Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #343135 in Books
• Published on: 1978-10-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

Synopsis
A boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale are only two of the characters in a collection of humorous poetry illustrated with the author's own drawings.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful memories
As an American living in England, trying to find admirers of Shel Silverstein is quite hard. Despite not knowing much about him, everyone should give Shel's first book a go. It is a wonderful collection of poems that are imaginative, full of humor and adorable pictures (drawn by Shel himself!). The poems you read (whether you are an adult or child) will become well-loved, maybe even memorized and (hopefully!) shared with many you know...get the word out--Shel Silverstein is a gifted poet who should be read by young and old alike!

Delightful, nonsensical poetry for ages 2-102
I was intrduced to "Where The Sidewalk Ends" by my second grade reading teacher in the fall of 1978. The author, Shel Silverstein, had an incredible gift. He could make kids fans of poetry! (One of those kids happened to be my 38 year-old father). From the moment I opened the book and recited "Sick" for the very first time, I fell in love with Mr. Silverstein's books.

My brilliant teacher had each member of the class perform a poem from "Where The Sidewalk Ends". He made lovers of poetry of us all, and an actress out of me. For years to come, I won numerous talent contests performing "Sick" for audiences of all ages.

I love each and every poem in this book. Everybody who loves to laugh MUST read "Ma and God", "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out", "The Dirtiest Man In the World", and "Sick", my all-time favorite.

"Where the Sidewalk Ends" and Shel Silverstein changed my life forever. It was today, May 10, 1999, that I read he had passed away. The world has lost an amazing contributer to children's literature. "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and all of Mr. Silverstein's other books are the delightful legacy that he has left behind. I encourage children and parents alike to open this book and let the laughter in.

"For the Children, they mark,and the children, they know

The place where the sidewalk ends."

Profound Silliness
Shel Silverstein had the ability to think like a kid. Only a few adult authors truly possess this skill. I remember when this book was first published, and my parents got a copy. They were reading it together and laughing, and I thought it wasn't fair, because he wrote it for me, an eleven year old, and why should old people like my parents find it funny?

Now, as a teacher, I use this book to introduce students to the joy of writing poetry, when usually they run in fear from the very idea. The topics are as wide as his imagination was wild, and while the humor is at a youthful level, it never crosses the line of unacceptable crudeness.

A handful of the epic poems in this book become a little tedious, but most of his best works, which appear in many English textbooks, are found in this volume. Not all the poems are silly. Throughout the book are poems that surprise the reader in their clarity, honesty, and thoughtfulness.

Throughout the book there is a sense of wonder at the world we live in, and a sly investigation into the silly behaviors we all exhibit, no matter what the age. And his hilarious line drawings, often integrated into the text, are the icing on the cake.

Of all the poetry collections Shel wrote, this is the first and the best, still fresh after all these years.