SHEL SILVERSTEIN

(1930-1999)
BIOGRAPHY
SHEL SILVERSTEIN was born on September 25,
1930 in Chicago, Illinois, and began writing and
drawing at a young age. He became a cartoonist,
playwright, poet, performer, recording artist, and
Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated songwriter.

Silverstein is best known as the author of iconic

books of prose and poetry for young readers. His
works include such modern classics as Lafcadio:
The Lion Who Shot Back (1963), The Giving Tree
(1964), A Giraffe and a Half (1964), The Missing Piece (1976), and The Missing Piece Meets the Big
O (1981). His immensely popular poetry collections are Where the Sidewalk Ends, a 1974 Michigan
Young Readers Award winner; A Light in the Attic, recipient of the School Library Journal Best Books
Award in 1982; Falling Up (1996); and Don’t Bump the Glump! And Other Fantasies, which was
originally published in 1963 and reissued in 2008. Runny Babbit, a posthumous poetry collection of
spoonerisms, was conceived and completed before his death.

Silverstein’s books, which he also illustrated, are characterized by a deft mixing of the sly and the
serious, the macabre, and the just plain silly. His unique imagination and bold brand of humor is
beloved by countless adults and children throughout the world. He died on May 10, 1999.

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 THE GIVING TREE
By Shel Silverstein

Once, there
was a tree…
And she loved a little boy.
And every day the boy would come
And he would gather her leaves
And make them into crowns and play the king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
And swing from her branches
And eat apples
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree… very much…
And the tree was happy.

But time went by,

And the boy grew older.
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And the tree was often alone.
Then, one day, the boy came to the tree and the tree said:
–“Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my
shade and be happy!”
–“I am too big to climb and play” said the boy. “I want to buy thing and have fun. I want some money.
Can you give me some money?”
–“I’m sorry”, said the tree,” but I have no money. I have only leaves and apples. Take my apples, Boy,
and sell them in city.
Then you will have money and you’ll be happy.”
And so the boy climbed up the tree and gathered her apples and carried them away.
And the tree was happy…

But the boy stayed away for a long time… and the tree was sad.
And then one day the boy came back, and the tree shook with joy, and she said:
–“Come, Boy come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my
shade and be happy.”
–“I am too busy to climb trees,” said the boy. “I want a house to keep me warm”, he said. “I want a
wife and I want children, and so I need a house. Can you give me a house?”
–“I have no house”, said the tree. “The forest is my house”, said the tree. “But you may cut off my
branches and build a house. Then you will be happy”.
And so the boy cut off her branches and carried them away to build his house.
And the tree was happy.

But the boy stayed away for a long time…

And when he came back, the tree was so happy she could hardly speak.
–“Come, Boy” she whispered, “Come and play”.
–“I am too old and sad to play”, said the boy. “I want a boat that will take me away from here. Can you
give me a boat?”
–“Cut down my trunk and make a boat”, said the tree. “Then you can sail away… and be happy”.
And so the boy cut down her trunk
And made a boat and sailed away.
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And the tree was happy…
But not really.
And after a long time the boy came back again.
–“I am sorry, Boy”, said the tree, “but I have nothing left to give you – My apples are gone”.
–“My teeth are too weak for apples”, said the boy.
–“My branches are gone”, said the tree. “You cannot swing on them”.
–“I am too old to swing on branches”, said the boy.
–“My trunk is gone”, said the tree. “You cannot climb”.
–“I am too tired to climb”, said the boy.
–“I am sorry” sighed the tree. “I wish that I could give you something… but I have nothing left. I am
just an old stump. I am sorry…”
–“I don’t need very much now”, said the boy. “Just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired”.
–“Well”, said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, “well, an old stump is good for
sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down… sit down and rest”.
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy…

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

-“and everyday the boy…”
1. Why do you think the boy comes to visit the tree everyday?
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-“king of the forest…”
2. How do you think a king of the forest feels?
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-“when he was tired…”
3. Do the boy and tree seem like friends to you? What makes you think so? Do you have a best friend
that you share and play with like the boy and tree?
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-“very much…”
4. Do you think you could really be friends with a tree?
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-“but time went by…”
5. What’s happening to the little boy in the story?
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-“and the boy grew older…”
6. What do you think is happening here? (somebody else is there now- another friend?)
Do you have more friends now that you are getting older?
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7. Is the boy selfish? Why?
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8. What about the tree, is the tree selfish?
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9. Is there a word for someone who keeps on giving without thinking about him/herself or
expecting something in return?
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10. Why do you think the tree is not happy after giving her trunk?
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11. Have you ever given something away and later wished that you didn’t?
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12. Is it easier to give something away if the receiver truly appreciates the gift? Why?

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13. When we give something to someone, do we expect something in return? Why?
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14. When we are given something, do we feel that we owe something to the giver?
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15. Would you give something you really need if someone you love needed it, too?
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16. Why do we give?
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17. Is it right or wrong to keep on giving without getting anything in return?
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18. Are there limits to giving?
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19. Why did the tree love the boy in the beginning?
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20. Why did the tree keep on loving the boy?
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21. Did the boy love the tree? Why?
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22. Who do you love? Why do you love them?
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23. How do you know that you love someone?
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24. Do you treat differently people that you love and the ones that you don’t love?
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 25. When you love someone, how do you show him or her that you love them?
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26. What is love?
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27. Can you love someone even if they are not with you?
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28. How could your love be different towards someone who is with you versus someone who is far
away?
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29. Have you ever been angry with someone you love because they were away for a while, or
because they did something you did not like?
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30. Can you be angry with someone and still love them at the same time?
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31. Is the boy happy at the end of the story?
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32. Is the tree happy?
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33. If you were the tree would you be happy? Why?
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34. How do you know when you are happy?
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35. Does it make you happy when others are happy?
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36. Have you ever done something just to make someone happy?
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37. Does doing things to make others happy necessarily make you happy?
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38. What is happiness? (Is it a feeling? Is it a state of mind? Or something else?)
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39. Do you need a reason to be happy (e.g. something good happens), or can you be happy without a
reason?
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40. Can you be happy and sad at the same time?
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41. What can you learn from “ the giving tree”?