much rather been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn't play ball, I couldn't dance. Fortunately, the girls didn't want me; I could do a lot about it, so I started drawing and writing." Due to rejection from some of his peers, he found his hobby: entertaining others. During the 1950s, Silverstein also served as a member of the United States Armed Forces. While in this position, he was employed as a cartoonist to cheer up the troops during the Korean War. In 1956, the writer again worked as a cartoonist, but this time for a little-known magazine called Playboy. Despite this wide range of literary audiences, Silverstein's primary aim was to entertain. Two of his major collections of literary works are the critically acclaimed Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic. They have no real historical significance; they were written to entertain. These two books contain some of Silverstein's most credited work. Since the books are children's literature, not many critics have taken the time to review the works. However, Shel Silverstein Book Reviews' reference to a review of Silverstein's A Light in the Attic says, "Despite these moments of banality, and there are not many, Mr. Silverstein's work remains a must for lovers of beautiful verse for children". no one else, he is still a master of delightful indignation and the 'owner' of an astonishingly finely tuned sensibility." In other words, there were some ordinary poems in this book, but for the most part Silverstein reaffirmed his status as excellent children's writer using both absurdity and deep feelings. Silverstein's the Loser, presented in... middle of paper... children, has managed to touch the lives of many adults. However, most noticeably, his work has influenced the lives of countless children through his two collections of poems, Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic. Of the wide range of styles in which his work consisted, one of the most notable was the use of fantasy in each his poems, The Loser, Thumb Face, Warning, Squishy Touch, and Skin Stealer, Silverstein presented an illogical situation, but made it fun for the reader by using end rhyme, creating an entertaining story, and including a vivid image. Her writing ability has made her poems enjoyable for both children and adults and will continue to delight her readers for years to come. Works Cited Friday, Sely. "Biography." Shel Silverstein gathered information. 1999. http://195.114.233.19/Silverstein/bio.html (25 October 1999). (Author unknown). “Shel Silverstein Book Reviews.” Works for adults by Shel Silverstein. 1999. http://www.banned-width.com/shel/misc/breviews.html (October 25, 1999).Silverstein, Shel (1974). Where the sidewalk ends. New York: Harper and Row. Silverstein, Shel (1981). A light in the attic. New York: Harper and Row.