[originaltext] Today we tell about Shel Silverstein. He was a poet, writer,

Today we tell about Shel Silverstein. He was a poet, writer, composer, singer, musician and artist. Shel Silverstein wrote hundreds of poems and published many books.(16)He is most famous as a writer of books for children. He won several awards for his children’s books. But he also wrote many stories and created many drawings for adults. Shel Silverstein was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1930. His birth name was Sheldon Allan Silverstein. He never planned to write children’s books. Still, he is most famous for writing them.(17)However, people of all ages like his poems and stories. He published his first children’s book in 1963. It is called Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. It is about a lion that eats hunters and lives like a human. The lion has to make some important decisions. One year later, Shel Silverstein published what may be his most popular book.(18)It is called The Giving Tree. This story is about a boy and a tree that loved him. The tree gives the boy everything until it can give no more. Both adults and children have enjoyed reading this book. This book is still very popular today. It has sold more than five million copies. Shel Silverstein died of heart failure in 1999. He was sixty-eight years old. Some of his works were released after his death. Shel Silverstein once said: "I would hope that people, no matter what age, would find something to identify with in my books."