Where the Sidewalk Ends

Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends. Illustrated by the author. HarperCollins Publishers, 1974. Tr. $18.99, ISBN 978-0-06-025667-8

What’s it about? Where the Sidewalk Ends is an illustrated collection of humorous light verse that has stood the test of time.

Find out more: Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends it is a language-loving romp about an array of subjects and peopled with strange characters, such as the boy who lost his head while playing with his cousin (in “The Loser”), a girl named  Melinda Mae who ate an entire whale, a boy named Jimmy Jet, who turned into a TV set, and Chester who grew another head, to name a few. There are also poems about doing chores (in Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout), snowmen, unicorns, and a two-tailed dog. Breezy pen sketches accompany the poems. The collection has an index arranged by poem titles, helpful for children or adults wanting to revisit a particular poem.

Where the Sidewalk Ends is currently the bestselling book of children’s poetry in the world.  It was originally published in 1974, and is now considered a classic and a favorite of elementary school aged children. Its popularity is due to the zany wit and wordplay in these poems. Silverstein had a keen ear for rhythm and a great understanding of what makes kids (and adults!) laugh. His drawings are hilarious and weird, and add to the poems rather than distract or detract from them. This excellent collection has wide appeal, and is ideal to introduce to children resistant to reading poetry.

Genre: Non-fiction, Poetry, Humor

Subjects: Poetry, Light Verse

Reading level: 4^th grade

Interest level: Grades 2-6

Read-alikes:

Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes

Jack Prelutsky’s A Pizza the Size of the Sun