Irresistible collection of clever, hilarious poems.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
very little
The poems flirt with dark territory, but are never frightening: There's a man whose co-worker accidentally hammers a nail through his head, a chef short on ingredients who resorts to making "Me-Stew," a child's lament that someone (burp) ate the baby, and insatiable Hungry Mungry, who starts by devouring his supper and then the universe and finally himself.
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Where the Sidewalk Ends is a terrific introduction to the breadth and diversity of poetry. There are short poems and long ones, rhyming and non-rhyming verses, epigrams, and visual poems.
Positive Messages
a little
Amid the silliness, Silverstein sneaks in words of wisdom: gentle prodding to take risks, to daydream, to consider other points of view, to be a good person ... but not to follow rules blindly.
Positive Role Models
a little
Silverstein models gentleness and kindheartedness. He professes a fondness for "hug o' war" rather than tug o' war, for example. He writes with knowing affection for thumbsuckers, enjoys a laugh with tellers of tall tales, and encourages his readers to actively engage with the world.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Where the Sidewalk Ends is a beloved collection of humorous poems and drawings first published by Shel Silverstein (The Giving Tree) in 1974. Some poems are a bit macabre -- a skinny boy who disappears down the bathtub drain, a crocodile with a toothache who chomps a sadistic dentist, and so on. But there's compassion and morality in here too, leavened with comic mayhem. Great as a read aloud for pre-readers, a book for beginning readers, and a surefire hit with third and fourth graders who get a kick out of reading and reciting the many funny poems.
Shel Silverstein opens WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS with an invitation to dreamers, wishers, liars, and more to gather round and spin "flax-golden tales." What follows is a charming collection of wittily subversive poems and line drawings: There's a fed-up boy trying to sell his sister, a child who hoards wishes, a boy who uses his magical eraser to handle a skeptic, a lazy girl who just waits for it to rain so she can have something to drink, a warning about the sharp-toothed snail that lies in wait for nose-pickers. The 30th anniversary edition published in 2004 includes an extra dozen poems.
Where the Sidewalk Ends is a treasure trove for young readers: eloquent, outrageous, subversive, nonsensical, and daring. Shel Silverstein comes across as favorite uncle, gleefully snickering along with the kids even as he comforts their hurts and gently shares lessons on living a good and vibrant life.
Silverstein's poems -- rhythmic and packed with clever gags -- are favorites for memorization and recitation. His playful language and eccentric artwork are irresistible. And his joyful glee is contagious: His work is a surefire way to inspire kids to write poems of their own.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the many styles of poetry in Where the Sidewalk Ends. Look for rhyming words, visual gags, and different forms of rhythm and repetition.
Write poetry together. To get started, choose one of Silverstein's poems and try writing an extra verse or two. A good starting point is "Toucan," which ends with the lines: "Who can write some/ More about the toucan?/ You can!"
Listen to Silverstein's recording of Where the Sidewalk Ends. Some of the poems in collection were also set to music, including "The Unicorn," "Helping," and "Boa Constrictor."
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Darienne Stewart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
