THE MASKED READER: 'The Giving Tree' by Shel Silverstein

By Gabe Gomes
The Masked Reader

When I was a little kid, my mom read “The Giving Tree” to me very often. So much so, in fact, that this book became a staple of my childhood. Indeed, I’m extremely happy to review this book!

“The Giving Tree,” written by Shel Silverstein, is about a boy who is friends with a tree. As the boy grows up, his greed makes him want certain things. The tree gives him all that he desires. She gives him her apples so he could have money, her branches so he could have a house, her trunk so he could make a boat to travel. Eventually, the tree has nothing left to give the boy. Because she has done so much to help him, the tree has absolutely nothing left. Only her stump remains.

One of the many things that highlight the importance of this book is how it teaches a lot in such few pages (some copies of this book are only 52 pages long). The tree willingly gives everything to the boy until she has nothing left, yet she is still happy, because she loves the boy. This story has two sides. One side is about the tree, who is happy to give to the boy. But the other side is about the boy, who is barely, if ever, satisfied.

Because of this story and how it teaches us in so many ways, like how we should be less greedy, what a truly passionate love looks like, and how to respect, love and preserve what nature has given us, this book has become very important to me to the point that it changed my life. But then again, wouldn’t it change yours?