The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. This picture book was first published in 1964 byHarper & Row. 

                                              

Once there was a tree…and she loved a little boy.

It has become one of Silverstein's best known titles and has been translated into numerous languages for children all over the world. The illustrations in the book were done by Silverstein her self, Harper & Row stated that Silverstein had made the original illustrations "scratchy". The illustrations look like the writing from a scary stories which could catch the eye of a child.


In this book the little boy found a tree and they both adored each other. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, and slide down her trunk. This made the tree very happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave. The tree gave and gave to the boy throughout its life and eventually it realize that the boy was taking advantage of it. After the boy grows into an old man he comes back to the tree and asks to just sit in a quiet place and the tree became happy again. They were both happy to be peacefully sitting with each other, spending quality time together.


                                             


Discussion Questions:

1. What does the illustrations mean to you? 
2. Why do you think the tree still gave and gave to the young boy after he stopped coming around for a while? 
3. How do you think the characters in the story felt or felt about each other at certain points in the story? What makes you think so?

Classroom Activities:

One activity that the students could do would be to build a huge tree with construction paper and write thing that they were thankful for in life. Through out the year each student can add and add things then at the end of the year the teacher can read them aloud.


If you like this book from Silverstein check out these books:

• A Light in the Attic 
• Falling Up 
• The Missing Piece 
• ABC BooK 
• Runny Babbit 

Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. New York: HarperCollins, 2014. Print.