Where the Sidewalk Ends

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1974

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Background

Sociohistorical Context: Controversial Themes

Where the Sidewalk Ends, the full-length poetry collection in which this poem was featured, was originally released in 1974. In 2004, five years after the poet’s death, the collection was rereleased in an expanded 30th anniversary edition. Although Silverstein found widespread success through his songwriting, his name is largely remembered for its association with children’s poetry and his short work of children’s fiction, The Giving Tree. Each work explores deceptively complex themes that have, in recent years and toward the end of Silverstein’s life, become increasingly controversial.

In 1986, Where the Sidewalk Ends was banned in several school districts across America and became a topic of heated debate among parents and teachers. The controversy stemmed primarily from the book’s depictions of rebellion and disregard for authority (one of the likely reasons it became so popular in the first place), as well as suggestions of violence, drug use, and supernatural influence. It’s also been suggested that some of the animosity toward Silverstein’s work may have also come from his history as a cartoonist for Playboy magazine, which some saw as disqualifying to a career as a children's writer.

The Giving Tree also faced controversy for its mixed message of selfless love. While it was initially received as a celebration of sharing and selflessness toward loved ones, it gained criticism for its portrayal of a protagonist who demanded love without offering any in return. In 2021, screenwriter Topher Payne designed an alternate ending and retitled the book The Tree Who Set Healthy Boundaries. This updated version was partially a satire of the original but was also intended to be a resource for parents reading to their children who wanted to convey a healthier and more modern message.

Literary Context: Children’s and Young Adult Poetry

Silverstein’s work fits into the broader canon of 20th-century children’s poetry. While his work has been, and still is, enjoyed by people of all ages, many of his readers came to his work as children and carried it with them through their later years. He has become one of the most recognizable children’s poets in the 20th and 21st centuries, alongside contemporaries like Theodor Geisel (who wrote as Dr. Seuss) and Jack Prelutsky. Children’s poetry has gone through several societal shifts, losing literary reverence in the 20th century and then regaining it in the early 21st. Respected literary poets like Rudyard Kipling, Lewis Carroll, Langston Hughes, and Walter de la Mare experimented with children’s poetry.

In order to help elevate the art of children’s poetry in the modern age, the Poetry Foundation created the Children’s Poet Laureate position in 2006. Jack Prelutsky was the first to hold the title, from 2006 to 2008. In 2015, the Poetry Foundation changed the title to Young People’s Poet Laureate so as to encompass a wider range of writers. Other writers to hold this title include Jacqueline Woodson, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Elizabeth Acevedo.

Today, children’s and young adult poetry is a growing trend, and trade publishing is seeing a rise of narrative poetry, or novels- and novellas-in-verse, for young people. Outlets like The Caterpillar and Tyger Tyger magazines continue to champion children’s poetry and literature from new and emerging writers.