About the Author
Shel Silverstein was an American writer, poet, and artist who loved making funny and thoughtful stories for kids and grown-ups. He was born in 1930 and passed away in 1999. He wrote many popular books like "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and "A Light in the Attic," full of silly poems and drawings that make you laugh and think. His poem "Whatif" shows how our minds can fill with worries at night, but he writes it in a fun way to help us see it's okay to feel scared sometimes.
What’s the Story About?
This is a playful poem, not a story with lots of events, but it feels like one because it takes you inside a child's busy mind at bedtime. Picture this: It's night, and you're lying in bed, trying to sleep. But instead of closing your eyes and dreaming, funny little worries called "Whatifs" sneak into your ear like tiny guests who won't leave! They dance around, party all night, and keep singing the same tune: "What if...?"
The poem lists out all these silly but scary questions that pop up. What if I'm not good at school and everyone thinks I'm dumb? What if I forget my lines in the play and stand there looking silly? What if my friends laugh at me if I lose a game? What if I trip and fall flat in front of the school gate? It gets bigger: What if my dad has a bad accident at work? What if my sister or brother does something wrong and gets in trouble? What if nobody likes the song I wrote and they all giggle?
The worries keep growing wilder. What if the whole world comes to an end while I'm asleep? What if I've had enough birthdays already and won't have any more? And the scariest one: What if the nurse at the doctor's office makes a mistake and sews my ear to my nose? By morning, the child is so tired from all this thinking that he falls asleep, worn out from the Whatifs' all-night show. The poem makes you smile because it shows how kids' fears can be big and funny at the same time, like a monster under the bed that's really just a pile of clothes.
Who’s Who in the Story
- The Speaker (The Child or Poet): This is the main person in the poem – a kid lying in bed, whose mind gets full of worries. It's like the poet himself as a child, talking to us about his nighttime fears.
- The Whatifs: These are not real people but naughty, imaginary thoughts that act like little creatures. They crawl in, dance, sing, and make trouble all night, causing all the "What if..." questions.
- Family Members (Dad, Sister, Brother): They appear in the worries – like the dad who might have an accident, or the sister and brother who could get caught doing wrong. They're not doing anything; they're just part of the fears.
- Other People (Friends, Nurse, Everyone): Friends who might laugh, a nurse who might mess up, or the whole world – these are background figures in the Whatifs' scary songs.
Themes and Moral
Themes:
The poem is all about how worries can sneak up on us, especially at night when everything is quiet. It shows the fun side of fear – how kids imagine the wildest things, like sewing an ear to a nose! It also talks about how our minds never stop, even when we want to sleep, and how sharing these thoughts can make them less scary.
Moral: It's normal to have fears and ask "What if?" questions, but don't let them keep you up all night. Talk about them or laugh at how silly some are, so you can rest easy. Remember, most worries don't come true, and facing them makes you stronger.
Important Vocabulary and Phrases
Here are some key words and short phrases from the poem. I explain them in easy words:
- Lay: Rested or lied down, like on your bed when you're tired.
- Crawled: Moved slowly on hands and knees, like a baby or bug sneaking in.
- Pranced: Jumped around happily, like a pony playing in a field.
- Partied: Had fun with dancing and noise, like a birthday bash that won't end.
- Dumb: Not smart or silly in front of others, like forgetting answers in class.
- Flop: Fall down flat and awkward, like dropping on the ground with a thud.
- Stumble: Trip over something and almost fall, like catching your foot on a stone.
- Accident: A sudden bad event, like a bike crash or slip.
- Giggle: Laugh in a light, silly way, like friends teasing softly.
- Phobia: A big, scary fear that feels too strong, like being afraid of the dark.
- Worn out: Very tired and ready to drop, like after running all day.
Phrases:
- Whatifs crawled inside my ear: Worries sneak into my thoughts quietly.
- Pranced and partied all night long: Danced and made noise without stopping.
- Sang their same old Whatif song: Kept repeating the worry questions like a stuck tune.
- Sews my ear to my nose: Stitches them wrong in a funny, impossible mix-up.
- Worn out by Whatifs: Exhausted from all the scary thoughts.