Where the Sidewalk Ends

Silverstein, S. (1974). Where the Sidewalk Ends. Illustrated by Shel Silverstein. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Brief Annotation: A collection of ridiculous rhymes of poems are found within this book. Each poem has a drawing depicting a character or component of the piece of work.
Genre: Poetry

Grade Level: PreK- Grade 5

Readers who will like this: Anyone with a sense of humor can find pleasure in the words this book. Regardless of the age of the reader or listener, these poems are sure to put a smile on your face. Students will also enjoy the rhythm the poems create.

Response/Rating (1-4): This collection of poems deserves a 4. The light-hearted poems draw a student in for more quirkyness which engages the child in for longer reading periods. The pen and paper medium of the illustrations draw the reader into the vision of the author, and provide further meaning into each of the poems. I also like how Shel Silverstein has several poetry books, so as children do become more interested in these books there are additional texts to pull into the classroom.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: What are some characteristics of a poem?

Reading Strategies Connection: Author’s Chair (Tompkins pg. 10). The teacher has a special child-sized chair which only gets used to share student’s writing with other classmates. After writing poems, have one student sit in the author’s chair and have the other children sit on the floor in front of the chair. The student-author reads their writing aloud and shows any illustrations included in their piece. At this time, invite the other students to raise their hands to offer compliments, ask questions, and make other comments about the book. The last step is for the student-author to call on 2-3 classmates to respond to their comments, and then the student chooses the next classmate to sit in the author’s chair.