Ten years after his children’s book The Giving Tree was published, Shel Silverstein’s editor Ursula Nordstrom (Harper & Row) convinced him to write a book of poetry. In 1974, Silverstein released Where the Sidewalk Ends, and dedicated it, “For Ursula.”  I am one of the many people who are thankful that Ursula asked and that Silverstein accepted.

Caitlin White, Bustle.com, writes, “He (Silverstein) was never a poetry man, he says himself. But that was why he was so good at it. His quirky, conversational style, coupled with his line-drawing cartoons, became beloved among both children and parents.

…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.  Why? Silverstein never talked down to us as children. He addressed real childhood concerns, and he took them seriously — albeit in a completely fanciful manner”.

This book of poetry holds 123 poems, stories with sweetness, humor, sarcasm and life lessons.  The title poem isn’t at the beginning of the book; it has a special place on p. 64.  If you and your kiddoes don’t know Silverstein’s poetry, here’s a little taste that may spark your curiosity.   Breathe, pause, and imagine:

Where the Sidewalk Ends

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know

The place where the sidewalk ends.

Sheldon Allan Silverstein (September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999)

One of the beautiful things about poetry is that it speaks in tongues; it speaks to each of us in our own language.   What this poem says to us as adults deals with remembering our childhood.   What it says to children will be something entirely different.  And every child will have various interpretations still!

Recognizing symbolism, visualizing, decoding, inferring, using rhythm and rhyme, and identifying theme are just some of the reading strategies we can teach our kids when we use poetry. But they don’t have to recognize all of those strategies.  They will simply become better readers and interpreters and enjoy reading itself.  With younger children, we can identify emotions and encourage creativity with the free message of a poem. Needed conversations may naturally occur as well, and we all desire that!

If you’d like to add a book that can be read and enjoyed by your entire family through the years, Where the Sidewalk Ends is one for the bookshelf.  But I’ll warn you; just when you think you’re “booking some time” with your little one, you may just find that the message within is for YOU instead.

Matthew 19:14: But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

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