Shel Silverstein's poems and drawings invite children to explore "Where the Sidewalk Ends"

In Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends, readers will find a collection of funny, entertaining and whimsical drawings and poems sure to delight both children and adults of all ages. The anthology begins with a poem, “An Invitation,” that I want to somehow incorporate into my classroom décor because it has such a great message that leaves a lasting impact on the reader:

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!

In this initial poem, Silverstein has captured the anticipation that book-lovers feel before diving into a good book and a feeling that I would like to impart onto all of my students. The rest of the anthology is filled with the types of poems that have become Silverstein’s trademark: always silly and zany, some written just for fun and some with a lasting take-away message.

I’ve found that the silly ones are the best to read aloud and often the most memorable for kids. One of my favorites from this book is called “Sick.” It tells the story of a girl, Peggy Ann McKay, who claims she cannot go to school because of a variety of symptoms that would stump even the most experienced medical professionals…That is, until she learns that its Saturday, upon which she is miraculously cured. I remember being so thrilled by this poem that I memorized the entire thing in third grade. To this day I can still recall a few sporadic stanzas!

Other poems in Silverstein’s anthology are meant to inspire and encourage, like the short but sweet “Listen to the Musn’ts”:

Listen to the MUSN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON’Ts
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS,
The IMPOSSIBLES, THE WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me -
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

These two excerpts are just examples of the diverse literature awaiting readers of Where the Sidewalk Ends and really capture Silverstein’s uncanny ability to create fantastical and time-tested works that appeal to both children and adults.

Upon researching Shel Silverstein further, I was not surprised to find that before he was a children’s author, he wrote for adults with works appearing on stage in New York City and published in Playboy Magazine. He also was an accomplished musician, writing song for Johnny Cash and Dr. Hook. He even won a Grammy in 1984 for Best Children’s Album with his recitation of Where the Sidewalk Ends. (http://www.shelsilverstein.com/play.asp) 

Since even his works for children contain a more serious edge to them, you can easily see the adult influence in them. Hence, readers should be aware that Silverstein’s poems and drawings border on the macabre and adults should be cautioned to use their better judgment when reading them to younger readers. A lot of the illustrations for the poems in Where the Sidewalk Ends are wacky and psychedelic, like a head with two faces or a person with their head on the backside of their body. Older readers who are mature enough to handle the zaniness will be fascinated by this element of his work. I remember being both horrified and intrigued by Silverstein’s poetry, particularly his description of Peggy Ann McKay’s horrible symptoms in “Sick” or the sandwich in “Recipe for a Hippopotamus Sandwich.”  

In sum, a classroom library is incomplete without at least one collection of poems from Shel Silverstein and I would recommend his first anthology, Where the Sidewalk Ends as a great place to start. In the modern world, where children are exposed to various forms of computer and video games upon entrance into the world, Silverstein’s collections remain a refuge where children are encouraged to live within their brains, to explore, to imagine and to create.