Give and Take

The Giving Tree

Written and Illustrated by: Shel Silverstein 

Published by: Harper & Row, 1964

Poetry

This classic children's book tells the story of a little boy and his relationship with a tree who always provides for him. The boy loves the tree and the tree is happy. As the boy grows, his relationship with the tree changes. What could the tree give the boy now that he is older to make him happy? How much is the tree willing to give the boy? Read this amazing free verse work to find out what the boy's and the tree's future will hold. 

The illustrations in this book are simple pictures made from basic shapes and lines. The drawings were originally created with ink pen then scanned to a computer. The pictures are also all shown without color. Silverstein does a great job with showing the changes both in the boy and in the tree over time through his drawings. The drawings really bring the story to life.

I would use this book in a 1st grade classroom to discuss parts of a story and predictions of text. I could first have the students predict what might happen in each part of the story based on the cover of the book. We could then read the book and discuss each part of the story during our initial read. After, the class could make an art project that depicts some part of the story or the message it is trying to provide.