Order of Book Series
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Shel Silverstein Books in Order

25 books are credited to Shel Silverstein, published between 1955 and 2017; 8 of them appeared after Shel Silverstein's death in 1999. The first book is Take Ten (1955) and the newest is Runny Babbit Returns (2017). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
25
Published
1955–2017
Pages on record
1,522 in 14 of 25 books
Reading time
25–38 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,522 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 14 of 25 titles with a page count on record.

See all 25 books in order Printable Shel Silverstein checklist
Photo of Shel Silverstein, author

Shel Silverstein wrote children's poetry, nonsense verse and pictorial humour, and worked as a cartoonist, songwriter and musician. Silverstein lived from 1930 to 1999 and was raised in Chicago. His 25 catalogued books span 1955 to 2017, from Take Ten to Runny Babbit Returns, and run short at a median of 95 pages, with the 1960s his densest decade. Silverstein's drawings appeared in newspapers and magazines including Playboy during the 1950s, and Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book (1961) was his satire for adults. The Giving Tree (1964), Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic are among his most acclaimed titles, and the Missing Piece books form one of his two series.

How many Shel Silverstein books are there?

Shel Silverstein has 25 books, released between 1955 and 2017. 8 of them were published after Shel Silverstein's death in 1999. They include 2 series and 20 titles listed outside any series.

Shel Silverstein Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 25 Shel Silverstein books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book by Shel Silverstein (1961)
  2. Cover of Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back by Shel Silverstein (1963)
  3. Cover of A Giraffe and a Half by Shel Silverstein, book 1 of the Chap series (1964)
  4. Cover of Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies by Shel Silverstein (1964)
  5. Cover of The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (1964)
  6. Cover of Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? by Shel Silverstein (1964)
  7. Cover of Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (1974)
  8. Cover of The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein, book 1 of the Missing Piece series (1976)
  9. Cover of Different Dances by Shel Silverstein (1979)
  10. Cover of The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein, book 2 of the Missing Piece series (1981)
  11. Cover of A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (1981)
  12. Cover of Oh, Hell!: Two One Act Plays by Shel Silverstein (1990)
  13. Cover of Falling Up by Shel Silverstein (1996)
  14. Cover of Poems and Drawings by Shel Silverstein (2002)
  15. Cover of Things Change by Shel Silverstein (2003)
  16. Cover of Shel's Shorts by Shel Silverstein (2003)
  17. Cover of Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein, book 1 of the Billy Sook series (2005)
  18. Cover of Playboy's Silverstein Around the World by Shel Silverstein (2007)
  19. Cover of Every Thing on It by Shel Silverstein (2011)
  20. Cover of Runny Babbit Returns by Shel Silverstein, book 2 of the Billy Sook series (2017)
  1. 1
    Take Ten1955 · confirmed 1/4
    1955–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Now Here's My Plan1960 · confirmed 1/4
    1960–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book1961 · 80 pages · confirmed 1/4
    196180
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back1963 · confirmed 1/4
    1963–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Playboy's Teevee Jeebies1963 · confirmed 1/4
    1963–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    A Giraffe and a HalfChap #11964 · 46 pages · confirmed 1/4
    196446
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies1964 · confirmed 1/4
    1964–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Giving Tree1964 · 57 pages · confirmed 1/4
    196457
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?1964 · confirmed 1/4
    1964–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    More Playboy's Teevee Jeebies1965 · confirmed 1/4
    1965–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Where the Sidewalk Ends1974 · 176 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974176
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Missing PieceMissing Piece #11976 · 104 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976104
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Different Dances1979 · confirmed 1/4
    1979–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Missing Piece Meets the Big OMissing Piece #21981 · 98 pages · confirmed 1/4
    198198
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    A Light in the Attic1981 · 167 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1981167
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Oh, Hell!: Two One Act Plays1990 · 80 pages · confirmed 1/4
    199080
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Falling Up1996 · 176 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1996176
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein2001 · confirmed 1/4
    2001–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Poems and Drawings2002 · confirmed 1/4
    2002–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Things Change2003 · 96 pages · confirmed 1/4
    200396
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Shel's Shorts2003 · 81 pages · confirmed 1/4
    200381
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Runny BabbitBilly Sook #12005 · 89 pages · confirmed 1/4
    200589
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Playboy's Silverstein Around the World2007 · 178 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2007178
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Every Thing on It2011 · confirmed 1/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Runny Babbit ReturnsBilly Sook #22017 · 94 pages · confirmed 1/4
    201794
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Shel Silverstein books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Missing Piece in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Missing Piece
  2. 2. The Missing Piece Meets the Big O

Billy Sook in order

2 books
  1. 1. Runny Babbit
  2. 2. Runny Babbit Returns

Chap in order

1 book
  1. 1. A Giraffe and a Half

Standalone books

20 books

20 Shel Silverstein titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Shel Silverstein books in order?

You only need to read Shel Silverstein books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Shel Silverstein

Start with Take Ten (1955), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Shel Silverstein book?

Runny Babbit Returns (2017) is the newest Shel Silverstein book released so far.

Is there a new Shel Silverstein book coming?

No next Shel Silverstein book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Shel Silverstein at a glance

Died
Shel Silverstein died in 1999, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Shel Silverstein are still being published after Shel Silverstein's death in 1999; the newest appeared in 2017.
Release pace
Shel Silverstein books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
Length
1,522 pages across the 14 of 25 books with a recorded length, a median of 95 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Shel Silverstein books, 9 of 25, were published in the 1960s.

What the Shel Silverstein books are about

20 of the 25 Shel Silverstein books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: children's poetry, american is tagged on 8 of 20. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.