Title: The Giving Tree
Author and Illustrator: Shel Silverstein
Published By: HarperCollins, USA 1964
# of Pages: 64
This book was both written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. This book is a story about a boy who would visit this tree every day and play on it or take something from it. As the boy grows older into adolescence, the boy wants money, which is more than the tree can give to him. The tree offers the boy her apples in which he can sell. Then, as the boy becomes an adult, he wants a house. The tree offers the boy her wood so he could build a house. Even later in life, the boy wants a boat, and so the tree suggests that he takes her trunk and turns it into a boat. In the end, all that remains is the tree's stump and the boy is now an elderly man. In his old age, the man wants a quiet place to sit, and so he goes to visit the stump and just sits. The tree is now able to supply him with a quiet and happy place to sit and relax. And finally both the man and the tree are happy again with each other.
The art throughout the book adds in Shel Silverstein's unique style. The pictures are in black and white. Silverstein uses distinct line and shape to create the pictures throughout the story. The pictures show the boy progressing in age and the gradual changes of the tree. The visuals add dusting meaning to the story because it allows readers to visualize the aging and sacrifice taking place.
I would recommend this book to any readers. It has a simple storyline, however, as you grow older, the meaning increases.
Possible Classroom Activities:
- make applesauce
- study trees
- discuss family
- have students draw their own images
