This short children’s story by Shel Silverstein is about a boy who is friends with a tree. He plays under it when he is young, and re-visits it throughout his life. The tree keeps on giving to the boy until it has nothing left to give. The boy does not give anything back to the tree or even say thank you. Readers are left wondering if the closing line And the tree was happy. could possibly be true. If you think of the story as an allegory about a mother’s unconditional love, you will know the answer.
Original Text / PDF (637 words)
Video Version – Reading by the Author
Watch and listen as the author, Shel Silverstein, provides his interpretation as to how his story should be told. Enjoy!