The Giving Tree

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

A mother-like tree cares for a young boy as they change into an adult or a stump, yet neither the tree nor the boy change emotionally. The boy takes from the tree to become happy and the tree gives in order to feel appreciated and thus happy. As the tree offers more and more of herself from the boy to exploit, she ends up as a stump, ultimately happy because the boy is near. The readers can see the boy growing bigger and the tree shrinking in size in Shel Silverstein’s ink drawings found in The Giving Tree.

Silverstein’s illustrations found in this children's book are in black and white. Though minimal and quite simple, they hold great detail. Everything from the wrinkles on the old man and the amounts of grass around the tree are drawn out. More important than the drawings is the text. The repetition of the phrase “and the tree was happy” allows the child to understand that the tree had unconditional love for the boy.

“And the tree was happy”

As a child reads this book, they might notice that the tree still loves the boy despite his constant taking. Children might ask why would the tree still be happy if it is stripped bare? This book can teach children ethical philosophy because they will have to learn how to interact in relationships. After being read this book, children will learn to respect and love their parents for the unconditional love that is given to them.