The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein(Book cover image from amazon.com)
Bibliography: Silverstein, S. (1964). The giving tree. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN: 0060256656.
SUMMARY
The story describes the relationship between a tree and a young boy as he ages. In the beginning, the child is content to swing from the branches and play with the tree. As he gets older, he wants money, travel opportunities and wood, so he takes all of the tree's apples, branches and trunk, without a single thank you, leaving the tree alone for long stretches of time. Still the tree gives up everything possible in an effort to make the boy happy, even when it makes the tree lonely and sad. Finally, as an old man, the boy returns and is content to sit with the tree. Again the tree is happy.
MY IMPRESSIONS
I loved this book as a child, although it made me cry every time I read it. I saw the animated version, read by Shel Silverstein in 1973, and between the text, the desperately hopeful tree and the sorrowful harmonica, it destroyed me. In hindsight, the main lesson that I gleaned from The Giving Tree was not selfless giving. Instead I thought it was a model of caregiver behavior, that "giving" meant sacrificing yourself completely and being taken for granted to make someone else happy. (That's a terrible moral. Boundaries and self-love are important lessons to pass on to children. I always wished the tree would have commented to the boy about his greed and lack of gratitude, or that finally, as an old man, he would finally say "thank you" to the tree. Unfortunately, neither happened.) Generosity without the motivation for anything in return is an admirable trait, and as an adult, that's the theme I take from the book now.
From the very beginning, the book fueled widely diverging opinions. William Cole initially rejected the book for publication, saying it was too sad to be a kid's book and too simple for adults (1973). Others complained the book was too depressing. However, "Silverstein often eschewed happy endings because children, he said, might otherwise wonder why they themselves were not comparably happy" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009). Some critics found the book inherently religious and used it within sermons and church classes (Lingeman, 1978). Others, like Barbara Schram, thought that "by choosing the female pronoun for the all-giving tree and the male pronoun for the all-taking boy, it is clear that the author did indeed have a prototypical master/slave relationship in mind" (1974). Mary Elizabeth Bezanson and Deborah L. Norland (1992) also found issue with the subjugation of women based on the dynamic between the tree and the boy:
During each of the episodes of demand, the boy asks for and
receives a gift and then leaves the tree for a number of years,
only to have his demands escalate at odd intervals. There is
no true reciprocation of the emotional commitment. Tree
has given to the relationship. As Strandburg and Livo (1986)
recognize, "Obviously the sexist stereotype that the woman's
role is to be passive and giving is expressed by the interaction
of the boy and the tree" (p. 21). Mary Daly (1978) recognizes the
element of violence, commenting that the story "is one of female
rape and dismemberment" (p. 90). To compound the horror, the
female actively participates in her gradual destruction. She
demonstrates no grief over her loss, only happiness at
the male's pleasure. In Tree, the male literally absorbs the
female with no thought to her selfhood. The relationship between
the self (Boy) and the other (Tree) becomes
one of almost complete destruction.
Most readers do not share this viewpoint of the book and it remains incredibly popular. I called Harper Collins to find out how many copies are in print (still waiting for a response), but Allpoetry.com claims that in the 1990's, The Giving Tree reached more than 14 million copies. Even 45 years after its initial publication, The Giving Tree is used as a component of school lesson plans and as a cultural icon. (It has also become an object of parody: The Really, Really Giving Tree. Note: This video contains graphic language and sexual situations.)
The text is easy to read with simple, black and white illustrations that both enhance the plot and are powerful enough to stand on their own to tell the story. The tree easily becomes a character in the book, and it moves like a person--swaying back and forth, reaching toward the boy with its leaf-covered arm branches, waiting in silence. Most book lists place The Giving Tree at a four-to-six year old level, although Harper Collins suggests 10+ as the appropriate age range. It has multi-layered symbolism that can appeal to young children and adults, and the book is ripe for discussions on giving, friendship, preservation, and other related topics.
