If I Had a Brontosaurus

If I Had a Brontosaurus - fact Summary

First Printed in 1974

This short comic poem by Shel Silverstein imagines a child’s playful naming of a pet brontosaurus and a humorous shift when the dinosaur has offspring. It appears in the 1974 children’s poetry collection Where the Sidewalk Ends. The poem’s brevity, whimsical premise, and punchline reflect Silverstein’s characteristic mix of childlike imagination and wordplay aimed at young readers.