Every child reads comic poetry books like The Giving Tree during their childhood. Its author, Sheldon Allan Silverstein, was one of the most recognizable children's poets and icons of children's poetry who ever lived. It has a familiar name because, despite its past, it is able to help shape a future in language, poetry and the arts for the innovators of tomorrow. Silverstein's works captured the essence of a person's childhood and changed children's poetry and literature forever. Shel Silverstein was not always the poetry icon he quickly became in the mid-20th century. He was born on September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois, during the Great Depression. Silverstein was not a very sociable child. His hobbies included drawing cartoons and writing. As a boy, Silverstein followed Al Capp's cartoons. As a result, his professional career as a cartoonist and writer began with comics and writing for Playboy magazine, in 1952. Furthermore, he was not popular among girls during his adolescence, which prompted him to write more mature poetry in the future about love. Silverstein wanted to reach all age groups and express that his talent was not just used for children's entertainment, but for everyone. Silverstein did not write to impress others "...she hoped that people, regardless of age, would find something to identify with...and experience a personal sense of discovery"" in her poetry (Shel Silverstein 1999). Silverstein was divorced and had a daughter who died in her childhood. He served in the military in the 1950s and participated in the Korean and Japanese wars. Silverstein died in Key West, Florida, on May 10, 1999, of a severe heart attack, at the age of 68. by the 21st century and will most likely be praised by future generations. Silverstein's poems, books, lyrics and illustrated cartoons are essentially his legacy. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Vol. 19. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Web. 14 March 2014. "Silverstein, Shel." World Book. Timeline of United States History 1900-1949". Information, please. © 2000–2014 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease. Network. March 17, 2014. “Timeline of United States History 1950–1999.” Information, please. © 2000–2014 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease. Network. March 18. 2014 .