THE
COLLECTION
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS FALLING UP A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC
by Shel Silverstein
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Content in this book redesign pulls from the following well-loved publications: WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS © 1974, renewed 2002 Evil Eye, LLC FALLING UP © 1996 by Shel Silverstein A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC © 1981 Harper & Roe SHEL SILVERSTEIN’S WEBSITE www.shelsilverstein.com The Shel Silverstein Collection was designed and illustrated (excluding the Special Feature) by Jennifer Beck.
THE
COLLECTION
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS FALLING UP A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC
by Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein’s incomparable legacy is apparent in each one of his books and continues with every reader he inspires.
WHEN I AM GONE do? u o When I am gone what will y Who will write and draw for you? Someone smarter—someone new? Someone better— maybe YOU
!
from “Listen to the Mustn’ts” Where the Sidewalk Ends
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS FALLING UP A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC
S
hel’s second collection of poems and drawings,
Where the Sidewalk Ends, was published in 1974. It opens with an “Invitation.” Shel invited children to dream and dare to imagine the impossible, from a hippopotamus sandwich to the longest nose in the world to eighteen flavors of ice cream to Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who would not take the garbage out.
re ua o y If
INVITATION
AMER, come E R in. aD If you are a d r e a
a
WIS
me
r,
A I L HER, a
R
12
13 r, E-e
MAGIC BEA
NB
UY end E
u’re a pret o y If
C
O
ME
er ,
sit by my fire
We
For
.. R.
P O H A
a
a Y-er, A R P
e old g x a have some fl tales to
n
spi
n.
Co me in
!
Com e in !
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WHERE THE SIDEWALK
DESIGNER NOTE: The book of poetry, Where the Sidewalk Ends, has an iconic illustration by Shel Silverstein of a girl, a boy, and a dog at the edge of the world. Many readers associate this scene with the poem, “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” but the actual poem has no illustration. It’s paired with a different poem: “The Edge of the World.”
e where the sidewalk ends There is a plac ns, And before the street begi And there the grass grows soft and white, ht, And there the sun burns crimson brig And there the moon-bird rests from his
flight
Too cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows
black
And the DARK street wi d and be nds. n s Past the pits where the asphalt flowers
grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured & s l o w, And watch whe re the chalk-white arrows GO,
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K END S
YES, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured &
s l o w,
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows GO, For the children, they m ark, and the children, th
ey know
The place Where the
Sidewalk e n ds
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18 FLAVORS E I G H T E E N luscious scrumpitous flavors, Chocolate, Lime and Cherry
Coffee, Pumpkin, Fudge-Banana,
Caramel Cream and boysenberry. Rocky Road and Toasted Almond,
Butterscotch,
Vanilla Dip, Butter Brinkle,
Apple Ripple, Coconut and Mocha
Chip, Brandy Peach and Lemon Custard. Each scoop lovely, smooth and round. Tallest cream cone in town lying there on the
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ground.
! H S A R C B
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Oh,
it’s
ZANG the
THE FOURTH
A B BA of
! H BASH! ! G N BA
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my
! H NG! WHOOS ! M O O R A AROOM! Fourth
July
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I’M MAKING A LIST
I’M MAKING A LIST OF THE THINGS
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I must say for politeness, And goodness and kindness and gentleness, sweetness and rightness: Hello Pardon me How are you? Excuse me Bless you May I? Thank you Goodbye
If you know some that I’ve forgot, please stick them in your eye!
IF THE WORLD If the world was crazy, you know what I’d EAT? A big slice of soup and a whole quart of meat, A lemonade sandwich, and then I might try Some roasted ice cream or a bicyle pie A nice notebook salad, an underwear roast, An omelet of hats and some crisp cardboard toast, A thick malted milk made from penciles and daisies, And that’s what I’d eat if the world was crazy.
WAS
CR
RAZY
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If the world was crazy, you know I’d WEAR? A chocolate suit and a tie of Eclair, Some marshmallow earmuffs, some licorice shoes, And I’d read a paper of peppermint news.
24 I’d call the boys “Suzy” and I’d call the girls “Harry,” I’d talk through my ears, and I always would carry A paper umbrella for when it grew hazy To keep in the rain, if the world was CRAZY.
If the world was crazy, you know what I’d D I’d walk on the ocean and swim in my SHOE, I’d fly through the ground and I’d s I’d run down the bathtub and bathe on t When I met somebody I’d say And when I was leaving—then I’d say “H And the greatest of men wou So I would be KI
DO?
skip through the air,
the stair, “G’bye, Joe,” Hello.”
uld be silly and lazy ING … if the world was crazy.
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S
hel Silverstein will perhaps always be best loved for his
extraordinary books. Shel’s books are now published in more than 30 different languages. The last book that was published before his death in 1999 was Falling Up (1996). Like his other books, it is filled with unforgettable characters, such as Screamin’ Millie, who screamed "so loud it made her eyebrows steam." Then there are Danny O’Dare the dancin’ bear, the Human Balloon, Headphone Harold, and a host of others. Shel was always a believer in letting his work do the talking for him. So come—wander through the nose garden, ride the little hoarse, and let the magic of Shel Silverstein open your eyes, tickle your mind, and show you a new world.
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THE EDGE OF THE WORLD “Where the Sidewalk Ends”
THE BEARDED MAN “Where the Sidewalk Ends”
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and his many beloved characters Shel Silverstein 1930-1999
Shel did not set out to write and draw for children. As he told Publishers Weekly in 1975, “When I was a kid . . . I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn’t play ball, I couldn’t dance . . . so I started to draw and write. I was lucky that I didn’t have anyone to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style.”
ONE OF THOSE DAYS “Falling Up”
Shel Silverstein was born in 1930. He grew up in Chicago and created his first cartoons for the adult readers of the Pacific Stars and Stripes when he was a GI in Japan and Korea in the 1950s. He also learned to play the guitar and to write songs, including “A Boy Named Sue” for Johnny Cash and “The Cover of the Rolling Stone,” sung by Dr. Hook. He performed his own songs on a number of albums and wrote others for friends, including his last, in 1998, “Old Dogs,” a two-volume set with country stars Waylon Jennings, Mel Tillis, Bobby Bare, and Jerry Reed. In 1984, Silverstein won a Grammy Award for Best Children’s Album for Where the Sidewalk Ends—“Recited, sung and shouted” by the author. LONG–LEG LOU & SHORT–LEG SUE “Falling Up”
31 FALLING UP “Falling Up”
THE WORST MONSTER “Where the Sidewalk Ends”
He was also an accomplished playwright: His credits include the 1981 hit The Lady or the Tiger and The Devil and Billy Markham. He and David Mamet each wrote a play for Lincoln Center’s production of Oh, Hell!, and they later cowrote the 1988 film Things Change. A frequent showcase for Shel’s plays, the Ensemble Studio Theatre of New York, produced The Trio in its 1998 marathon of one-act plays.
33 “I would hope that people, no matter what age, would find something to identify with in my books, pick up one and experience a personal sense of discovery. That’s great. I think that if you’re a creative person, you should just go about your business, do your work, and not care about how it’s received. I never read reviews because if you believe the good ones you have you believe the bad ones too. Not that I don’t care about success. I do, but only because it lets me do what I want. I was always prepared for success but that means that I have to be prepared for failure too. I have an ego, I have ideas, I want to be articulate, to communicate, but in my own way.
– Shel Silverstein
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