[illustration: The poem is on p. 169. On p. 168 is part of a bridge bending toward the poem on p. 169, with a person standing on the very end. At the bottom of both pages, under the curve of the bridge and under the poem, are roads leading to different kinds of places: a mosque; a skyscraper; something that looks like the Space Needle; something that looks like a medieval castle]
[168 & 169]
[illustration: a girl and a boy bowing to each other]
INDEX Adventures of a Frisbee, 70Cloony the Clown, 74
Almost Perfect, 163Come Skating, 71
Always Sprinkle Pepper, 82Crowded Tub, 86
Anchored, 51
Anteater, 61 Day After Halloween, 37
Arrows, 127Deaf Donald, 143
Ations, 59Dinner Guest, 161
Dog's Day, 146
Backward Bill, 40Dragon of Grindly Grun, 33
Batty, 139
Bear in There, 47Eight Balloons, 58
Blame, 34Examination, 132
Bored, 110
Buckin' Bronco, 62Fancy Dive, 30
Fear, 136
Captain Blackbeard Did What?Friendship, 132
104Frozen Dream, 150
Catching, 142
Channels, 87God's Wheel, 152
Clarence, 154Gooloo, 114
Climbers, 92Gumeye Ball, 68
Hammock, 10Magic Carpet, 106
Have Fun, 145Man in the Iron Pail Mask, 113
Headache, 115Meehoo With an Exactlywatt, 72
Here Comes, 32Memorizin' Mo, 27
Hiccup Cure, 122Messy Room, 35
Hinges, 135Monsters I've Met, 23
Hippo's Hope, 88Moon-Catchin' Net, 9
Hitting, 142Mr. Smeds and Mr. Spats, 42
Homework Machine, 56Musical Career, 60
Hot Dog, 69My Guitar, 80
How Many, How Much, 8
How Not to Have to Dry theNailbiter, 99
Dishes, 12Never, 36
How to Make a Swing With NoNobody, 124
Rope or Board or Nails, 67
Hula Eel, 109Oak and the Rose, 165
Hurk, 50One Two, 102
Outside or Underneath?, 107
If, 158Overdues, 65
Importnt?, 54
In Search of Cinderella, 162Painter, 123
It's All the Same to the Clam, 108Peckin', 83
It's Hot!, 84Picture Puzzle Piece, 21
Pie Problem, 164
Kidnapped!, 159Pirate, 49
Ladies First, 148Poemsicle, 133
Light in the Attic, 7Prayer of the Selfish Child, 15
Little Abigail and the BeautifulPrehistoric, 79
Pony, 120Push Button, 158
Little Boy and the Old Man, 95Put Something In, 22
Longmobile, 39
Lost Cat, 151Quick Trip, 116
Reflection, 29The Fly Is In, 100
Rhino Pen, 156They've Put a Brassiere on the Rockabye, 94Camel, 166
Rock 'n' Roll Band, 24This Bridge, 169
Thumb Face, 55
Senses, 134Ticklish Tom, 98
Shadow Race, 153Tired, 78
Shaking, 18Toad and the Kangaroo, 128
Shapes, 77Tryin' On Clothes, 76
Signals, 20Turtle, 85
Sitter, 14Tusk, Tusk, 103
Skin Stealer, 147Twistable, Turnable Man, 138
Snake Problem, 44
Snap!, 64Union for Children's Rights, 140
Somebody Has to, 28Unscratchable Itch, 52
Something Missing 26
Sour Face Ann, 91Wavy, 38
Spelling Bee, 81What Did?, 16
Squishy Touch, 53Whatif, 90
Standing Is Stupid, 111Who Ordered the Broiled Stop Thief!, 13Face?, 112
Strange Wind, 101Wild Strawberries, 66
Superstitious, 48
Surprise!, 96Zebra Question, 125
Suspense, 160
Sword-Swallower, 126
[illustration at bottom of page: a bald man with bushy eyebrows and a moustache that completely covers his body and trails behind him all across the page and halfway into the preceding page]
159 [blank page]
160
[illustration: a half-mask, eyes and nose looking at the words below]
For their help in the preparation of this book, my deepest thanks to Charlotte Zolotow, Joan Robins, Robert Warren, Jim Skofield, Glenise Butcher and John Vitale.
And forever to Ursula Nordstrom. . . .
[Shel Silverstein's signature]
Book and jacket design by Kim Llewellyn.
"Ladies First" is based on a story of mine with the same title, 1974, Free to Be Foundation, Inc.
"Sour Face Ann" was taken from an old Russian folktale.
"Backward Bill" was suggested by a bedtime story my brother-in-law, Chuck, told his children. "The Meehoo With an Exactlywatt" was inspired by Abbott and Costello, and "Deaf Donald" showed up after a conversation with Pare Larsson. The rest I just made up.
S.S.