- Hardcover: 166 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books; 1st edition (19 Oct 1978)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060256672
- ISBN-13: 978-0060256678
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 17.9 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 414,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
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.
--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.About the Author
Shel Silverstein's very first children's book Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back was published in 1963, and followed the next year by two other books. The first of those, The Giving Tree, is a moving story about the love of a tree for a boy; it took four years before Harper Children's books decided to publish it. Shel returned to humour that same year with A Giraffe and a Half. His first collection of poems and drawings, Where the Sidewalk Ends, appeared in 1974, and his second, A Light in the Attic, in 1981. When he was a G.I. in Japan and Korea in the 1950, he learned to play the guitar and to write songs, including 'A Boy Named Sue' for Johnny Cash. In 1984, Silverstein won a Grammy Award for Best Children's Album for Where the Sidewalk Ends - 'recited, sung and shouted' by the author. He was also an accomplished playwright, including the 1981 hit, 'The Lady or the Tiger Show.' The last book to be published before he died in 1999, was Falling Up (1996).
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
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First Sentence
If you are a dreamer, come in, Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
If you are a dreamer, come in, Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
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!
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
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."
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hell on the farm
What a great book for many ages from young children to wrinklies or even dusties ! There are moments of pure joy to be found along with many thought provoking phrases within the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Heli
Poetry for You
I am a careful buyer of books because my 8 year old daughter is a picky reader. She likes sophisticated text, humour and plenty of pictures, so I thought I'd try some poetry. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Hey! Chico!
A real tummy tickler!
This book is laugh out loud funny. It has something fun for everyone. The poems in the book wind themselves around your head like a good song playing on repeat. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Katie N.
Unique Angle
This Special Edition is a collection of 139 poems by Shel Silverstein, originally appeared in 1974 - some short, some long and most of them are accompanied by his own drawings,... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Reflection Haiku
Great!
A smashing and fun read. A must for all ages. I have enjoyed Shel's work with Dr Hook hence the purchase. I immediately ordered another one for my great nephew and niece.
Published on 6 Sep 2009 by C. Susans
Delightful
A delightful introduction to the witty, zany world of Shel Silverstein. The twists of child logic are best appreciated by an adult :)
Published on 16 May 2009 by Rachel Green
sceptic
Sorry I can't help being sceptical, but I was looking for "humourous verse", which I subsequently sorted by customer rating and I found that the first seven most highly rated books... Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2006 by P. Maley
Looking for a fun book of children's poems?
Silverstein used humor, rhyme, and "nuttiness," to create poems that capture the reader's attention, getting them hooked and wanting more. Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2001
best i'll ever have
this book is really entertaining. I love every word of it and it makes me happy every time i open the book.
Published on 4 Feb 2001
A great book for poem lovers.
This book is filled with poems, it contains great pictures.
Published on 10 July 1999
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