shel silverstein where the sidewalk ends poems

Take for example, a child who all day listens to his parents, his teachers, his older siblings, his babysitter, and on and on: He addressed real childhood concerns, and he took them seriously - albeit in a completely fanciful manner. Silverstein never talked down to us as children. What makes Where the Sidewalk Ends so great? While The Giving Tree still consistently ranks above it on lists of the top children's books of all time, Where the Sidewalk Ends will always hold a place in the hearts of kids, and grownups. Not that I wouldn't rather make love, but the work has become a habit. By the time I got to where I was attracting girls, I was already into work, and it was more important to me. When I was a kid-12 to 14, around there-I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls, but I couldn't play ball. In a 1975 interview with Publishers Weekly, Shel Silverstein talked about how he fell into working as a cartoonist and an author.

Fun fact: Silverstein won a Grammy in 1970 for writing the poem 'Boy Named Sue,' which, of course, Cash sang in California's San Quentin State Prison in 1969. His quirky, conversational style, coupled with his line-drawing cartoons, became beloved among both children and parents.Įven Johnny Cash fell for Silverstein's style.

He was never a poetry man, he says himself. In 1974, Silverstein released Where the Sidewalk Ends, and dedicated it, quite literally, 'For Ursula.' Ten years after his heartbreaking children's book The Giving Tree was published, Shel Silverstein's editor Ursula Nordstrom at Harper & Row convinced the author to write a book of poetry.

Shel silverstein where the sidewalk ends poems