Where the Sidewalk Ends is one of my most favorite Shel Silverstein books ever, right next to The Giving Tree. In my opinion the best poems are "Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout will not take the garbage out" and "Peanut butter sandwich. "Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout will not take the garbage out" is about a girl that would do anything, besides taking out her garbage, and because of her the trash pile got so big, that it breaks the kitchen windows, it blocks the kitchen door and last but not least it reaches from New York to the Golden Gate, so now all her friends moved away and the fact of being lonely finally makes her want to take out the garbage but it's too late.
"Peanut butter sandwich" is about a king that will eat only peanut butter sandwiches. His scepter, royal gowns, regal throne, and golden crowns were all covered in sticky mounds of peanut butter. One day while enjoying a peanut butter sandwich he realised that because of the peanut butter his jaws were stuck together and his mother even cried. Then finally after twenty years of pushing and pulling and pulling his mouth finally opened and then in a week rusty voice his first words were who wants peanut butter sandwiches. Then I think that for most boys "For sale" is the most ideal poem because the thing for sale is a sister, that's right a crying and spying and annoying little sister for sale. But the strangest most boyish one is "Jimmy Jet and his TV set." It is about a boy that watches TV so much that his chin grew into a tuning dial. An antenna grew out of his hair and his brains into TV tubes. His face to a screen and two knobs saying vent and horiz where his ears had been. Now instead of watching TV we all sit around and watch Jimmy.
Reviewed by Dylan C.,
Aviano Library Customer
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