Where the Sidewalk Ends (book)
Encyclopedia
Where the Sidewalk Ends is a collection of children's poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein
Sheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein , was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books...

. The book's poems address many common childhood concerns and also presents purely fanciful stories. The first edition was originally copyrighted in 1974 and published by Harper and Row Publishers.

The author dedicated this book "For Ursula" and gives thanks to Ursula Nordstrom
Ursula Nordstrom
Ursula Nordstrom was publisher and editor in chief of juvenile books at Harper & Row from 1940 to 1973. She also authored the 1960 children's book The Secret Language...

, Barbara Borack, Kadijah Cooper, Dorothy Hagen, Beri Greenwald, Gloria Bressler, and Bill Cole.

In 2004, a special 30th Anniversary Edition was published, which included 12 new poems.

The following titles are found only in the 30th Anniversary edition of the book:
  • The Truth About Turtles
  • Oops!
  • Mr. Grumpledump's Song
  • Naked Hippo
  • Who's Taller?
  • Monsters
  • Weightliftress
  • Don't Tell Me
  • Ten-O-Cycle
  • The Unfunny Jester
  • Open-Close
  • Gorilla
  • The Hobo In The Bathtub

Original album

The audio edition of the book was originally released on cassette in 1983, as an LP phonograph record in 1984, and won the 1984 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

for Best Recording For Children. The copyright is owned by Sony Music Entertainment Inc. The collection is recited, sung and shouted by Shel Silverstein himself. He also performed it at the 1984 Grammy Awards.

The following poems can be heard in the album:

Side A
  • Invitation
  • Eighteen Flavors
  • Melinda Mae
  • Sick
  • Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too
  • Enter This Deserted House
  • Jimmy Jet and His TV Set
  • For Sale
  • Warning
  • The Yipiyuk
  • Crocodile’s Toothache
  • Stone Telling
  • Ridiculous Rose
  • Boa Constrictor
  • Peanut–Butter Sandwich
  • Listen to the Mustn’ts
  • I will not hatch


Side B
  • Hug o’ War
  • Smart
  • Forgotten Language
  • The Farmer and the Queen
  • The One Who Stayed
  • No Difference
  • Wild Boar
  • Thumbs
  • Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out
  • My Hobby
  • Early Bird
  • Me–Stew
  • Captain Hook
  • With His Mouth Full of Food
  • The Flying Festoon
  • The Silver Fish
  • The Generals
  • The Worst
  • My Beard

Production

  • Producer & Director: Ron Haffkine
  • Engineer: jb & Danny Mundhenk & Oliver Masciarotte
  • Mastering: Denny Purcell


Recorded at Bullet Recording, Nashville, Blank Tapes, New York, and in Studio D at Criteria Recording in Miami, Florida.

25th anniversary album

In 2000, the album was re-released on cassette and CD for the 25th anniversary of the book. This collection is copyrighted 1984 and 2000 by Sony Music Entertainment Inc. The collection is again recited, sung, and shouted by Shel Silverstein.

The 25th anniversary edition also contains 11 previously unreleased tracks culled from the original master tapes. They are:
  • The Little Blue Engine
  • If I Had a Brontosaurus
  • One Inch Tall
  • Long-Haired Boy
  • Rain
  • True Story
  • Hungry Mungry
  • Standing
  • If The World Was Crazy
  • Hector the Collector
  • Spaghetti

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK