Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Dec 17, 2009

Steve rated it:

His parents did well naming him Shel.
He never did care to conform.
What would compel a guy to rebel
If everyone knew him as Norm?

12 comments like (65 people liked it)

Oct 18, 2011

Sita rated it:

All I can say is that this book is amazing. This was the first book that my dad ever read to me and I loved it. I was re-reading it today and I normally don’t love books I loved when I was little, but this book is different. I still love it, there’s not much else I can say that people haven’t already said, so I am just going to end this super short review now.

P.S. If you haven’t read this before I recommend giving it a go, it is a nice fun, simple read that I’m sure you’ll enjoy read More...

0 comments like (15 people liked it)

Jun 14, 2011

Joel rated it:

I am crap at reciting from books. Sure, I know your super-famous opening lines and popular misquotations, but I don't really, like, pause in my reading to note a particularly nice turn of phrase so I can commit it to memory.

Which is odd, because I have always had a pretty good memory for the spoken word and, especially, lyrics. When I was little, my parents found this most amusing. They would hear me playing in my bedroom, singing random snatches of commercial jingles and songs from More...

13 comments like (19 people liked it)

Jan 15, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

There's a polar bear - in the fridgedare - he likes it cuz its cold in there!

I wrote a report on this in the 6th grade and I still remember that by heart. That was the year I got braces and Chris N. butted in line when we were coming in from recess and I grabbed his arm and said "No Butting!" and he turned around and punched me in the face. The braces smashed into my lip and it bled so bad! I went to the bathroom with a girlfriend (I can't remember her anymore - isn't that More...

16 comments like (25 people liked it)

Mar 07, 2008

Austin rated it:

Every child eventually discovers the perverted old man who wrote songs for Johnny Cash, did illustrations for Playboy, appeared on the Dr. Demento show numerous times, and managed to get a few books published along the way.

For some reason, parents never seem to think this creepy old guy who was so fond of children was in any way "disturbing," something I'm continually impressed with in the "ban now, ask questions later" climate of modern culture. If there are p More...

3 comments like (17 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Dunninghousehold rated it:

Such an amazing book! This new addition has 12 new poems, and they fit in perfectly with our beloved favorites. The first poem, Invitation, sums the book up perfectly, and remains one of my favorite poems of all time:

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!
More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Sep 20, 2007

Meredith rated it:

Incredibly entertaining poems. I do a poem a week with my 2nd graders, and our current one is Melinda Mae. Let's see if I can remember it from the top of my head:

"Have you heard of tiny Melinda Mae
who ate a monstrous whale?
She thought she could, she said she would
So she started in right at the tail.
And everyone said, 'You're much too small!'
But that didn't bother Melinda at all.
She took little bites and chewed very slow, just like a little gir More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jan 23, 2008

Amelia rated it:

Like the old Bugs Bunny cartoons, the humor is actually much more appealing to adults. Children will be amused and entertained and often times grow up loving this book, but re-read it as an adult if you haven't. Read it to your kids, neices, nephews, friends kids, little brothers or sisters if you need an excuse. I am getting it for my sister for her baby shower... a must for any child's library! That, and the fact that my sister IS Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout!!

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 10, 2012

Erin rated it:

SUMMARY: Where the Sidewalk Ends is a collection of poems by Shel Silverstein. All of the poems have a humorous tone to them, but a little bit of a moral at the end as well. All of the poems are about different scenarios and have no specific order that they need to be read in.
CRITIQUE: The majority of the poems in Where the Sidewalk Ends have some kind of rhyming pattern to them. However, the rhyme is not predictable; it is very fresh. A child reading this book would be able to determine t More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 23, 2011

Alaysia rated it:

what i think about the book is every time i read it i think about myself growing up writing a kids poetry book. i would like to become a poet and i just cant stop reading this book is a great inspiration to people all over that would like to be a kids poet someday i hope to at least publish one poetry book for kids.i very much enjoyed the book.

9 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 27, 2008

Gretchen rated it:

Mommy and I are going through one poem at a time. So far I like it, but am rather confused by a few!!

6/27/08--My favorite poem so far is Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too! I love how is sounds when Mommy says it.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 27, 2011

Preeti rated it:

I got into the Shel Silverstein craze after reading The Missing Piece Meets the Big O online. Good stuff. Fun books, some of them with good messages.

