How did he transition to writing for children? In that same 1975 interview, he says, “I never planned to write or draw for kids. He also composed many songs that others made famous, like Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue.” Later, he would be a regular cartoonist for Playboy magazine. He became a cartoonist for the Pacific edition of the military newspaper, Stars And Stripes.

I had developed my own style…”Įntering the military and serving in Korea and Japan, he was already an exceptional cartoonist. I was… lucky that I didn’t have anyone to copy, be impressed by. But I couldn’t play ball, I couldn’t dance… So, I started to draw and to write. “When I was a kid – 12, 14, around there – I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. In a 1975 interview, he describes how he developed his style. Shel Silverstein (1930 – 1999), was a beloved American writer, poet, cartoonist, and children’s author. Today, it continues to be popular children’s bedtime reading. With strong themes not always seen in children’s literature, it was first rejected for publication. However, many also recognize how they have been the boy in the story and enter a place of deep gratitude for the sacrifices of the giving tree. The students hold deep empathy for the tree (and recognize where they have been the tree in their lives). I have heard young students tell this story to classmates on different occasions. This story-poem is well-known to a generation that grew up with the picture book. Poem/Story by Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree (1964) “well, an old stump is good for sitting and restingĪnd the tree was happy. “I don’t need very much now,” said the boy. “I wish that I could give you something…. “I want a house to keep me warm,” he said. “I am too busy to climb trees,” said the boy. “I am too big to climb and play” said the boy.īut the boy stayed away for a long time….Īnd she said, “Come, Boy, climb up my trunkĪnd swing from my branches and be happy.”

The giving tree story