| Product Summary | | Format: Hardcover | | ISBN: 9780060572341 | | Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers | | Publish Date: 2/1/2004 | | Buy.com Sku: 33921745 | | Item#: BUMSU4 | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 68426 | | Dimensions (in Inches) 9.25H x 7L x 1.25T | | Pages: 192 | | Age Range: 13 to UP |
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| | | This special 30th anniversary edition includes 12 new poems and never-before-published drawings by Silverstein, encased in an exclusive metallic-silver ink jacket.
Annotation:
By the early 1970s, the outlandish, outrageous Shel Silverstein was already a prolific folksinger/songwriter, cartoonist, and author of a widely known, much discussed classic children's book, THE GIVING TREE. His popular 1973 album, FREAKIN' AT THE FREAKERS BALL, with Dr. Hook and the Medicine Band, contained a song about Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout, a little girl who would appear again the following year in a book of groundbreaking kids' verses. This collection, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS, forever changed the staid world of American children's poetry, which had previously clung to strict poetic forms, and socially acceptable topics. SIDEWALK turned everything upside down with an unnerving exploration and celebration of the many gross, embarrassing, and disturbing topics that fascinate kids. Enhanced by his exaggerated, whimsical B&W line drawings, Shel Silverstein's approach to accidents, bad behavior, death, childhood fears, and of course, nose-picking, is playful, filled with hilarious and often light-hearted humor. From the preposterous "Melinda Mae," in which a little girl takes 89 years to eat a whale, to the moralistic "Jimmy Jet and His TV Set," about a boy who watches so much television that he turns into one, children are showcased in all their manifold glory. Anyone who grew up in the 1970s is bound to be familiar with the infamous burial of Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout, who absolutely refused to take out the garbage. A complete disregard for what adults consider appropriate for children makes these poems eternally endearing.
| Author Bio| Shel Silverstein | | Although Shel Silverstein was a successful cartoonist, playwright, and singer/songwriter, he is probably best known for his children's books, which include several poetry collections as well as the classic picture book THE GIVING TREE. He began his career, however, when, as a member of the armed forces, he worked as a cartoonist for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. When Silverstein ended his military career, he began cartooning for Playboy magazine, and his work for that publication resulted in several published collections of his cartoons, including PLAYBOY'S TEEVEE JEEBIES. As a playwright, Silverstein was a frequent collaborator of screenwriter/novelist/playwright David Mamet and together they wrote the screenplay for the 1988 film THINGS CHANGE. As a songwriter, Silverstein wrote "A Boy Named Sue"--a song made famous by Johnny Cash. Silverstein's song "I'm Checkin' Out," which was performed by Meryl Streep in the 1991 film POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award. Silverstein was encouraged to create works for children by his friend, illustrator Tomi Ungerer. Silverstein's collections of children's poetry (which include WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS and A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC), feature short, humorous poems accompanied by his own black-and-white line drawings. They are often considered to be among the most popular works of poetry for children. |
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