Nostalgic Friday: Where the Sidewalk Ends

Welcome back to Nostalgic Friday! Since I love all things historical (culturally, physically, and personally) I do a post on Fridays honoring some awesome book that is a bit older. Many of them are books I enjoyed in my teens and others are books that I discovered as an adult that I think are relevant to YA readers.

Today I am featuring a children's classic. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein was originally published in 1974. Thousands of children the world over have read the poems and short stories included in this book and laughed at the cute drawings created by the author himself. Silverstein has written several volumes of poetry and other stand-alone children's books but this one has always remained my favorite. Below are a few of my favorites.

One sister for sale! One sister for sale!
One crying and yelling young sister for sale!
I'm really not kidding, So who will start the bidding?
Do I hear a dollar? A nickle? A penny?
Oh, isn't there, isn't there, isn't there any
One kid who will buy this fifteen year old sister for sale,
This crying and yelling young sister for sale?

If you are a dreamer, come in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer . . .
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire,
For we have some flax golden tales to spin.
Come in! Come in!

I hope you all enjoy his books as much as I do and if you've never read them, pick one up at your local library!

Nostalgic Friday: Where the Sidewalk Ends

Waiting on Wednesday: Anxious Hearts

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's selection is Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw and is set to be released May 1, 2010 by Amulet Books.

“Evangeline,” he repeated, calling at a whisper. “Evangeline.” He was not calling that she may hear, he was calling that somehow her soul might know that he was devoted entirely to her, only to her. “Evangeline, I will find you.”

Eva and Gabe explore the golden forest of their seaside Maine town, unknowingly tracing the footsteps of two teens, Evangeline and Gabriel, who once lived in the idyllic wooded village of Acadia more than one hundred years ago. On the day that Evangeline and Gabriel were be wed, their village was attacked and the two were separated. And now in the present, Gabe has mysteriously disappeared from Eva.

A dreamlike, loose retelling of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous love poem “Evangeline,” Anxious Hearts tells an epic tale of unrequited love and the hope that true love can be reunited.

From Goodreads

I am a sucker for good poetry and "Evangeline" is one of those good ones. It is a beautiful epic poem from the mid-19th century. This story has great potential just because it comes from a great source. Granted, even in the synopsis, it's called a "loose retelling" I still think there is hope. I really enjoyed the film Tristan + Isolde and it was a "loose retelling" of one version of their story. The premise of this book looks promising and I hope I can get my hands on a copy.

So, what are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday: Anxious Hearts