Silverstein�s formats include concrete poems (�Lazy Jane,� the giraffe poem, and the nose poem); narrative poems (�Paul Bunyan,� �Santa and the Reindeer,� �Snowman� and �The Bagpipe Who Didn�t Say No�); lyric poems (�The Search,� �Where the Sidewalk Ends,� �Tree House� and �Point of View�); and, free verse (�The Long-Haired Boy,� �Joey,� and �Shadow Wash�). His generous use of musical-type refrains, repetition and sound effects make some especially suitable for performance (�Peanut Butter Sandwich,� �The Googies are Coming,� �The Toucan� and �The Fourth�).
Some poems afford an opportunity to see life situations from the unique perspective of childhood, with its attendant shortfall of wisdom and experience. The absolute sincerity of the narrative voices makes for hilarious reading. In �For Sale,� a boy earnestly tries to auction off his little sister. �Smart� shows a child bragging about trading a lone dollar bill for five whole pennies, and his naive interpretation of his father�s speechless rage: �He got red in the cheeks, and closed his eyes and shook his head � Too proud of me to speak!� �Stone Telling� gives us a fool-proof method for knowing when a window is open: �Just throw a stone at it.� If it makes a noise, it wasn�t open!
Silverstein also exults in the simplest pleasures that life can offer. Spitting from the twenty-sixth floor and watching it float on the breeze is celebrated in �My Hobby.� The taste of a thumb, �the sweetest taste yet,� is savored in �Thumbs.� Complete domestic happiness can be found by abandoning �a street house, a neat house,� and removing to �a tree house, a free house.�
Some of the poems are funny fables, using exaggeration and humor to teach a lesson. �Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out� and she �met an awful fate.� Children are admonished to �remember Sarah Stout and always take the garbage out!� Jimmy Jet watched so much TV that he turned into one, with TV tubes for brains and a TV screen where his face had been. �The Little Blue Engine� takes the story of the Little Engine That Could and tweaks it a bit. On the brink of success, the engine �slid down and mashed into engine hash . . . which goes to show, if the track is tough and the hill is rough, THINKING you can just ain�t enough!�
Although his poetry is far from conventional, Silverstein understands how to use traditional poetic devices. He uses onomatopoeia (�glunk,� �slishity-slosh,� �zang,� whoosh,� �baroom,� �kerplop,� �bappity-bimm,� �glurpy� and �slurpy�), alliteration (�goblins� gold,� �bags and broken bricks,� �silly sap,� �crumb of cake� �mad mushy mess�), and consonance (�Skinny McGuinn was so terribly thin�; �singing songs of scariness, of bloodiness and hairyness�) with skill. Unexpected endings are another favorite device he employs (�The Land of Happy,� �The Worst,� and �My Rules�).
The pen and ink illustrations perfectly match the tone of the poems � skewed, exaggerated, and surreal. The pictures and text work together to tell the stories. In �Bang-Klang� Big Barney says that �most of the time� his partner �does just fine, but now and again he fails. Maybe tomorrow I�ll hammer �em in, and let Charlie hold the nails.� It�s only when we see the nail driven right through Barney�s head that we understand the full implications of Charlie�s shortcomings.
Shel Silverstein is recognized by many to be the greatest of all children�s poets, and Where the Sidewalk Ends is considered by some to be his best collection of poems. He speaks a language children understand, takes them to wonderfully zany places, and introduces them to unbelievably crazy characters. Add laughter, a passion for life�s humblest joys, distill it � and you have poetry.
Related Web Sites:
Shel Silverstein Official Site: http:shelsilverstein.com
Giggle Poetry: http://www.gigglepoetry.com