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

Want to read this on your NOOK? Request as NOOK Book from the publisher

Thank you for requesting this book as a NOOK book from the publisher.

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Book

Overview
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
Related Subjects
Meet the Author
Read an Excerpt
First Chapter

Overview

Including 12 New Poems!

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.

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.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
The 30th anniversary of Shel Silverstein's magical poetry book is honored with this splendid edition that includes 12 new poems and a dazzling silver jacket. Filled with the amazing, spirit-inspiring verses that Silverstein first made famous in 1974, this edition is sure to entrance yet another generation of readers with such memorable poems as "Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too" (in which three men go "for a ride in a flying shoe"); "Jimmy Jet and His TV Set"; "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out"; and "The Long-Haired Boy." New poems included in this edition include "The Truth About Turtles," "Mr. Grumpledump's Song," "Ten-O-Cycle," and "Gorilla" -- in which a kid brings his pet gorilla to school -- while the entire book features the author's endearing line drawings of the characters' wacky adventures. Sure to make an unforgettable gift and a remarkable way for kids and adults to experience the joys of reading, this book -- part of the canon of children's literature -- is an essential can't-miss for any bookshelf. Matt Warner

Reading Teacher.

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

Reading Teacher

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

Publishers Weekly

The classic Where the Sidewalk Ends: 30th Anniversary Special Edition by Shel Silverstein is reissued with 12 new poems that were not part of the original. Joining Hector the Collector, Ridiculous Rose and the Glurpy Slurpy Skakagrall ("Who's standing right behind you") are new poems including "Mr. Grumpledump's Song" ("Everything's wrong,/ Days are too long,/ Sunshine's too hot,/ Wind is too strong") and "The Unfunny Jester" ("The jester did a funny leap,/ The prince and princess fell asleep"). (Feb.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Read More Show Less

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780060572341
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 1/20/2004
Edition description: 30th Anniversary Edition
Edition number: 30
Pages: 183
Sales rank: 316
Age range: 6 - 8 Years
Product dimensions: 6.90 (w) x 8.90 (h) x 1.10 (d)

Meet 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.

Biography

If there is such a thing as a "bad boy of children's literature," it would have to be Shel Silverstein. Though often compared to Dr. Seuss for his ability to blend humor and nonsense into irresistible rhymes, Silverstein also ventured into macabre territory that the good Doctor wouldn't have touched with a ten-foot Sneetch. Silverstein broached such unsavory topics as nose-picking, the consumption of children, and winds so strong they could decapitate a man right out from under his hat.

It's a testament to Silverstein's abilities as a cartoonist and storyteller that he was able to endow such subjects with just the right silliness and humor, endearing him to both children and adults. In collections such as the classic Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up, Silverstein makes poems into page-turners -- aided in no small part by his grungy, whimsical black-and-white drawings. He also displays a tenderhearted understanding for kids' fears and peccadilloes; one poem in A Light in the Attic, for example, all but endorses nailbiting: "It's a nasty habit, but ... I have never ever scratched a single soul."

A lifelong writer and illustrator, Silverstein had been a cartoonist for an army newspaper in Korea in the 1950s, and then a contributor to magazines. Like many succesful writers for children, Silverstein never planned to author children's books. Ironically, his first attempt at the genre -- the book that established the one-time Playboy cartoonist as a school library fixture -- is something of an anomaly in his ouevre: The Giving Tree. This bittersweet story of a tree that ultimately sacrifices itself -- down to the stump -- to the boy she loves over the course of his life was initially rejected by Silverstein's editor. Of course, it has gone on to be a great, if sentimental, success. But it was Where the Sidewalk Ends, Silverstein's straightforward collection of crooked poems, that cemented his place as a must-read for the young and young at heart. Silverstein bristled at comparisons to fellow "nonsense poet" Edward Lear, preferring instead to cite his former teacher, Robert Cosbey, as an influence.

It's worth looking at some of Silverstein's less well-known picture books, such as Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? and Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back, as examples of how funny (and how subversive) Silverstein could be. In Lafcadio, the ultimate anti-hunting story, a lion learns to become such a good marksman that he provides "hunter rugs" for his fellow lions and ends up touring as a celebrity. Lafcadio soon gets bored with his opulent life, and what used to be thrilling no longer is: "This morning I went up and down in the elevator 1,423 times," he cries at one point. "IT'S OLD STUFF!"

In later years, Silverstein turned more attention to dramatic writing. Titles such as The Lady and the Tiger, Wild Life and The Devil and Billy Markham were produced with varying degrees of success, and some are still being staged by small theater groups. Silverstein also wrote a well-received screenplay, Things Change, with pal David Mamet in 1988.

Still, Silverstein's poetry is what remains his most popular contribution. His verse gave kids permission to be a little grown-up for a while, and (just as importantly) let adults experience the not-always-simple perspective of children.

Good To Know

Silverstein was a soldier in the U.S. Army in Japan and Korea in the '50s and drew cartoons for Stars and Stripes, the American military publication. His next cartooning gig was for Playboy.

Silverstein wrote several songs. His country-western song "A Boy Named Sue" was a hit for Johnny Cash in 1969. His song for Postcards From the Edge, "I'm Checkin' Out," was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.

Read More Show Less

1. Also Known As:
  
  Sheldon Allan Silverstein (full name)
  Shel Silverstein
1. Date of Birth:
  
  September 25, 1930
2. Place of Birth:
  
  Chicago, Illinois
1. Date of Death:
  
  May 10, 1999
2. Place of Death:
  
  Key West, Florida

Read an Excerpt

Sick

"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more -- that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut, my eyes are blue --
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke --
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is -- what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is . . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"
_{From WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS by Shel Silverstein © 1974 by Shel Silverstein. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.}

Read More Show Less

First Chapter

Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Special Edition
Poems and Drawings

Invitation

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 ...
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!

Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Special Edition
Poems and Drawings. Copyright © by Shel Silverstein. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5

( 121 )

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Poor

Below Average

Good

Very Good

Exceptional

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble

Overview

Pick Up In Store

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Book

Overview

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

Reading Teacher.

Reading Teacher

Publishers Weekly

Product Details

Meet the Author

Biography

Good To Know

Read an Excerpt

First Chapter

Customer Reviews

5 Star

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

Your Rating:

Your Recommendations:

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

What to exclude from your review:

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

Reminder:

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

Overview

Pick Up In Store

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Book

Overview

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

Reading Teacher.

Reading Teacher

Publishers Weekly

Product Details

Related Subjects

Meet the Author

Biography

Good To Know

Read an Excerpt

First Chapter

Customer Reviews

5 Star

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

Your Rating:

Your Recommendations:

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

What to exclude from your review:

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

Reminder:

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

A classic poetry book for kids

Poetry in comedy

gift for beginning reader

Where the Sidewalk Ends-A fun walk through life:)

Great gift for 6 yr old niece

highly recommended for children

This is one of my kids favorites!

Where the sidewalk ends.

A Classic, An Absolute Must-Have

Great for reading together with your kids!

\o/

childhood is the poem of life &poem is the childhood of the world.

A must have!

Ever pleasing

My utmost favorite book growing up!

I used to read this book all the time when I was a kid. :) Loved

The book is definitely a must read. I have enjoyed reading all t

My kids adore it. It has opened them up to the world of poetry.

This is a wonderful book. Children will love it.

An amazing must of poetry and silly creative writing that pushes