Pistes d'exploration

Before reading, talk about why trees are important in our lives. Where in the world are trees in danger? What can we do to help conserve them?

Describe the personalities of the boy and the tree. How do the boy’s needs change over time? What do you think of the ending of the story? Why do you think the author chose this title?

Make an Idea Web and choose three people in your life who are like the giving tree. Identify what they give to you.

Write a poem about the life of The Giving Tree from the point of view of the bird or tree that lives nearby.

Before reading, talk about why trees are important in our lives. Where in the world are trees in danger? What can we do to help conserve them?

As you read, predict what will happen each time the boy returns to the tree.

Retell the story using connecting words (e.g.: first, then, the next time).

Discuss the story. Describe the personalities of the boy and the tree. How do the boy’s needs change over time? What do you think of the ending of the story?

Reflect and write about how the boy can help the tree by being a giving boy.

Just a Dream, Picture a Tree, TheGreat Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest, If You Hold a Seed

Mots-clés

Picture book , allegories , character , figurative language , friendship , generosity , growing up , illustrations (monochrome) , metaphors , point of view , recurring patterns , setting , trees

Commentaire descriptif

“Once there was a tree . . . and she loved a little boy.” Told from the perspective of a tree, pithy phrases lead young readers into the thick of this bittersweet tale about love, friendship and the passage of time. Skillful, minimal line drawings parallel the story perfectly. The boy’s hands and feet shimmy up the tree trunk. Sitting in the tree, he eats her apples and drops the cores to the ground. As long as the boy is with her, the tree is happy. The boy grows to manhood, returning only to use the tree’s resources. She offers apples, branches and finally her trunk. Readers may notice the lack of reciprocity. They may wish to discuss how the boy might help the tree, instead of always taking—a message that can be applied to our relationship with the earth, as well as friends, family, pets and broader communities. The ending is especially poignant: the boy—now a ravaged old man—rests on the stump that was once a fine fruit tree. “I don’t need very much now,” he says, “just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired.” The two weathered old friends are reunited at last. “And the tree was happy.”