This particular book of his is a collection of poems, some with accompanying illustrations (he does both) that are "at once outrageously funny and profound." Some are just so weird, you have to laugh, or at least make a funny face because you have no idea what you just read. Some of them have messages embedded within (for examp More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 30, 2008

Sabrina rated it:

The back cover of the dust jacket to Where the Sidewalk Ends describes Shel Silverstein as the author of The Giving Tree and other books of prose and poetry. The brief bio then goes on to state that Silverstein "writes songs, draws cartoons, plays the guitar, and has a good time".

Ultimately, that's what Where The Sidewalk Ends is about--having a good time. The opening invitation to the book--a poem--encapsulates the feel and the tone of the book:

If you are More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 18, 2008

maricar rated it:

quirky yet sentimental...

honestly i had reservations about picking up this book, poetry and me not really being the closest of buddies. then of course the fact that this was supposedly meant for toddlers and such (disdainful much??).

it wasn't long before i was shown the depths of my arrogance. hopefully never again...(but who knows).

okay. to the point. i ADORED this book.

a lot of the poetry here are funny (not outright hilarious, more like plain g More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2008

Trisch rated it:

I have loved this book since I did a performance of one of the poems (I Cannot Go to School Today) when I was in like the sixth grade or something like that. I love how she uses the space on the page to tell some of the stories as well as the words. Her work is on the same level as Dr. Suess in my mind. I need to get it from the library to read it to Nolan. He would love it. I used it for my acting classes all of the time, but I had forgotten about it until you reminded me.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 29, 2008

Nick rated it:

Shel Silverstein makes me think about the nature v. nurture debate. When I was a kid I really really loved his silly poems and even more so his fascinating, messily detailed illustrations. This interest led me into cartoons and comic books as a young adult and that interest stayed with me into my teens and early 20s. Now as a grownup(?) I'm still drawn to media with a sense of playfulness and whimsy, like digital graphics and street art. Im also always amazed at how good cartoons and animate More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 02, 2010

Ashley rated it:

A more detailed review of this book and Shel Silverstein in general is visible on my blog, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing.

I just don't love Shel Silverstein. Everyone I know just loves these poems, and thinks they are so fun/funny but... I just don't love it. I have a really hard time enjoying my time reading his poetry. Some of the poems are tons of fun, and just a hoot to read. Others just drag and are totally lost on me. There are usually great for kids (although I didn't mu More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 10, 2008

Rhonda rated it:

I don't remember if this is the one that had the poem about Me-Stew or the Two Headed Dog or the Bendable Posable Strechable Foldable... man or not...That might have been Light in the Attic, but Still -- good gods Shel Silverstein, your poems changed the face of my middle school world. I don't know what that means exactly, but that's okay - your poems gave me the confidence to appreciate all things zany in public. Shel Silverstein is the best of absurdism and pathos in a nutshell balanced by j More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Feb 07, 2011

Dawson rated it:

This is a funny book to read. It is a poem book. some of the poems you can probably relate to. some you might not relate to. This is a kind of book many peole will like.

0 comments like

Apr 03, 2009

Louise rated it:

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein is a great book. I've read it along time ago with my sister. She used to read me the boook when i was younger but I never used to understand everything she used to read. And I have decided to read it again because it reminded me of old times and i actually wanted to understand the poems. When I read the book it makes me happy. It is written in poetry with pictures to go along with it. There are many different poems and there are a lot thats what i More...

1 comment like

Feb 12, 2012

Lauren added it

I read Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
SUMMARY: This was a poetry book that i enjoyed very much. There were many poems that went along with aspects of children's everyday lives. The poems also varied on size, some were only 4 lines and others were up to 2 pages. This means the age group of children that can read this can vary.
CRITIQUE: I liked that there was a picture to go with almost every poem. It helped give me a mental image of what the author wanted me to see. The More...

