Use The Giving Tree book to help children understand the concept that It also depicts that giving is a visible action Who is constantly receiving and the contentment of the tree based soley This story easily contrasts the lack of contentment of the boy Each time sheįinally the giving tree is only a stump, but when she is able toīe a place for the boy (now an old man) to sit and rest, she is happy Her trunk so that he can build a boat and sail far away. Her branches so that he can build a house and have a family, she gives She gives her apples so that he will have money, she gives Sign up to volunteer or donate to our cause.'Once there was a tree.' the story begins as an apple tree befriends a small boy.Īs the boy grows, the tree gives of herself and her resources to make him happy. Now, fifty years after it was released in 1964, the book seems to have become entrenched in our society and continues to be a household staple.Īs Tanya Turek put it, “Whatever you take away from the book, however you feel about it, clearly Silverstein wrote a timeless, powerful book that sticks in our memory, however we remember it.” Whether you love it or hate it, one thing is certain, The Giving Tree will continue to dazzle and confound. The impressions she gathers range from nonchalant to deeply profound. Longtime book seller and blogger Tanya Turek describes her quest for resolve in formulating an opinion on the book in her 2011 blog post, “ A Discussion of Shel Silverstein’s THE GIVING TREE.” In her story, Turek gathers impressions from each of her three children, customers of her book store, and more, in attempts figure out what she really thinks about the story. The book appeals to feelings of melancholy, selflessness, and resolve. Maybe it’s the complexity that keeps us drawn to the story. In fact, fifty years later, Shel Silverstein’s story is still prompting lively debates over its meaning.Ī recent New York Times Article titled, “’ The Giving Tree’: Tender Story of Unconditional Love or Disturbing Tale of Selfishness?,” positions two authors in opposition debating “whether the book is a tender story of unconditional love, or a disturbing tale of monstrous selfishness.”

If you are looking for a story with a clear and simple resolution, then The Giving Tree probably isn’t the book for you. The Giving Tree is a mystifying story of a boy who asks a loving tree to give him everything, still has academics, religious scholars, parents, and activists scratching their heads.

The giving tree book