#1 in Poetry
Where the Sidewalk Ends
- 176
- Pages
- about 3 h
- Reading time
Affiliate link: buying through it supports BookRank at no extra cost to you.
About the book
Where the Sidewalk Ends is a 1974 children's poetry collection written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. It was published by Harper and Row Publishers. The book's poems address common childhood concerns and also present fanciful stories and imaginative images. Silverstein's work is valued by people of all ages, primarily due to his skill in subtly communicating social implications through simple language. Controversial because of its satiric approach to difficult subjects and its theme of challenging authority figures, the book was first banned in 1986 in many libraries and schools.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.6 across 1,051 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 87% of the weight and the score stays at 8.6 — the Poetry average of 8.0 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.2 | 98 | 9% |
| Hardcover | 8.7 | 953 | 91% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“Favorite poems are LISTEN TO THE MUSTN'TS, THE FARMER AND THE QUEEN, THE GOOGIES ARE COMING, SICK, UPSTAIRS, LESTER and POOR ANGUS. But, my most favorite is COLORS: My skin is kind of sort of brownishPinkish yellowish white.My eyes are greyish blueish green,But I'm told…”
“I read this to my daughter at bedtimes over a week or three. Even if she doesn't understand them now, I hope she will grow to appreciate the silliness and sometimes deeper meanings of these poems. I'm sure this is one I will be re-reading many times over the next few years.”
Frequently asked
What age is Where the Sidewalk Ends for?
Where the Sidewalk Ends sits on the Children shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 5–10. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating. It has 176 pages — longer than 53% of the ranked books in Poetry.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Poetry — with scores between 7.7 and 8.5, closest to this book.
