Where the Sidewalk Ends Written & Illustrated by Shel Silverstein ISBN# 9780060256678 |
It was not until I took a children's literature class during my senior year of college that I began to change my mind about poetry. I still don't "love it," but I no longer hate it either. My professor showed us dozens of different types of poems. In fact, she even created a type of poem herself that is starting to become very popular across the country. Broadening my knowledge of poetry has helped me write poems a little bit better. Writing poetry is about expressing yourself; your personality, ideas, and opinions. Now I know that I can combine my need for structure with my personality. I actually enjoy making simple rhyming poems, but it's the deeper ones that get to me.
As a kid, one of my favorite pieces of literature was a compilation of poems by Shel Silverstein called Where the Sidewalk Ends. Silverstein wrote and illustrated each poem in this book. Although the poems were intended for schoolchildren, I'm sure most adults will get a kick out of them too. The situations in the poems are very silly; typical ideas that the average kid thinks dozens of times throughout the day. Silverstein uses short, simple words so that the kids can understand and relate to the poems. Remember, someone like me wants to read a poem and enjoy it, not have to think hard about what the poet really means.
Where the Sidewalk Ends is great to use as an ongoing activity. For instance, you may want to cuddle up with your child each night and read a few poems to each other. They're fairly short, so you can probably read quite a few, maybe right before bedtime. C'mon now, if that's not a great memory to leave your kids with, I don't know what is! This book can be utilized by teachers as well. Obviously you won't be curling up with your students, but you can maybe read a page or two right after lunch each day to settle the children down (or after they unpack, or before they go home, or even as a reward for good behavior). I guarantee that when they read poems about crocodiles going to the dentist, a boy turning into a TV, and instructions on how to bathe your armadillo, Where the Sidewalk Ends will quickly become a favorite book!
If you think you're just like me,
And you just don't get that thing called "poetry,"
Don't get discouraged, kid... listen up!
Because I'm only gunna say this once
There's millions of poems out there, kid, count 'em and see
There's more than enough for you, and even some for me
They're not all really boring, some of them are cool
So get off your butt and stop being a fool
Find the perfect poem, one that makes you smile
Keep on looking, kid, even if it takes a while
Try writing your own now, about anything you like
Vacation, school, even your very first bike
Keep on trying, kid, just think what you can do
Because if I can do it... SO CAN YOU!!
Copyright NM 2011