The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree by author and illustrator Shel Silverstein.
This book is considered a picture book and is intended for ages
4-8, but the author challenges all readers to read it.

This book made its debute in 1964 and has become one
of Shel Silverstein's best known titles. With it being
translated into many different languages.

Shel Silverstein had a hard time finding a publishing
company that wanted too publish The Giving Tree. As many
companies said his draws were '"too sad" for children and "too simple
for adults"' (wikipedia, n.d.). Finally after listening to Tomi Ungerer he found
a publishing company that would publish his story.

The Giving Tree is about a boy and a tree. Throughout
his life he builds a bond with this tree, that gives
him everything he ever asks for. As a young boy he loves
to play and climb on the tree and in doing so the tree is happy.
This line becomes a repeated theme throughout this story too.
As a young child the boys wants money and the tree suggests that
he take her apples and sell them for money. Next as a young adult
the boy again wants something, a house, and the tree suggests
he cut down her limbs and make a house. As the boys reaches
middle age he wants a boat, and the tree suggests he make
a boat out of her trunk. Only a tree stumps remains
as the story comes towards the end. In this final part the young boy
is now an old man and he again comes to as the tree for something.
She tells him she no longer has anything to give, as she
is only a stump. Being an old man and only wanting a place
to rest, this works well for him and again the tree is happy.

This story has a great moral to be taught to young children.
They can see that all the tree wants is to make the boy happy,
but he never seems to understand how his wants, is slowly
killing the tree. Yet, she is always happy in helping him
in anyway. I believe this can really speak volumes to
our young children about caring for one another, and
how we must take care of each other in order to be
happy.

Thought Provoking Questions:

• Why do you think the tree gives all she has to make the boy happy?
• Can you think of a time in which someone in your life has done something for you that has made you happy? Did you thank them for it?
• What type of relationship do you see, between the tree and the boy? (mother/child, mother nature/ mankind, friendships?

Motivational Activities:

I found this great activity on the web and thought it would be something great for the children to do. The children are first read the story about The Giving Tree. Next, they are told they are going to write an essay with a minimum of two paragraphs. The first paragraph is about someone who this believe is like the tree. Someone who always gives to them personally. They are required to list three things in which that person has done for them. The next paragraph is to describe how they could be more giving, like the person they wrote about. I would even go further with this and ask my students to act on those things and do at least one caring thing for that person, within a weeks time. I think that would bring home even more the concept of what it means to do for others and be caring. 

Reference: 

 (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giving_Tree