"And The Tree Was Happy"

Author's Rating:

Pros: minimal words, simple drawings, ageless

Cons: adults find religious, philosophical, emotional implications (if they want to)

The Bottom Line: 
This one should be considered a classic if it is not already. A great book. An ageless and timeless book.

Author's Review
An adult's book in disguise as a children's classic. This is the first thought I have when looking through my well-read copy of The Giving Tree. The book continues to convey a message to me now - even more so than when it was introduced to me years ago by a very literate, very life-changing fourth grade teacher.

Shel Silverstein tells a tale which, when called "simple", is a bit of an understatement. Meet our characters:

the boy
We meet one of two central characters when he is but a boy. He is a young boy, the kind we expect most typical boys to be like. He is still at an age when the world as a whole is fascinating. From rugged mountain to a simple tree. In fact, and the book assumes this possible, the boy develops a friendship with a tree. The friendship turns into a give and take relationship with one of the parties benefitting...although is it both who are benefitting?

the tree
The tree is a lovely, stately apple tree. And the tree loves the boy. Upon reading more and more the tree seems to have one love in this world and that love is the boy. The tree is our second character, every bit as full of life as the boy.

the story: children's version
Children see a lovely story, although most of the meaning behind the text is often lost on some of the elements which, boys being boys, they find as "funny" or "fun". What will become gut-wrenching and thought-provoking will simply be a fun tale. And, in fact, this is as it should be. We don't realize the impact of this story's words and ideas until we grow older. On the surface it is a simple story of a boy and a tree and getting old. It is filled with simple drawings to accompany the simple tale and, surprisingly, many children will be fascinated by this not-so-elaborate tale.

the story: after we age
So many concepts can be drawn from the pages of The Giving Tree. It's about selfless love and selfishness and what happens when they collide. Perhaps it can be construed as a tale about abusing those we love and how the victims are affected. For many it is also a parable, an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

It is a story with an open interpretation. Mr. Silverstein does not guide us one way or another. We simply follow the life paths of two characters through minimal words and simple drawings. In the end two things are certain: First, that it is amazing how one can feel deep emotions and sympathy for a tree. Second, in the end "the tree was happy".