I am not usually a big fan of poetry and for me this assignment was the hardest. When I went to the library to look for a poetry book, the librarian gave me “Where the Sidewalk Ends” as a first choice. She told me to just take a minute and read few poems and see if I liked it or not. I looked at the book and thought “oh my God, this is huge”! I started reading a few pages here and there and I found out that the poems were not rigid (because that was my idea about poetry) but they were incredibly entertaining.
This book contains 183 pages filled with poetry, from very short to three-page narratives. The poems are funny, imaginative, silly, and sometimes sad. There are poems that bring back memories, and poems that give advice. Some of the poems give voice to outrageous ideas a child would never think of such as bathing an armadillo, for instance, or make a hippopotamus sandwich.
Nearly every page of the book is accompanied by a drawing that sometimes gives the reader ample clarification, and sometimes simply illustrates what is already there in the printed words. The simple and silly drawings are made using a black pen which gives the poems uniqueness and at the same time captures the childrens' attention.
When finally the garbage touched the sky and none of her friends wanted to come over to play anymore, she decided to take out the garbage. Of course, it was too late and now she has to live with the consequences.
Nearly every page of the book is accompanied by a drawing that sometimes gives the reader ample clarification, and sometimes simply illustrates what is already there in the printed words. The simple and silly drawings are made using a black pen which gives the poems uniqueness and at the same time captures the childrens' attention.
One of my favorite poems from the book was “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take the garbage out” It is about a little girl who did not want to do her chores in the house.
Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
Would not take the garbage out!
She’d scour the pots and scrape the pans,
Candy the yams and spice the hams,
And though her daddy would scream and shout,
She simply would not take the garbage out.
Would not take the garbage out!
She’d scour the pots and scrape the pans,
Candy the yams and spice the hams,
And though her daddy would scream and shout,
She simply would not take the garbage out.
When finally the garbage touched the sky and none of her friends wanted to come over to play anymore, she decided to take out the garbage. Of course, it was too late and now she has to live with the consequences.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I think it will be a great tool to use in the classroom because it provides the teacher and the students with some comic relief after a stressful day. Another good reason for using this book, is that it makes somebody who does not like poetry (such as myself) read it, enjoy it, and love it.
Diala,
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I felt the same way as you when choosing a book for this blog. I sometimes feel that it is hard to find good poetry, especially when it comes to teaching young children. The book that you chose sounds very interesting and I hope to look at it one day. I thought your blog was good. I would have just gave a little bit of a background of Shel Silverstein to introduce those of us who are not familiar with him.
Diala,
ReplyDeleteYou give a great review and description of this book. Just like some of us, many children are also hesitant to read and write poetry. Shel Silverstein has truly mastered the art of making poetry appealing for children. I have even seen students that are typically not interested in reading drawn to this book. Having students exposed to poetry is especially important since it is a component found on ELA tests. With so many poems to choose from this book is a great resource to have in the classroom.