And we should give what we can because it makes us happy to do so. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk. What I take from The Giving Tree, and what I try to subtly convey to my kids when I read it, is that giving is good and important. and she loved a little boy.' So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein. The Giving Tree is a childrens picture book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. I won’t give away the ending but it’s poignant and tender and the more I think about it, really sad for a children’s story.

Although the tree willingly gives to the boy, he never seems to be fulfilled and she grows increasingly sadder. The tree loves the little boy and gives everything she can. This classic is perfect for both young readers and lifelong fans. From Shel Silverstein, New York Times bestselling author of Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic, comes a poignant picture book about love and acceptance, cherished for over fifty years. The story is about a little boy who loves a tree and as he grows he asks for more and more things from the tree. 15.89 47 Used from 7.10 25 New from 12.15 1 Collectible from 43.74. Shel Silverstein had only sold one children’s bookLafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Backwhen he went about finding a publisher for The Giving Tree. But I haven’t yet and this makes writing a review a little more difficult than usual. I realize that in this Internet age with sites like Wikipedia and Amazon and any number of blogs and review sites, I *should* be able to figure it out. So I’ve now read it some 60-70 times, but here’s the strange thing: I’m still not quite sure what the moral of the story is. I based my decision to buy it on two things-I had a notion that it was an important book in the canon of children’s literature and I really liked the cover: a simple line drawing of a boy and a tree on a bright green background.įast forward a few months and it has become one of the three or four books that *must* be read before bedtime.

I’d seen it before but never read it and thought it might be nice to read to my children. Not so long ago, I bought The Giving Tree on a visit to a great NY bookstore.

The giving tree by shel silverstein