ACTIVITIES
To me, this book is a classic, and could be included in a display of well-known, well-loved books.
The Giving Tree is a great story time or book talk selection, especially during Thanksgiving. Discuss giving, receiving and gratitude. Include other picture books about friendship and family. Talk about ways of helping or sharing with others.
After reading The Giving Tree, read a non-fiction book on trees and the environment. Discuss environmental conservation, the seasonal changes in trees and plants, or the process of how a tree becomes paper.
Share information about apples and their nutritional information. Discuss different kinds of apples and ways to prepare them. Give each child a paper-cut out of an apple to decorate.
REVIEWS
"The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein's classic parable of selfless love and devotion originally published in 1964, is now available in a larger-size edition."
Publisher's Weekly, April 14, 2003
"This is a wonderful book! It offers a unique perspective on giving. It teaches that without balance there is no reward in giving for either the giver or the receiver. It shows the child that by taking without limits brings no happiness, and only creates a hunger for more. It also teaches the child that giving without limits has its consequences to the giver."
Michelle B. Emsweller, Rio Rancho, NM, via amazon.com
"My interpretation is that that was one dum-dum of a tree, giving everything and getting nothing in return. Once beyond boyhood, the boy is unpleasant and ungrateful, and I wouldn't give him the time of day, much less my bole. But there's a public out there who think otherwise, and Harper & Row expects to sell another 100,000 this year."
William Cole, New York Times Book Review, September 9, 1973
References:
Bezanson, M. E. & Norland, D. L. (1992, fall). The definition of self, the recognition of other
in two children's stories. WILLA: The Women in Literacy and Life Assembly of the National
Council of Teachers of English, 1. doi:http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/old-WILLA/fall92
/s-bezanson.html
Cole, W. (1973, September 9). About Alice, a rabbit, a tree... ; ... and a book about me [Review
of the book The giving tree by S. Silverstein]. New York Times, BR, 394.
doi:http://shelsilverstein.tripod.com/Books/NYTBR-GT.html
Lingeman, R. R. (1978, April 30). [Review of the book The giving tree by S. Silverstein]. New
York Times.
Schram, B. A. (1974). Interracial Books for Children Bulletin, 5, 5.
Shel Silverstein. (2009). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 01, 2009, from
Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/544957
/Shel-Silverstein
I loved this book as a child, although it made me cry every time I read it. I saw the animated version, read by Shel Silverstein in 1973, and between the text, the desperately hopeful tree and the sorrowful harmonica, it destroyed me. In hindsight, the main lesson that I gleaned from The Giving Tree was not selfless giving. Instead I thought it was a model of caregiver behavior, that "giving" meant sacrificing yourself completely and being taken for granted to make someone else happy. (That's a terrible moral. Boundaries and self-love are important lessons to pass on to children. I always wished the tree would have commented to the boy about his greed and lack of gratitude, or that finally, as an old man, he would finally say "thank you" to the tree. Unfortunately, neither happened.) Generosity without the motivation for anything in return is an admirable trait, and as an adult, that's the theme I take from the book now.
From the very beginning, the book fueled widely diverging opinions. William Cole initially rejected the book for publication, saying it was too sad to be a kid's book and too simple for adults (1973). Others complained the book was too depressing. However, "Silverstein often eschewed happy endings because children, he said, might otherwise wonder why they themselves were not comparably happy" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009). Some critics found the book inherently religious and used it within sermons and church classes (Lingeman, 1978). Others, like Barbara Schram, thought that "by choosing the female pronoun for the all-giving tree and the male pronoun for the all-taking boy, it is clear that the author did indeed have a prototypical master/slave relationship in mind" (1974). Mary Elizabeth Bezanson and Deborah L. Norland (1992) also found issue with the subjugation of women based on the dynamic between the tree and the boy:
During each of the episodes of demand, the boy asks for and
receives a gift and then leaves the tree for a number of years,
only to have his demands escalate at odd intervals. There is
no true reciprocation of the emotional commitment. Tree
has given to the relationship. As Strandburg and Livo (1986)
recognize, "Obviously the sexist stereotype that the woman's
role is to be passive and giving is expressed by the interaction
of the boy and the tree" (p. 21). Mary Daly (1978) recognizes the
element of violence, commenting that the story "is one of female
rape and dismemberment" (p. 90). To compound the horror, the
female actively participates in her gradual destruction. She
demonstrates no grief over her loss, only happiness at
the male's pleasure. In Tree, the male literally absorbs the
female with no thought to her selfhood. The relationship between
the self (Boy) and the other (Tree) becomes
one of almost complete destruction.
