The Giving Tree

Photo credit ShelSilverstein.com

What if we all gave a little more of ourselves to others, like the giving tree gives to the boy? The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a beautiful story, about a boy who loves the tree, but grows up and continues to return to the tree for support. This book has made it across a wide passage of time, going on over 50 years and has become a classic.  

The personification of the tree as a she really adds her as a character to the story as well as figuratively makes her feel like the boys mother. She is always there for him when he needs her and never asks for anything in return. If the boy is happy, then she is happy. The illustrating even show the way the tree uses her branches like arms to call the boy to her and play hide and go seek along with the boy. These small details really create a unique and wonderful character.

Silverstein creates his illustrations utilizing a thick black line with white fill in. While this seems simple, the lines are still able to engage the reader in the amount of details with the simplistic line and color. The lines are very fluid which creates movement within the scenes. The tree seems to be a main focal point that pulls in the reader the same way it pulls in the boy who played with her everyday and grew up with her gifts.

The illustrations create depth with more added detail that the reader can only get from reading the images along with the words. We can see throughout the illustration how the tree encompasses the boy in her branches and encourages him to take what he needs from her. From the illustration the reader is show a more personal side of the tree, along with the way that the boy grows and becomes an aging man who needs different things from the tree. The connection between the boy and the tree is an engaging relationship that can be seen through the depth of details that Silverstein creates.  

The Giving Tree creates an emotional connection for me that really agrees with my values of being selfless and giving to those we love without asking for anything in return. It’s a very motherly way of thinking and it reminds me of my own mother who still selflessly gives to me to do everything she can to make me happy. While I do think that selfless love is great, I feel like a little reciprocation and loving in return is necessary, but we all show our love in different ways, just as the boy did with the tree. I really love this book and think it’s a must read for just about anyone, and I will say that it has different connections to people at different times in our lives. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

I think with this book’s beautiful creation of a unique and personified tree as a main character, along with the amazingly simplistic yet engaging illustrations, I think this book is a great addition to any library or classroom collection. This book makes for a great bedtime story, a great read aloud, or an adult read out of nostalgia. We can all get a meaningful yet unique experience with this book making, which is what has helped it stand the passage of time over all these years. Shel Silverstein has created a story that gives and gives to others throughout their entire lives.

Silverstein, S. (1964). The Giving Tree. United States: Harper Collins Publishers.