Loved as a child and an adult! ( )

The poems in this book show silly depictions of everyday events.

This collection of humorous poems and drawings is a dreamy read aloud for young readers. It starts out with an opening or "invitation" page which does an excellent job of reeling in listeners by stating phrases such as; "If you are a dreamer come in...If you're a pretender come sit by my fire..". It opens up a world of questions and thoughts for readers right before the stories begin. Some poems are mostly fictional/fantasy, while this series of poems has elements of realism, which again helps readers connect and be inspired. Poems inside include themes regarding a boy who is annoyed with his sister, a girl who waits for it to rain so that she can have a drink, a sharp-toothed snail that's awaiting nose pickers, explanations of how other kids have encountered magical phenomenon's while the main character had to create his own, a boy who was supposed to remember lots of food but ended up not having patience and ate it all. These poems are a fun way for young readers to become engaged in poetry and maybe even spark an interest to write their own. ( )

Where the Sidewalk Ends is a collection of poetry and accompanying artwork for children and is something of a classic, for all I only read it as an adult. I really enjoyed the poems and artwork. They didn't all rhyme, some were sad, some were funny and a lot of them made me smile. I loved FOR SALE about selling off a younger sister. I can relate to it now and I definitely could relate to it as a kid. Highly recommend to people of all ages but I think kids will love the silliness of both the poetry and illustrations. 4 stars.

My favourites are below the spoiler.



INVITATION
If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!

MAGIC
Sandra's seen a leprechaun,
Eddie touched a troll,
Laurie danced with witches once,
Charlie found some goblins' gold.
Donald heard a mermaid sing,
Susy spied an elf,
But all the magic I have known
I've had to make myself.

LISTEN TO THE MUSTN'TS
Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me -
Anything can happen, child
ANYTHING can be.

FOR SALE
One sister for sale!
One sister for sale!
One crying and spying young sister for sale!
I'm really not kidding,
So who'll start the bidding?
Do I hear a dollar?
A nickel?
A penny?
Oh, isn't there, isn't there, isn't there any
One kid who will buy this old sister for sale,
This crying and spying young sister for sale?

NO DIFFERENCE
Small as a peanut,
Big as a giant,
We're all the same size
When we turn off the light.

Rich as a sultan,
Poor as a mite,
We're all worth the same
When we turn off the light.

Red, black or orange,
Yellow or white,
We all look the same
When we turn off the light.

So maybe the way
To make everything right
Is for God to just reach out
And turn off the light!

WHAT A DAY
What a day,
Oh what a day.
My baby brother ran away,
And now my tuba will not play.
I'm eight years old
And turning grey,
Oh what a day,
Oh what a day.

( )

A book of poetry and illustrations that brings out your imagination as you read through the pages and view the pictures. Meet different characters at different parts of life doing various activities you would not ordinarily see. ( )