History YMMV / ShelSilverstein

** ''Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book'', which constructs perfectly logical-sounding reasons why children should do things like throw eggs at the ceiling and ask their parents for a gigolo.

* DesignatedVillain: In "Ice Cream Stop", the ice cream man gets attacked and eaten by the circus animals just because he won't give them ice cream for free.

* AdaptationDisplacement: The poem "Ladies First" was adapted into one of the skits on the TV special ''Free to Be... You and Me.'' A number of changes were made (for instance, the cannibalistic "savages" were replaced by a pack of tigers, so as not to clash with the special's pro-diversity message), but nevertheless this version is much more well-remembered, especially by children of the 1970s. Another poem of his, "Helping", was also included in the special, but without any changes.

** "A Boy Named Sue" is more known for the Johnny Cash cover.

** The poem "Screamin' Millie." She screams so loud that she literally explodes, and it's explored in gruesome detail.

* FirstInstallmentWins: "Where the Sidewalk Ends" is Silverstein's best known poetry collection. It's also the first one published.

* ParanoiaFuel: "The Toy Eater," about a creature who sneaks into the rooms of kids who don't pick up their toys at night and eats them.

** His last poem in ''Every Thing On It'' is the aptly named "When I Am Gone":

** When Shel wasn't writing children's stories or articles for ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}''[[note]]back when the magazine was a well-regarded source for highbrow content[[/note]], he was writing songs. Unfortunately, songs tend to be remembered as being by their performers, not their writers, but he's the man who wrote "A Boy Named Sue" (bad language, violence), "The Mermaid" (*ahem* inappropriate subject for children), and "You're Always Welcome at Our House" (depicting the murders of various visitors to the house by the children), which ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' actually used in a sketch in the Marisa Berenson episode, cheerfully playing up the Roald Dahl-like comedy.

** The entirety of his posthumously published book, ''Every Thing On It''. A large portion of the poems - including the very first one in the book, "Years from Now" - are surprisingly melancholy and sorrowful.

** His last poem in ''Every Thing On It'' is the aptly named "When I am Gone":

Someone smarter—someone new?\\
Someone better—maybe YOU!

** The entirety of his last posthumously published book, ''Every Thing On It''. A large portion of the poems - including the very first one in the book, "Years from Now" - are surprisingly melancholy and sorrowful.
** His last poem in his last book is the aptly named ''When I am Gone'':

** The entirety of his last posthumously published book, ''Everything On It''. A large portion of the poems - including the very first one in the book, "Years from Now" - are surprisingly melancholy and sorrowful.

--> When I am gone what will you do?
--> Who will write and draw for you?
--> Someone smarter—someone new?
--> Someone better—maybe YOU!

* WhatAnIdiot:
** The poem "My Sneaky Cousin", where the titular cousin has the bright idea of [[spoiler: riding in a washing machine.]]
** In the poem "Stupid Pencil Maker," the narrator is having trouble using a pencil. It does not occur to him to turn it pointy-side down.
** In the poem "Obedient," the narrator is told to stand in the corner. The teacher forgets to tell him to turn around, so he stays there. [[spoiler:FOR FORTY YEARS.]]

** When Shel wasn't writing children's stories or articles for ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}'', he was writing songs. Unfortunately, songs tend to be remembered as being by their performers, not their writers, but he's the man who wrote "A Boy Named Sue" (bad language, violence), "The Mermaid" (*ahem* inappropriate subject for children), and "You're Always Welcome at Our House" (depicting the murders of various visitors to the house by the children), which ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' actually used in a sketch in the Marisa Berenson episode, cheerfully playing up the Roald Dahl-like comedy.

* DesignatedVillain: In "Ice Cream Stop", the ice cream man gets eaten by the circus animals just because he won't give them ice cream for free.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In "Ladies First", Pamela Purse is always using the titular excuse to get food first, but when the group is about to be eaten by cannibals, she pushes to the front of the line and yells, "Ladies first!" Is she TooDumbToLive, or is she trying to redeem herself by making a HeroicSacrifice?

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In "Ladies First", Pamela Purse is always using the titular excuse to get food first, but when the group is about to be eaten by cannibals, she pushes to the front of the line and yells, "Ladies first!" Is she TooDumbToLive, or is she trying to make a HeroicSacrifice?

** When Shel wasn't writing children's stories or articles for Magazine/{{Playboy}}, he was writing songs. Unfortunately, songs tend to be remembered as being by their performers, not their writers, but he's the man who wrote "A Boy Named Sue" (bad language, violence), "The Mermaid" (*ahem* inappropriate subject for children), and "You're Always Welcome at Our House" (depicting the murders of various visitors to the house by the children), which ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' actually used in a sketch in the Marisa Berenson episode, cheerfully playing up the Roald Dahl-like comedy.

** When Shel wasn't writing children's stories or articles for Playboy, he was writing songs. Unfortunately, songs tend to be remembered as being by their performers, not their writers, but he's the man who wrote "A Boy Named Sue" (bad language, violence), "The Mermaid" (*ahem* inappropriate subject for children), and "You're Always Welcome at Our House" (depicting the murders of various visitors to the house by the children), which The Muppet Show actually used in a sketch in the Marisa Berenson episode, cheerfully playing up the Roald Dahl-like comedy.
** Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book, which constructs perfectly logical-sounding reasons why children should do things like throw eggs at the ceiling and ask their parents for a gigolo.

* AdaptationDisplacement: The poem "Ladies First" was adapted into one of the skits on the TV special ''Free to Be. . . You and Me.'' A number of changes were made (for instance, the cannibalistic "savages" were replaced by a pack of tigers, so as not to clash with the special's pro-diversity message), but nevertheless this version is much more well-remembered, especially by children of the 1970s. Another poem of his, "Helping", was also included in the special, but without any changes.

** One of his poems explores the idea of [[{{Disney.Frozen}} a snowman who wants to live to see July.]]

* AdaptationDisplacement: The poem "Ladies First" was adapted into one of the skits on the TV special ''Free to Be. . . You and Me.'' A number of changes were made (for instance, the cannibalistic "savages" were replaced by a pack of tigers, so as not to clash with the special's pro-diversity message), but nevertheless this version is much more well-remembered, especially by children of the 1970s.