Shel Silverstein, was born in 1930, and died in 1999. A talented author, poet, musician, illustrator and journalist, he struggled for years trying to decide what he wanted to do. In his early years, he dreamed of being a pro- baseball player, but his lack of athletic talents soon convinced him that he was better -off being an enthusiastic fan. After getting kicked out of two separate colleges for poor academic performance, he had to leave his third school degree- less for the Korean War. It was in the Army that Silverstein was able to spend more time on his art: being a cartoonist and reporter for the Stars and Stripes. After the war, he took on a job as a hot dog vender while being a free -lance cartoonist, before being hired to work for adult magazines. Before venturing into Children’s literature, Silverstein recorded his first Jazz album: Hairy Jazz in 1959. Shortly after, Silverstein began his career in children’s books and poetry, completing a large collection of work, ending finally in his unfinished, work “Runny Babbit” which was published six years after his death.