It has been said that in the 1990s, Shel Silverstein wandered in and out of bookstores in Brooklyn, looking so disheveled that customers mistook him for a hobo. Whether this tale is true, it makes for a good story. One of the greatest contemporary figures of children’s literature, Silverstein had a colorful career, first starting out as a cartoonist for Stars & Stripes, the official U.S. Army newspaper, while he was stationed in Japan from 1953-1955 during the Korean War.

In a 1968 interview with that same magazine, he says: “I’ve been drawing all my life and I’ve been writing all my life but not as much I’ve been drawing, because the writing doesn’t seem to wear as thin. I seem to favor now the short things. The things that I can do very quickly in a couple of minutes or an hour. That’s why I like writing children’s books and writing poetry. I can write a poem in 10 minutes. I like writing songs, I can write songs in five or 10 minutes. My concentration seems very short.”

Indeed, Silverstein’s work is characterized by short poems, but he was a prolific writer and a perfectionist. Meeting book editor Ursula Nordstrom in 1963 changed the course of his career. She encouraged him to write for children — a chance he jumped at, and he wrote “Uncle Shelby’s Story of Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back,” which was published that same year, shortly followed by “A Giraffe and Half” and “The Giving Tree.” Today, “The Giving Tree” is still one of the most beloved children’s books of all time.

April is National Poetry Month, so celebrate by reading a poem to your child. Silverstein’s poems are often wacky, sometimes nonsensical, but always, always do they speak directly to the child inside everyone. Here is a poem called “Listen to the Mustn’ts,” from “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” published in 1974 by HarperCollins.

Listen to the Mustn’ts, child,

Listen to the DON’TS

Listen to the SHOULDN’TS

The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS

Listen to the NEVER HAVES

Then listen close to me—

Anything can happen, child,

ANYTHING can be.

Children’s Book Week, administered by Every Child a Reader, is a celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading. Established in 1919, it is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Each year, book-inspired events are held nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes–wherever young readers and books connect!

For more details, visit www.bookweekonline.com/official.

Here is the schedule for Children’s Book Week taking place in Jackson at Lemuria Bookstore from MAY 4 – MAY 10!

Monday May 4

Uni the Unicorn by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Story time at 3:30 P.M.

Join us in OZ for after school cupcakes with sprinkles, story time reading Uni the Unicorn, making unicorn horns, and face painting!

Tuesday May 5

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

Story times at 11 A.M. and 3:30 P.M.

Stop by for story time with Pink Crayon and coloring fun! Turn in this coloring sheet from May 4 – May 10 to help decorate our store front window.

Throughout the week there will be a BIG coloring page from The Day the Crayons Quit that you are welcome to stop and help color in.

Wednesday May 6

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

Story times at 11 A.M. and 3:30 P.M.

Come dressed as your FAVORITE fairytale character as we read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Is your favorite character Jack and the Beanstalk? Little Red Riding Hood? Rapunzel? The Frog Prince? Any and all fairytale and book characters are welcome.

Thursday May 7

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Happening all day long at Lemuria. Find one of Willy Wonka’s golden tickets hidden around the store for a chance to win prizes.*

*Prizes include candy.

Fondren’s First Thursday (5 P.M. onward)

Then head over to Fondren First Thursday to the Lemuria tent. Katie Hathcock of Music for Aardvarks, Jackson will be playing some cool PETE THE CAT tunes. Join us for a game of “pin the white shoe on Pete the Cat” and face painting!

Friday May 8

Peter Rabbit Costume Story time at  9 A.M. at the Mississippi Children’s Museum and 11 A.M. at Lemuria!!

Hop on over to Mr. McGregor’s garden for a PETER RABBIT story time. Make sure to bring your camera to snap a picture of him (with your child) before he hops away!

HARRY POTTER EXTRAVAGANZA at 4 P.M.

Witches, wizards, werewolves and animagus alike, join us for an afternoon of Harry Potter Trivia, butterbeer, and other magical treats. Don’t forget to wear your house scarf or witch’s hat.

Saturday May 9

Join us for story time with Alice in Wonderland at 11 A.M.

The Children’s Book Council is the anchor sponsor of Children’s Book Week.

The April 2015 OZ Signed First Editions Club picture book pick is The Skunk by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell. This is one book that will have adults tickled as well.

