Value: 63c
Issue date: April 8, 2022
First-day city: Chicago, IL
Type of Stamp: Commemorative
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing method: Offset
Format: Pane of 20
Self-adhesive
This issuance honors the extraordinarily versatile Shel Silverstein (1930-1999), one of the 20th century’s most imaginative authorsand ilustrators. His picture book The Giving Tree and his quirky poetry collections are beloved by children everywhere.
The stamp features Silverstein’s llustration of a boy catching an apple. A version of the image appears on the cover of The GivingTree. The boy’s shirt is olive green, and his short pants match the red of the apple, The background is green.
The Giving Tree, published in 1964 by Harper & Row, is about a friendship between a motherly tree and a boy, As the child growsolder, the tree cives him its shade, apples, branches. and trunk, The story ends with the boy, now an old man, returning to restacgainst the tree’s stump. The best-selling tale of selflessness, which is accompanied by the author’s elegantly simple black-andwhite illustrations, is considered a classic of children’s literature.
Silverstein’s zany, self-ilustrated books of poetry are similarly revered. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974, A Light in the Attic (1981,Falling Uo 1996), and Every Thing 0n lt (2011) feature clever and at times playfully nonsensical verse that is adored by youngpeople al over the world. Children are enthralled by Silverstein’s poetry, which is full of fantastical imacery and often deals with theoys and fears of childhood. The four distinctive collections of poetry were best-sellers. The New York Times named Where theSidewak Ends an Outstandina Book of 1974: Siverstein’s album version of the book eamed a Grammy Award for Best Becordincfor Children.
Art director Derry Noves designed the stamp
The Shel Silverstein stamps are being issued as Forever stamps. These Forever stamps will always be eaual in value to thecurrent First-Class MailR one-ounce rate.
Made in the USA.
