Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings [Hardcover]

Shel Silverstein (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: November 20, 1974 | Age Range: 6 - 8 years

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

Amazon.com Review

Shel Silverstein shook the staid world of children's poetry in 1974 with the publication of this collection, and things haven't been the same since. More than four and a half million copies of Where the Sidewalk Ends have been sold, making it the bestselling children's poetry book ever. With this and his other poetry collections (A Light in the Attic and Falling Up), Silverstein reveals his genius for reaching kids with silly words and simple pen-and-ink drawings. What child can resist a poem called "Dancing Pants" or "The Dirtiest Man in the World"? Each of the 130 poems is funny in a different way, or touching ... or both. Some approach naughtiness or are a bit disgusting to squeamish grown-ups, but that's exactly what kids like best about Silverstein's work. Jim Trelease, author of The New Read-Aloud Handbook, calls this book "without question, the best-loved collection of poetry for children." (Ages 4 to 10)

Review

"A zesty collection of humorous light verse." -- SLJ.

"An ideal book for teachers to have handy . . . If you want to ungloom your day, start Where the Sidewalk Ends." -- Reading Teacher.

The Acrobats
Afraid Of The Dark
Alice
The Bagpipe Who Didn't Say No
Band-aids
Bang-klang
The Battle
Benjamin Bunnn
The Bloath
Boa Constrictor
Captain Hook
Chester
Colors
The Crocodile's Toothache
Dancing Pants
The Dirtiest Man In The World
Double-tail Dog
Drats
Dreadful
Early Bird
The Edge Of The World
Eighteen Flavors
Enter This Deserted House
The Farmer And The Queen
Fish?
Flag
The Flying Festoon
For Sale
Forgotten Language
The Fourth
Fred?
The Garden
The Generals
The Gypsies Are Coming
Hat
Hector The Collector
Helping
Homemade Boat
Hug O' War
Hungry Mungry
I Must Remember
I Won't Hatch!
I'm Making A List
Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too
If I Had A Brontosaurus
If The World Was Crazy
Instructions
Invention
Invisible Boy
Invitation
It's Dark In Here
Jimmy Jet And His Tv Set
Joey
Jumping Rope
Just Me, Just Me
The Land Of Happy
Lazy Jane
Lester
Listen To The Mustn'ts
The Little Blue Engine
The Long-haired Boy
The Loser
Love
Ma And God
Magic
Magical Eraser
Me And My Giant
Me-stew
Melinda Mae
Merry...
Minnow Minnie
My Beard
My Hobby
My Rules
No Difference
Oh Have You Heard
One Inch Tall
The One Wh Satyed
Ourchestra
Pancake?
Paul Bunyan
Peanut-butter Sandwich
Pirate Captain Jim
The Planet Of Mars
Point Of View
Poor Angus
Rain
The Razor-tailed Wren
Recipe For A Hippopotamus Sandwich
Ridiculous Rose
Rudy Felsh
Santa And The Reindeer
Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out
The Search
Shadow Wash
Sick
The Silver Fish
Skinny
Sky Seasoning
Sleeping Sardines
Smart
Snowman
Spaghetti
Standing
Stone Telling
Thumbs
Tight Hat
The Toucan
Traffic Light
Tree House
True Story
Two Boxes
The Unicorn
Upstairs
Us
Warning
What A Day
What's In The Sack
Where The Sidewalk Ends
Who
Wild Boar
With His Mouth Full Of Food
Won't You?
The Worst
The Yipiyuk
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 6 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (November 20, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060256672
• ISBN-13: 978-0060256678
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.9 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (178 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Humorous
  • #12 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry
  • #44 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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Uplifting. Great Poems for ALL Ages! July 13, 2002

By Michael Crane

Format:Hardcover

I remember this book in the second grade! Wow, that was a long time ago. I remember enjoying the poems very much. Well, I stumbled upon this book a few weeks ago and decided to read them again. It had been quite some time. I still enjoyed it just as much as when I was little, if not more. "Where the Sidewalk Ends" is a literary treat for all ages.

The poems are funny and sincere at the same time. I really enjoyed each and every poem. The drawings are also really good. Just to give you a little taste of my Silverstein's work, here's the very first poem I heard from this book when I was little called, "Hat." And it goes a little something like this:

Teddy said it was a hat,
So I put it on.
Now Dad is saying, "Where the heck's
the toilet plunger gone?"

That's only a SMALL taste of the wonders you will find in this book. My other favorites are "Hat," "Dancing Pants," "I Must Remember," "Warning," "Who," and "The Land of Happy." I'm sure there are many more, but that's all I can think of right now. Bottom line: EVERY poem is great.

Although this is really great for kids, I think this is something EVERYONE would enjoy. Young or old, "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein is a fine read. One of my favorites.

(If you liked this one, check out "A Light in the Attic." Very good book as well.)

50 of 56 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Come meet Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout... November 15, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Would you like to meet Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who would not take the garbage out? Or Dirty Dan, the world's dirtiest man? Accept Shel Silverstein's invitation to come inside his delightful book full of outrageous poems and drawings. The unpredictable and humorous actions of each crazy character grabs readers' attention, keeping them engrossed in each poem, and craving for more. Elementary school-aged children will fall over laughing at Peggy Ann McKay's desperate attempt to avoid school, claiming, "I have the measles and the mumps, a gash, a rash, and purple bumps. My mouth is wet, my throat is dry, I'm going blind in my right eye." Silverstein's use of rhyme and nonsense verse combined with his constant humor captures the reader. His simple pen-and-ink drawings add to the imagery presented in each poem. The reader not only sees, but feels lazy Jane's dry mouth as she waits for it to rain. The application of alliteration, assonance, and consonance makes each poem a delight to read out loud; "For I've been down to the edge of the world, sat on the edge where the wild wind whirled." Some poems not only depict an array of humorous characters, but also create touching moments and offers good advice. Silverstein suggests playing hug o' war, rather than tug o' war, and assures young readers that, "Anything can happen, child, ANYTHING can be." Children ages nine to twelve will enjoy reading these well crafted poems that portray both ludicrous and poignant messages.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars **** One of the Best Books of All Time!!! **** March 9, 2001

By S. Ralston

Format:Hardcover

One of the best books of all time -- What more needs to be said? This is truly the most memorable book of my childhood. Smile after smile .... memory after memory. I agree with the reviewer here who says that "No child should grow up without this book!" ... It's fun to read, and makes some really good points about life!! Definitely a MUST HAVE at ANY age!!! Enjoy!