Barnett has done it again in this hilarious cat-and-mouse tale of a skunk who won’t stop following the narrator, a man dressed in a tuxedo. The man takes wild turns to escape the skunk, hiding behind shrubs, even seeking to lose himself in a crowd at the opera, but still the skunk manages to trail him. The narrator asks the skunk, “What do you want?” Alas, “The skunk did not answer. The skunk was a skunk.” McDonnell’s minimalist illustrations give the book the feel of a black-and-white movie that switches to full-color with a turn in the story. This witty tale is a great story to read aloud.

Augusta Scattergood will be at Lemuria signing her newest book for middle-grade students on Thursday, April 16 at 4 PM!

What a fabulous book! It takes place in Destiny, Florida, 1974, but the story transcends time and place and will feel relevant for young readers today. There’s piano playing, baseball cards, and a girl who doesn’t want to go to dance class. At it’s heart, this book is about a boy who has been afraid to wish for much his whole life, and once he does, he realizes that maybe Destiny isn’t a place you can escape.

From the best-selling author of Glory Be, a National Public Radio Backseat Book Club pick, comes another story from the South, this time taking place in 1974. Theo, (short for Thelonious Monk Thomas), has just had his life uprooted. His uncle Raymond takes him away from the Kentucky farm where he lives with grandparents and drags him off to live in Destiny, where the welcome sign says, “Welcome to Destiny, Florida, the Town Time Forgot.” Uncle Raymond, a Vietnam War Vet and a grump, is none-too-happy that he’s been saddled with the responsibility of taking care of his long-lost nephew.

Theo and Uncle Raymond stay at Miss Sister Grandersole’s Rest Easy Rooming House and Dance Academy in a room above the tap studio where there is a grand piano, bigger than any piano Theo’s ever seen. Theo loves to play the piano—in fact, he lives and breathes music. That, and baseball. In 1974, Hank Aaron has passed Babe Ruth in the number of home runs hit. Theo finds a friend in Anabel Johnson who loves baseball just as much as he does. The mayor’s daughter, Anabel is always coming up with excuses to miss her tap dancing classes and enlists Theo’s help on an extra-credit project to prove the Atlanta Braves stayed in Destiny in their off season. Between piano lessons from Miss Sister and working on the “Baseball Players in Destiny” project with Anabel, Destiny starts to feel like home for Theo. Only problem is, Uncle Raymond doesn’t allow Theo near the piano, and is more concerned with how to get them out of Destiny just when Theo wants to stay there. In one of the best lines of the book, Miss Sister tells Theo, “That’s what happens. You start off dreaming one thing about your life. But you have to be ready for what turns up.” Will Theo make it to Destiny Day, the 100^th anniversary of the town’s existence, or will he be whisked away once more?

Destiny, it seems, has a hold on a person, whether they want to stay or not.

This week is a big week for children’s events at Lemuria Bookstore! Stop by to meet the authors and hear them read from their books.

HESTER BASS will be here on Tuesday April 7 at 3:30 p.m.

Hester Bass is the author of the picture-book biography The Secret World of Walter Anderson, which won an Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children and a SIBA award, and is illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Her newest picture-book is Seeds of Freedom: The Peaceful Integration of Huntsville, Alabama and is also illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Formerly residing in Huntsville, Alabama, she now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her biography (and Lewis’ illustrations) on Mississippi artist Walter Anderson capture the spirit of the Mississippi coast and the artist’s life. Bass writes, “Art was an adventure, and Walter Anderson was an explorer, first class.”
Lewis’s watercolors pay homage from one watercolorist to another. Likewise, the medium of watercolor is useful in depicting the peaceful integration in Huntsville, Alabama in 1963. The book is
illustrated in a combination of muted grays, browns, whites, and bright blues, and there is a beautifully illustrated scene with children releasing colorful balloons in the air. Lewis’ illustrations and Bass’ writing introduce children to interesting people and history in the South.

J.A. WHITE will be here Wednesday April 8 at 4:30 p.m.

J.A. White is the author of The Thickety series. For fans of Neil Gaiman, The Thickety series feels like a modern-day tale from the Brothers Grimm. J.A. White’s first book, The Thickety: A Path Begins, was chosen as Publisher’s Weekly Best book and was on several “Best Summer Reading for Kids” lists including Washington Post’s Summer Book Club and Huffington Post’s “Summer Reading List for Kids.” Discover the second installment in this hit-series with The Thickety: The Whispering Trees. Kara and Taff have ridden into the Thickety with no hope of returning to the village. What’s beyond the Thickety? Join J.A. White on April 8 at Lemuria to find out!