The Giving Tree: Book Review

Who wouldn't love this book? Big kids and little kids alike enjoy the story line of this children's book, with its simple stickman pictures and ease of reading. To learn more about The Giving Tree, read the review that follows.

The Giving Tree was written by Shel Silverstein and published by Harper Collins Publishers in 1964. Although the book is 45 years old, it hasn't aged a day. A classic, The Giving Tree will continue to be enjoyed as long as there are books to read and children to read them.

It's a story of both love and sadness, written in such a way that it moves readers. The fundamentals of the story are two-fold: the gift of giving and unconditional love. The tree has the gift of giving and unconditional love for a little boy--a little boy who grows older with the turning of the pages.

The boy's love for the tree and the tree's love for the boy bring the pair together several times throughout life--each time the tree giving a bit more of itself. The reason for the giving is to make the boy happy, for the tree loves the boy. But the boy finds himself dissatisfied with life, and he longs for something just out of reach. The giving tree gives of itself until it has nothing left to give. This is the real tear-jerker. The ending is worth the price of the book or the trip to the library.

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein, makes a great reading book for teachers to read to the class. The cover is bright lime-green with a picture of an apple tree dropping one of its apples into the extended hands of a cute little barefoot boy in red overalls. Each picture in the book is a simple black ink drawing that looks as if a child might have drawn the illustrations. Although they are simple, they are quaint and say a thousand words in the little details.

Students--even struggling readers--can read through this book. Some pages have little more than a brief sentence. A few pages are a full page of easy-to-read text. Third graders are able to read The Giving Tree quite easily. But discovering the parable of the story, may require the teacher's help for some early readers.

As children's reading and picture books go, you can't miss with this one. Students will love the story, and any child who receives this book as a gift will treasure it for years.