Shel Silverstein

Starting in 1492, a whole new world was discovered. A world based on the idea that the Earth is a power not to be disrespected. From this world spawned the many who walked among it. An estimated 562 different Native American tribes covered this new world, but they did not control it. Instead, they let the world control them. I am Nathan Witt. My grandfather is JW Witt, a proud member of the Comanche tribe. This tribe was one of many which is credited with altering our perspective of agriculture…

The concept of balance is understood the greatest in the section about achievement. In order to reach achievement, you must overcome all hardships, and then reward will be reached. Shel Silverstein explains this concept more throughly in “Melinda Mae,” by portraying a tiny girl who made a promise to herself to eat and finish a whole whale. It was prevalent that it was tough at times, but she accomplished that great meal many years later…

books and novels. My mother put my sister and me into a reading program in elementary school because our reading levels were lower than they should be. There were no criteria so we read books that were interesting to us, like the Given Tree by Shel Silverstein and Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White. When we finished reading them we would go around and talk about the book we read. About our reaction to the book and how we felt towards it. From that day we have been reading more books of different…

Newberry Award Winners: DiCamillo, Kate. Because of Winn-Dixie. Candlewick Press, 2000. Summary: Because of Winn-Dixie is a story of a young girl, Opal, who moved from one small town in Florida to another with her father who was a preacher. Her mother left them when Opal was very young and she struggles with this throughout the book. While in the supermarket, Winn-Dixie, Opal found a dog that was tearing apart the store. She claimed the dog as hers and she and her father took the dog home. She…

At first, we worked together to read the chapter books with typical plotlines like Scooby Doo and the Werewolf. From there, my mother introduced me into my love of poetry with works by Shel Silverstein. And finally, at the age of 17, my mother is teaching me the beauty of life with poetry that writes what our souls haven’t been able to speak. Every time things start to get rough between the two of us, or we start to travel down the path that…

Growing up, the meaning of the word literacy has greatly changed for me over the years. I had not the slightest idea of what literacy really meant. When I was still just a child in elementary school, I believed literacy was basically just reading. I remember having to take online reading tests and my teacher would refer to them as “literacy tests.” How well we did on these tests, determined what our reading level was going to be for that specific point in time. Our reading level is what…

2. The Diary of Anne Frank: Anne Frank’s diary is the most famous account of the Holocaust. Her family was forced into hiding when the Holocaust began. The Gestapo finally arrested Anne and her family on August 4, 1944. Anne Frank’s diary is important because it is a first-hand account of what Jews went through in Germany during World War 2. Her diary describes growing up during the Holocaust. It is a true account of a life in hiding. The diary of Anne Frank is important because it is a window…

In his book, The Hidden Messages in Water, Japanese scientist, Dr. Masaru Emoto, uses high-speed photography to show us how the “Words” impact the molecules of water. When positive, kind words such as “Love” were directed at containers of water and then frozen, brilliant, symmetrical crystals were formed that resembled colorful snowflakes. In contrast, when exposed to words associated with negative connotations such as “Hate” or ‘You Fool”, the results were dull and malformed crystals. This…

“There is a voice inside of you that whispers all day long, “I feel this is right for me, I know that this is wrong.” No teacher, preacher, parent, friend or wise man can decide what’s right for you–just listen to the voice that speaks inside.” ~ Shel Silverstein From a very young age we are taught to conform; we are taught to be more like others and less like ourselves. And the beautiful thing about spending time alone with yourself is that you will free yourself from all these mind traps,…

1. The Polar Express was written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and it was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985. This book is a classic children’s book that was later made into a feature film. The story is about a boy who goes unnamed though out the whole book, and his journey on a magical steam engine to the North Pole in the middle of the night. Van Allsburg evokes such a vivid visual world through is text and visuals. He uses great metaphors and similes such as “the train is wrapped…