Where the Sidewalk Ends is a wildly imaginative collection of poems by the famed author, poet, song-writer, cartoonist, Shel Silverstein. He uses his talents of poetry and drawing in this wonderful book made just for children, but as I can attest, enjoyed by adults as well. The poems are all from a child's perspective with themes such as not wanting to go to school and never wanting to take the trash out. Where the Sidewalk Ends puts a modern day twist on children's books the likes of Mother Goose could never catch up to.
This children's book of poetry is my first real experience with design. Flipping through the pages of the book is an adventure within itself. Without reading a word, you can tell what the story is about just by looking at the wondrous illustrations that depict the poems with the utmost care. Some poems are long, and some are very short, but you can always expect to see a great illustration on every page.
Silverstein knew who his readers were and modified his book accordingly. His talents were put to good use by creating a children's book that children would actually enjoy. I have long passed the age for which books like these are made for, but I continue to draw inspiration from this silly and wonderful book of poems as I'm sure many others have as well. Where the Sidewalk Ends is great design from how the text is placed, to the themes of the poems, to how the illustrations are drawn. The sense of wonderment that the reader feels tells us how well Silverstein executed his design point of view.
