Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings [Hardcover]

Shel Silverstein (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 2004 | Age Level: 1 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer,
A wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er,
A magic bean buyer . . .

Come in . . . for where the sidewalk ends, Shel Silverstein's world begins. You'll meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale. The Unicorn and the Bloath live there, and so does Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. It is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens, a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist.

Shel Silverstein's masterful collection of poems and drawings is at once outrageously funny and profound.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shel Silverstein is the author-artist of many beloved books of prose and poetry. He was a cartoonist, playwright, poet, performer, recording artist, and Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated songwriter.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 30 Anv edition (January 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060572345
• ISBN-13: 978-0060572341
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (136 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Humorous
  • #9 in Books > Children's Books > Classics

More About the Author

"And now, children, your Uncle Shelby is going to tell you a story about a very strange lion- in fact, the strangest lion I have ever met." So begins Shel Silverstein's very first children's book, Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. It's funny and sad and has made readers laugh and think since it was published in 1963. It was followed the next year by three more books. The first of them, The Giving Tree, is a moving story about the love of a tree for a boy. Shel returned to humor the same year with A Giraffe and a Half, delighting readers with a most riotous ending. The third book in 1964 was Uncle Shelby's Zoo Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies, Shel's first poetry collection, and his first and only book illustrated in full color. It combined his unique imagination and bold brand of humor in this collection of silly and scary creatures. Shel's second collection of poems and drawings, Where the Sidewalk Ends, was published in 1974. His recording of the poems won him a Grammy for best Children's Album. In this collection, Shel invited children to dream and dare to imagine the impossible, from a hippopotamus sandwich to the longest nose in the world. With his next collection of poems and drawings, A Light in the Attic, published in 1981, Shel asked his readers to turn the light on in their attics, to put something silly in the world, and not to be discouraged by the Whatifs. Instead he urged readers to catch the moon or invite a dinosaur to dinner- to have fun! A Light in the Attic was the first children's book to break onto the New York Times Bestseller List, where it stayed for a record-breaking 182 weeks. The last book that was published before his death in 1999 was Falling Up (1996). Like his other books, it is filled with unforgettable characters. Shel Silverstein's legacy continued with the release of a new work,Runny Babbit, the first posthumous publication conceived and completed before his death and released in March 2005. Witty and wondrous, Runny Babbit is a poetry collection of simple spoonerismsH, which twist the tongue and tease the mind. Don't Bump the Glump! And Other Fantasies was recently reissued in 2008 after being unavailable for over 30 years. Shel was always a believer in letting his work do the talking for him--few authors have ever done it better.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shel Was One Cool Dude...., September 8, 2005

By 

Notnadia (Currently upstairs.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings (Hardcover)

I started reading this and other of Shel Silverstein's books when I was about four or five and to this day I have never "outgrown" him. I mean, who can? His rhymes and poems, songs and riddles, they all work for everybody with half a degree of imagination. The most cursory read of Where The Sidewalk Ends will show you not only how good/funny/imaginative/likable/silly/deep Silverstein is (sigh, was...) but you'll catch on to why he was so darn cool. This man was close personal friends with Roman Catholic Cardinals, hippies, rabbis, other poets, songwriters, and no less an icon than Hef, himself. (Shel practically lived the whole 1970's at the Playboy Mansion.) A little known fact is, Shel Silverstein even wrote a little song for his buddy Johnny Cash called "A Boy Named Sue". Ever heard of it? And of everything Shel wrote, the many books out there, I think this one MIGHT just be his best.

Or, wait...no, maybe it's The Light In The Attic.

No, no....maybe it's actually The Giving Tree....

Maybe? Maybe it was Falling Up?

I can never decide. One thing I do know and that's Where The Sidewalk Ends is Silverstein at his most awesome!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where The Sidewalk Ends, August 14, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings (Hardcover)

This book was very enjoyable. It made me laugh out loud. My favorite is Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would not take the Garbage Out! I really recommend it for everyone!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where the Sidewalk Ends, November 24, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings (Hardcover)

I don't really like poetry that much but this book made me look at poetry differently. I especially liked the poems "Invitation", "Sarah Sylvia Synthia Stout Would not Take the Garbage Out" and "Ickle me Tickle me Pickle me Too." All of these poems are hilarious favorites and I think other kids will like them too! If you're looking for a book of funny poems, I highly recommend this book.