Before the Sidewalk Ended: A Walk with Shel Silverstein

By: Anthony Valerio

Narrated by: Anthony Valerio

Shel was a friend, collaborator, and confidante. This charming portrait of the great writer of children's books presents him in a fresh new humane light. What he was like as a man and a friend. What interested and inspired him. What he would do and not do. The women in his life.

We worked in the Italian cafes of Greenwich Village. What did he feel was lacking in his legendary career as author of books, songs, and plays?

Walk with us. See, listen, and enjoy a Shel Silverstein not only for kids.

A university professor recently wrote: "Readers will be riveted by the portrait of the beloved children's author that emerges in these pages. Not exactly what they may have expected."

About Anthony Valerio, Shel wrote: "He knows his people. He knows his craft. He gets in, tells his story and gets out. It's what good writing should be".

"Shel was one of my people. I was one of his people. This is our story." (A.V.)

©2020 Anthony Valerio (P)2020 Anthony Valerio

Disappointing

Paints a very poor picture and tells more of the author than Shel Silverstein. Monotone, poor presentation. Very depressing.

Pure magic

My my Mr man manthony Anthony is an absolute mastermind with a masterpiece of music and work and writing that absolutely makes me feel connected and very valerio very oh or on about how good this is such a great piece of poetry and paperback work.

A Delight!

This book was the perfect antidote to my winter/COVID cabin fever. Tired of the same four walls? The author's evocative descriptions of his walks through NYC with Silverstein are transportive. Smell the coffee at Dante's, inspect the sidewalk vendors' wares, hear the crack of bat meeting ball at the park. The stories these two friends shared were more interesting than Netflix -- and all the more so for being true. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish.