The Giving Tree: Shel Silverstein

Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. Illustrated by Shel Silverstein. Harper & Row, 1964. 64 pages.

Descriptive

Shel Silverstein expresses the gift of giving through The Giving Tree through words and his illustrations. There is a heartfelt relationship between the boy and the tree. The relationship begins when the boy is young and visits the tree everyday to eat her apples, climb her trunk, or swing from her branches and the tree was happy. As the boy grows in age, he becomes less apparent to the tree unless the boy wanted something from the tree such as money, shelter, and a boat to sail. However, Silverstein noted, “But the tree was happy…but not really.” The tree gave and gave and gave until she no longer had same physical characteristic as it did it in the beginning with her leaves, apples, and branches. The tree became a simple stump but the tree was happy.

Evaluative

The illustrations enhanced the text because as the boy kept taking from the tree, the tree kept loosing its definition and volume, becoming smaller as the boy leaves her after receiving an object from tree.

Philosophical

This book has been said to given to mothers on baby showers to convey the underlying message of a mother’s unbreakable bond and love towards their child. Children are often occupied with their personal needs to truly express their love or appreciation to their parent or guardian. A mother’s love does not fade with the age of child but rather grows to see they are still needed.