Module 1: The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree
by Shel Silversteen

Citation:

Silverstein, S. (1964). The giving tree. New York: Harper & Row.

Summary

The Giving tree by Shel Silverstein is a story about the relationship between a boy and a tree. In the beginning of the story the boy spends a lot of time with the tree playing and eating apples. As the boy grows older he doesn’t spend as much time with the tree. He comes to the tree with problems he is having and the tree gives what it can (apples to sell, branches, even the trunk). Finally at the end when the tree thinks it has nothing else to give, but now all the boy (now a man) wants to do is to have a place to sit and rest. It made the tree happy that she could still give something to the boy.

Impressions

When the story begins, it seems as if it is a just a story about a boy playing. As the story continued, I saw that the tree had unconditional love for the boy and gave anything it could. As the boy got older he spent less and less time with the tree, yet still took from it. Eventually the tree had nothing else to give but a stump to sit on. I saw it as the boy being selfish and continuing to take and take until there was little else to give. 

The abuse of natural resources is another way to look at the story. We as a society take and take and if we don’t give back or take care of what we have, there will nothing left.

This book is able to be interpreted so many different ways depending on your background and current situation in life.

Professional Review

K-Gr. 1. A boy and an apple tree grow old together in both Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree and in Rosenberry's The Growing-Up Tree. In Rosenberry's story, however, the boy does not ultimately destroy the apple tree with his selfish demands. Instead, young Alfred and the tree give to one another until the day they both die. Children will love the idea of a mother planting an apple seed when her boy is a baby, a seed that grows into a tree just the boy's size at age one and produces its first apple when the boy turns five. The tree offers shade, beauty, a place to climb and sit, and many wonderful apples to eat. The boy offers the tree hugs and a bit of running and eventually marries his sweetheart "under fluttery drifts of fragrant pink and white apple blossoms." Two more generations frolic under the beloved tree's branches. Rosenberry's watercolors are vibrant, with a slight surrealism that adds a fairy-tale quality to this lovely, satisfying celebration of the cycles of life. -Karin Snelson

Booklist

Snelson, K. (2004). The growing-up tree [Review of the book The giving tree by
          Shel Silversteen]. The Booklist, 100(9), 882.

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Although in many respects The Giving Tree's thirty-odd pages defy classification, one aspect is clear. The Giving Tree can help people, young and old, realize not just their responsibilities but also their duties to those less fortunate. Our duty of care to people in need is not something abstract- however distant problems like hunger and poverty may seem, they are never far away. We learn from The Giving Tree that in this world our actions have consequences, sometimes despite our good intentions. Certainly, these are valuable lessons for children and parents, and I would recommend this fictional story of a tree and a boy as a valuable read for lawyers and aid workers. Yet, just as importantly, humanitarian policymakers would do well to heed the lessons of this wonderful children's book. The Giving Tree's lessons are for everyone. Indeed, this modern-day parable illustrates a tale for anyone who has a stake in building a better future for our planet.

Michigan Law Review
Cousin, E. (2015). The giving tree: A modern-day parable of mutual responsibility 

         [Review of the book The giving tree by Shel Silversteen]. Michigan Law 

         Review, 113(6), 767-776.

Library Uses

The Giving Tree could but used in the library for a lesson on giving and sharing. Students could discuss what the tree gave to the boy and what they give to others. It could also be used to discuss the importance of giving back and sharing with others. One could also point out the fact that the tree was perfectly happy just by giving. It would be important for the students to be given the opportunity to discuss how they interpreted the story. This book could be used with any grade level.

Students could write ways that they give on a leaf, then all of the leaves could be put on a tree and be labeled “The Giving Tree” with a picture of the book next to it.

References

Amazon. (2016). [Image of book cover]. Retrieved from
      http://www.amazon.com/Giving-Tree-Shel-
      Silverstein/dp/0060256656/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462497092&sr=8-
      1&keywords=the+giving+tree

Cousin, E. (2015). The giving tree: A modern-day parable of mutual responsibility 

         [Review of the book The giving tree by Shel Silversteen]. Michigan Law 

         Review, 113(6), 767-776.

Silverstein, S. (1964). The giving tree. New York: Harper & Row.

Snelson, K. (2004). The growing-up tree [Review of the book The giving tree by
           Shel Silversteen]. The Booklist, 100(9), 882.