0 comments like

Feb 02, 2012

Kimber rated it:

Shel Silverstein's book, "Where the Sidewalk Ends," is an excellent collection of quirky poetry for children. While the majority of the poems are filled with nonsense and silly topics, there are some poems that have a deeper meaning for children. Poems like 'Hug O' War,' and 'Listen to the Mustn'ts' give messages to readers about friendship, love, and that anything is possible for them.
This book expands awareness for young readers because it gives them an opportunity to be creativ More...

0 comments like

Dec 06, 2011

Kristina rated it:

Genre: Poetry

This is a wonderful collection of imaginative and humorous poems for children, but if you take a closer look, you may find a few with deep messages for readers of any age.

a.) A major strength of this book is the humor and imagination used for the numerous poems.
b.) Humor is a very strange thing in that it is very powerful. People are more likely to remember something associated with humor. Silverstein’s use of humor in these poems helps for readers to rel More...

0 comments like

Dec 04, 2011

Debbie rated it:

Citation: Where the Sidewalk Ends, written by Shel Silverstein (Harper Collins Publisher, 1974)

1. Genre: Poetry
2. Summary: This is a beautiful book of poetry, simple and humorous enough for children to enjoy, yet deep enough to provoke an emotional response to its prose.
3. Critique:
a. The strength of this book of poetry is the author’s ability to convey a message with each poem through his use of descriptive language.
b. Through his use of imagery, the autho More...

0 comments like

Nov 29, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

This has to be one of my favourite book of poems. I'd gotten this as a present from a relative for a Christmas gift when I was around 7 years old. At the time it was brand new and I thought it was the worst present anyone could have ever given but now I have come to love and appreciate that gift because needless to say I've worn out my copy to the point where pages are falling out.

I found almost all of Silverstein's in "Where the Sidewalk Ends" entertaining and some very comp More...

0 comments like

Oct 10, 2011

Hannah rated it:

Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein is my absolute favorite poetry compilation ever. This ingenious book, with absolutely hysterical illustrations is perfect for children of all ages. Where the Sidewalk Ends is one of those books that, "Never goes out of Style." 20 Years later I still have this book on my bookshelf and still enjoy reading it. The poetry is perfect for children and the book contains small poems and long poems, great for all ages and all reading levels. The poem More...

0 comments like

Sep 20, 2011

Jonathan rated it:

Shel Silverstein writes poems for children in his book Where the Sidewalk Ends. The poems are of various lengths, rhyme schemes, tenses, and point of views, but all contain their own kernel of wisdom. Silverstein uses a surprisingly short number of similes for a poet, but I believe that this aids to his work being more fictitious and crazy. He uses mostly common images that can be understood by children such as smoke and garbage, but does have some references that are specific to the era like “O More...

0 comments like

Jun 19, 2011

Roland added it

I never read this book as a child, I'm not sure exactly why not. I was a voracious reader as a child, and can still remember much about my favorite books: The Mouse and His Child, Abel's Island, and so on. But this one escaped me. I felt it was finally time to make up for the lack.

So, I'm now well out of the target demographic of this book. But that doesn't mean it doesn't have anything for adults. The tone is whimsical, humorous, rebellious, like a modern Edward Lear. Little morality More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 07, 2010

Ronyell rated it:

“Where the Sidewalk Ends” is another book of poems from the creative mind of Shel Silverstein, who is the popular author of “A Light in the Attic.” This book details poems about silly people and animals doing crazy activities. Even though this book has some suggestive content, children will easily be delighted in this book for many years.

Shel Silverstein has done an awesome job with both illustrating and writing this book of poems. Shel Silverstein’s writing is witty and creative More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 05, 2010

Ahmad rated it:

شل سیلور استاین، متولد 1932 در شیکاگو، شهرتش در سروده هایش نهفه است که در زمینهء ادبیات کودک و نوجوانان است. او میگوید: امیدوارم مردم در هر سنی چیزی را در کتابهایم بیابند، تا با آن احساس نزدیکی کنند. حسی شخصی از کشف و شهود را تجربه کنند. این عالی است البته برای خودشان نه من.
دو سرود از «جایی که پیاده رو تموم میشه» ترجمه حمید خادمی
آلیس
آلیس یه بطری که روش نوشته شده بود "مرا بنوشید" نوشید. بعدش کلی قد کشید، یا از یه ظرفی که روش نوشته شده بود "مرا بچشید" خورد. ب More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

reviews