Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends is geared toward children in grades 3 through 5 and was written by Shell Silverstein in 1974.

This poem is about finding joy and passion for life just as children everywhere do.  This author wrote a book of poems entitled Where the Sidewalk Ends by which one of the poems is also named, He also wrote The Giving Tree and A Light in the Attic.   The illustrations are composed of  black lines creating comic strip style images allowing imagination on the part of the reader.

Teachers and parents/guardians can use this poem as a means to assist a young reader in building their ability to visualize the words and their meanings in their mind.

Motivational Activities:

1. Create your own poem to share with the class.

2. Discuss how the illustrations assisted in imaging the story.

Reader Response Questions:

1. What are some examples of adjectives, or descriptive words, used in this poem?

2. What elements of nature are included and de
scribed in this poem?

Silverstein, S. (1974) Where the Sidewalk Ends New York, Harper Collins

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