Children's Author Dies

Monday March 08, 1999 12:00 AM EST

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Shel Silverstein, the bald, bearded author of such acclaimed children's books as "A Light in the Attic" and "Where the Sidewalk Ends," was found dead of a heart attack in Key West, Fla., on Monday morning, reports the Associated Press. He was 66. Friends said he had recently complained of an upset stomach and "didn't feel quite right," said Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Richard Eicher. Silverstein's books, which he illustrated with his own humorous images, were packed with colorful characters like walruses with braces and camels in brassieres. For Johnny Cash he wrote the song "A Boy Named Sue." Male baby boomers will also remember his Playboy magazine cartoons, which dated back to the '50s.

• In the poem "Hug O' War," from 1974's "Where the Sidewalk Ends," Silverstein described his favorite game:

  "I'd rather play at hug o' war,
  Where everyone hugs
  Instead of tugs,
  Where everyone giggles
  And rolls on the rug,
  Where everyone kisses,
  And everyone grins,
  And everyone cuddles,
  And everyone wins. . . "