Book Review: Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Author: Shel Silverstein
Published: 1974
187 Pages
Reviewed By: Cristina
Book Description:
Come in… for where the sidewalk ends, Shel Silverstein’s world begins.
Shel Silverstein, the New York Times bestselling author of The Giving Tree, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, and Every Thing On It, has created a poetry collection that is outrageously funny and deeply profound.
You’ll meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale. The Unicorn and the Bloath live there, and so does Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. It is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens, a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist.
Shel Silverstein’s masterful collection of poems and drawings stretches the bounds of imagination and will be cherished by readers of all ages.
Cristina’s Review:
Poetry often gets overlooked for young readers, but it can be a great stepping stone from picture books to chapter books, or comprehension practice for older readers. And, you know, poetry can just be fun to read!
Shel Silverstein is a very popular poet for children. This happens to be my favorite collection of his works. With poems about ice cream, pirates, doing chores, going to school, Silverstein’s poems are something children can relate to in their own lives. Some of them are just plain silly, some are very thoughtful, and some have a little lesson in them. He also draws illustrations to go with them. (The crocodile in the dentist chair is one of my favorites!) If your reader is thinking they are getting “too old” for bedtime stories, or you don’t have time for a whole book or chapter of something, try reading a poem together instead. This is a great collection to get them hooked on poetry!
Blog Tour: Children’s Book Review: Barty Barton: The Bear That Was Loved Too Much
Today I am part of the blog tour for Sue Wickstead’s children’s picture book Barty Barton: The Bear That Was Loved Too Much. I really enjoyed this on and I am sharing my 5 star review. For those of you in the UK there is also a giveaway going on!
Book Description:
What happens when we outgrow our teddy bears?
Should we let them go?
Thomas loved his teddy bear, but over the years, Barty had become tatty and old.
However, Barty was no ordinary teddy bear, and he wasn’t about to give up on being loved.
Title: Barty Barton: The Bear That Was Loved Too Much
Author: Sue Wickstead
Illustrator: Jo Anne Davies
Published: October 27, 2020
38 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Read: June 10, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Jessica’s Review:
Barty Barton is just the cutest children’s book! We all had that most favorite toy when we were kids, but what happens to said toys when we grow up? This is the question that Barty Barton faces as his owner Thomas grows up and starts a family of his own. Is Barty to worn out from Thomas’ love as a child for the new and upcoming generation? The answer is no if Mum/grandma has anything to do with it!
I really enjoyed this short children’s book and thinking about some of my favorite toys growing up. I really enjoyed the illustrations that are well done. I liked how the illustrations show a toy pillow bus, which references Wickstead’s picture book series about various buses. Both children and adults will enjoy this picture book for different reasons and will leave a smile on your face.
There are pictures of the **real toys** that the toys in the book are based off of. We also get to see pictures with Mum (the author herself) her son ane his young child. I always enjoy seeing how Wickstead’s stories seem to come from actual people, toys, buses, and events.
Wickstead’s picture books are recommended!
Purchase Links:
Website (UK)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Waterstones
Barnes and Noble
About the Author:
Sue Wickstead is a teacher and an author and writes children’s picture books with a bus theme. She has also written a photographic history book about the real bus, which is where her story writing began.
Sue once worked with a playbus charity based in Crawley. This led her to write the photographic history book about the project. The ‘Bewbush Playbus’ book was published in 2012.
Sue then began to write a fictional tale about the bus. ‘Jay-Jay the Supersonic Bus’, his number plate JJK261 gave him his name and has now been followed by more picture books (ten to date) which all indeed have a bus connection as well as links to her teaching journey.
Gloria is the most recent bus book and is based on the summer play-schemes which operated during the school holidays providing a safe place to play and to meet other children. (published 2020)
‘Barty Barton; the bear that was loved too much’ was also published in 2020. Barty was written for both her son and grandson.
Some of Sue’s books have been entered and shortlisted in ‘The Wishing Shelf Book Awards’, her book ‘A Spooky Tale’ was a silver medal winner in 2019. It is a story written with her class in school and is aimed at the younger reader.
Contact Sue:
Website
Twitter @JayJayBus
Instagram @jayjaybusbooks
Facebook: Playbus Page
**UK Only Giveaway**
Win a Lego bear and some teddy bear colouring sheets, plus a few more goodies.
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
[Top]Children’s Picture Book Review: F is for Fashion, Darling
F is For Fashion, Darling
Author: James Tyler
Illustrator: Naomi Wilkinson
Published: August 4, 2020
32 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Read: November 1, 2020
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
F is for Fashion, Darling is a tongue-in-chic introduction to all things cute couture, an ode to the new mommy looking to give her baby a strutting start on the important things in life.
This book will take you from A to Z through the most iconic words and phrases from the world of fashion. But the words and phrases spoken on catwalks and in boutiques have new meanings for new parents: Bold prints are made by mucky hands, Power dressing involves a mask and cape, and Luxury is being able to sleep through the night…
Babies and toddlers will love playing with this classic board book and exploring the bright, popping artworks that illustrate each letter of the alphabet in not-so-serious style. Mom and dad will be just as entertained by the knowing nods to the experience of being a new parent. F is for Fashion, Darling is perfect for anyone juggling the joy of parenthood with the responsibility of being a fashion icon.
This book is your chance to become the chicest mom at preschool. That’s fashion, darling.
Jessica’s Review:
This is a fun children’s picture book aimed to help little ones learn their letters and some corresponding words with that letter. It is also for the parents who might reminisce on life before small children. This is also for the ‘little fashionista’ out there who is working on learning terms in the fashion world.
This is a small hardback book with one letter per page and large colorful pictures with multiple meanings for kids and adults. For fun for older kids, there is a “fashion glossary” which gives the type of word presented(noun, verb, an exclamation, etc) is and its meaning.
Parents and children may find this a fun book to read and look at!
I received a copy via Amazon Vine.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK