Where the Sidewalk Ends
Quotes from the Book
Do a loony-goony dance 'Cross the kitchen floor, Put something silly in the world That ain't been there before.
When the light turns green, you go. When the light turns red, you stop. But what do you do when the light turns blue with orange and lavender spots?
If you have to dry the dishes (Such an awful boring chore) If you have to dry the dishes ('Stead of going to the store) If you have to dry the dishes And you drop one on the floor Maybe they won't let you Dry the dishes anymore
Somebody has to go polish the stars, They're looking a little bit dull. Somebody has to go polish the stars, For the eagles and starlings and gulls Have all been complaining they're tarnished and worn, They say they want new ones we cannot afford. So please get your rags And your polishing jars, Somebody has to go polish the stars.
FROZEN DREAM I'll take the dream I had last night And put it in my freezer, So someday long and far away When I'm an old grey geezer, I'll take it out and thaw it out, This lovely dream I've frozen, And boil it up and sit me down A dip my old cold toes in.
One day he said, "I'll tell this town How it feels to be an unfunny clown." And he told them all why he looked so sad, And he told them all why he felt so bad. He told of Pain and Rain and Cold, He told of Darkness in his soul, And after he finished his tale of woe, Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no, They laughed until they shook the trees... And while the world laughed outside. Cloony the Clown sat down and cried.
There's a Polar Bear In our Frigidaire-- He likes it 'cause it's cold in there. With his seat in the meat And his face in the fish And his big hairy paws In the buttery dish, He's nibbling the noodles, And munching the rice, He's slurping the soda, He's licking the ice. And he lets out a roar If you open the door. And it gives me a scare To know he's in there-- That Polary Bear In our Fridgitydaire.
It's all the same to the clam.
There are no happy endings, endings are sad-so let's have a happy beginning and a happy middle.
If we meet and I say, "Hi," That's a salutation. If you ask me how I feel, That's a consideration. If we stop and talk awhile, That's a conversation. If we understand each other, That's communication. If we argue, scream and fight, That's an altercation. If later we apologize, That's a reconciliation. If we help each other home, That's cooperation. And all these ations added up Make civilization. (And if I say this is a wonderful poem, Is that exaggeration?)
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my toys will break. So none of the other kids can use 'em.... Amen.
How much good inside a day? Depends how good you live ‘em. How much love inside a friend? Depends how much you give ‘em.
Standing is stupid, Crawling's a curse, Skipping is silly, Walking is worse. Hopping is hopeless, Jumping's a chore, Sitting is senseless, Leaning's a bore. Running's ridiculous, Jogging's insane- Guess I'll go upstairs and Lie down again.
I keep meeting all the right people At all the wrong times.
I'd rather play tennis than go to the dentist. I'd rather play soccer than go to the doctor. I'd rather play Hurk than go to work. Hurk? Hurk? What's Hurk? I don't know, but it must be better than work.
Sometimes I get so depressed 'Bout what I haven't done. -NEVER
We can't find the cat, We don't know where she's at, Oh, where did she go? Does anyone know? Let's ask this walking hat.
I've discovered a way to stay friends forever - There's really nothing to it. I simply tell you what to do And you do it!
When the light turns green, you go. When the light turns red, you stop. But what do you do when the light turns blue and orange with lavender spots?
If we were a rock ‘n’ roll band, We’d travel all over the land. We’d play and we’d sing and wear spangly things, If we were a rock ‘n’ roll band. If we were a rock ‘n’ roll band, And we were up there on the stand, The people would hear us and love us and cheer us, Hurray for that rock ‘n’ roll band. If we were a rock ‘n’ roll band Then we’d have a million fans. We’d goggle and laugh and sign autographs, If we were a rock ‘n’ roll band. If we were a rock ‘n’ roll band, The people would all kiss our hands. We’d be millionaires and have extra long hair, If we were a rock ‘n’ roll band. But we ain’t no rock ‘n’ roll band, We’re just seven kids in the sand With homemade guitars and pails and jars And drums of potato chip cans. Just seven kids in the sand, Talkin’ and wavin’ our hands, And dreamin’ and thinkin’ oh wouldn’t it be grand, If we were a rock ‘n’ roll band.
Did you know?
- The collection contains 135 poems, all illustrated by Silverstein himself.
- It was the first children's book to appear on the adult New York Times Best Sellers list, where it stayed for well over a hundred weeks.
- The book sold more than 575,000 copies in its first year.
- It won the 1984 William Allen White Children's Book Award.
- The book was challenged or banned in some U.S. schools, with critics objecting to poems such as "How Not to Have to Dry the Dishes."
- Larry Moyer is credited as the cover artist.
About Shel Silverstein
More by Shel Silverstein
About the book
"A Light in the Attic" is a collection of poetry for children written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein, first published by Harper & Row in 1981. It gathers 135 poems, each paired with Silverstein's own pen-and-ink drawings, in the same playful, subversive vein as his earlier bestseller "Where the Sidewalk Ends." The poems range from short comic verses to gentle, wistful reflections, opening with the title piece and its image of a flickering light glimpsed in a dark, shuttered attic.
Silverstein's poems mix absurd humor, wordplay, and nonsense with quieter meditations on imagination, loneliness, and childhood defiance. Recurring pleasures include impossible characters and situations, sly reversals of adult logic, and an invitation to see the world sideways; the drawings are inseparable from the verse, often completing or upending a poem's joke. Beneath the silliness, many pieces nudge readers toward curiosity, independence, and a tolerance for the strange.
The book was an unusual commercial success for children's poetry, becoming the first children's title to reach the adult New York Times Best Sellers list, where it remained for well over a hundred weeks. It won honors including the William Allen White Children's Book Award and was named an American Library Association Notable Children's Book, while also drawing occasional challenges from those who felt certain poems encouraged disobedience. It remains one of the most widely read and beloved poetry collections in American children's literature.
Book details
- First published
- 1981
- Length
- 169 pages
- Reading time
- 1 hour
- Author
- Shel Silverstein
- Genre
- Fiction
- Goodreads rating
- 4.37 (481k ratings) →
- First line
- “There's a light on in the attic.”
If you liked this, read…
- 1Where the Sidewalk EndsSilverstein's earlier, companion collection of illustrated comic and tender children's poems.
- 2Falling UpAnother Silverstein poetry collection in the same playful, illustrated style.
- 3The New Kid on the BlockJack Prelutsky's humorous illustrated verse appeals to the same young readers.
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