Most readers do not share this viewpoint of the book and it remains incredibly popular. I called Harper Collins to find out how many copies are in print (still waiting for a response), but Allpoetry.com claims that in the 1990's, The Giving Tree reached more than 14 million copies. Even 45 years after its initial publication, The Giving Tree is used as a component of school lesson plans and as a cultural icon. (It has also become an object of parody: The Really, Really Giving Tree. Note: This video contains graphic language and sexual situations.)
The text is easy to read with simple, black and white illustrations that both enhance the plot and are powerful enough to stand on their own to tell the story. The tree easily becomes a character in the book, and it moves like a person--swaying back and forth, reaching toward the boy with its leaf-covered arm branches, waiting in silence. Most book lists place The Giving Tree at a four-to-six year old level, although Harper Collins suggests 10+ as the appropriate age range. It has multi-layered symbolism that can appeal to young children and adults, and the book is ripe for discussions on giving, friendship, preservation, and other related topics.
ACTIVITIES
To me, this book is a classic, and could be included in a display of well-known, well-loved books.
The Giving Tree is a great story time or book talk selection, especially during Thanksgiving. Discuss giving, receiving and gratitude. Include other picture books about friendship and family. Talk about ways of helping or sharing with others.
After reading The Giving Tree, read a non-fiction book on trees and the environment. Discuss environmental conservation, the seasonal changes in trees and plants, or the process of how a tree becomes paper.
Share information about apples and their nutritional information. Discuss different kinds of apples and ways to prepare them. Give each child a paper-cut out of an apple to decorate.
REVIEWS
"The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein's classic parable of selfless love and devotion originally published in 1964, is now available in a larger-size edition."
Publisher's Weekly, April 14, 2003
"This is a wonderful book! It offers a unique perspective on giving. It teaches that without balance there is no reward in giving for either the giver or the receiver. It shows the child that by taking without limits brings no happiness, and only creates a hunger for more. It also teaches the child that giving without limits has its consequences to the giver."
Michelle B. Emsweller, Rio Rancho, NM, via amazon.com
"My interpretation is that that was one dum-dum of a tree, giving everything and getting nothing in return. Once beyond boyhood, the boy is unpleasant and ungrateful, and I wouldn't give him the time of day, much less my bole. But there's a public out there who think otherwise, and Harper & Row expects to sell another 100,000 this year."
William Cole, New York Times Book Review, September 9, 1973
References:
Bezanson, M. E. & Norland, D. L. (1992, fall). The definition of self, the recognition of other
in two children's stories. WILLA: The Women in Literacy and Life Assembly of the National
Council of Teachers of English, 1. doi:http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/old-WILLA/fall92
/s-bezanson.html
Cole, W. (1973, September 9). About Alice, a rabbit, a tree... ; ... and a book about me [Review
of the book The giving tree by S. Silverstein]. New York Times, BR, 394.
doi:http://shelsilverstein.tripod.com/Books/NYTBR-GT.html
Lingeman, R. R. (1978, April 30). [Review of the book The giving tree by S. Silverstein]. New
York Times.
Schram, B. A. (1974). Interracial Books for Children Bulletin, 5, 5.
Shel Silverstein. (2009). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 01, 2009, from
Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/544957
/Shel-Silverstein
