a look at modern folklore created by the children's author Shel Silverstein.
Not all folktales are old many have been produced within this century. I like to refer to these as modern folktales. In fact folktales have been defined as an "ethnographic concept of tales, legends or superstitions current among a particular population, a part of the oral history of a particular culture." (Wikipedia) One such artist of folktales is Shel Silverstein. His stories such as "Lafcadio, the lion who shot back" and the "Giving Tree" are staples in children's literature. His poetry however, is what he is most known for. His two most notable books, which are a collection of children's poetry, are "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (1974) and "A Light in the Attic" (1981). Here we look at some poems from "Where the Sidewalk Ends"
Looking at the poem "Ickle me, Pickle me, Tickle me too"
Ickle me Pickle me Tickle me too
Went for a ride in a flying shoe.
"Hooray!"
"What fun!"
"It's Time we flew"
Said Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle was Captain and Pickle was crew
And Tickle served coffee with mulligan stew
As Higher
And Higher
And Higher the flew
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too,
Over the sun and beyond the blue.
"Hold On!"
"Stay in!"
"I hope we do!"
Cried Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too
Never returned to the world they knew,
And nobody
Knows what's
Happened to
Dear Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too.
This poem captures the essence that is Silverstein literature. At first glance this is just some story about a few guys who took off in a shoe. Which is just ridiculous when you think about. However, it is that silliness that ushers in the brilliance of this work. The poem is about imagination and innovation. Through it all the characters held on and were brought to a whole new world that they had never known. In a child's eyes Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too are legends. They did the thing that all children dream of.
Another characteristic of Folktales is a moral to the story. In our example above we learn that because these three people took an adventure they lived a much happier life in the end. Another example would be the poem "Magic"
Sandra's seen a leprechaun,
Eddie touched a troll,
Laurie danced with witches once,
Charlie found some goblins' gold.
Donald heard a mermaid sing,
Susie spied an elf,
But all the magic I have known
I've had to make myself.
What sets these works apart from others is that the morals presented by Silverstein are not on how to live one's life better parse but how to get a little bit of personal magic, imagination and that it is ok to be a dreamer. Lessons every child should learn.
