Books with Giving Tree Vibes

Bittersweet and impactful, The Giving Tree has made its mark on children’s literature. No matter how you interpret it, there’s no arguing that it has become an iconic work of art. Even picturing the classic green and red of its cover is enough to break my heart all over again. While no book can be an exact replica, the books below all incorporate various elements and themes from Shel Silverstein’s creation. If you’re looking for a new work to treasure, read on to find a book that expands on your favorite aspect of the original.
Sometimes we don’t appreciate everything our friends do for us. Noa learns this lesson just like the boy in The Giving Tree.
Noa LOVES Teddy. But Teddy is ALWAYS tired! Why is Teddy always too sleepy to play with Noa during the day? It turns out that Teddy has a good reason, and Noa is in the dark about what’s happening behind the scenes at night…when Teddy works tirelessly to protect his little boy from a colorful ensemble of unwelcome nighttime visitors!
A veces no apreciamos todo lo que nuestros amigos hacen por nosotros. Noa aprende esta lección al igual que el niño en The Giving Tree.
Noa AMA a Teddy. ¡Pero Teddy SIEMPRE está cansado! ¿Por qué Teddy siempre tiene demasiado sueño para jugar con Noa durante el día? Resulta que Teddy tiene una buena razón, y Noa no sabe lo que sucede entre bastidores por la noche… ¡cuando Teddy trabaja incansablemente para proteger a su pequeño niño de un colorido conjunto de visitantes nocturnos no invitados!Hello, Tree
by Ana Crespo
Illustrated by Dow Phumiruk
Hello, Tree lets you peer into the mind of a tree that waits patiently for their young friend to return, even when things get scary.
When a wildfire comes roaring into the forest, all the animals and humans flee. But all the tree can do is wait. Wait until many days and nights pass. Wait until the fire loses the battle. And wait until the forest is still before the forest can be reborn and the animals and the girl can come back.
I'm Just No Good at Rhyming
by Chris Harris
Illustrated by Lane Smith
If the poetry of Shel Silverstein’s words is what you love about The Giving Tree, you’ll appreciate this book of poems about finding new perspectives.
Harris’s hilarious debut molds wit and wordplay, nonsense and oxymoron, and visual and verbal sleight-of-hand in masterful ways that make you look at the world in a whole new wonderfully upside-down way. This entirely unique collection offers a surprise around every corner.
In this reversal of The Giving Tree narrative, the tree becomes a community hub because everyone contributes their own special offering.
One day Red Knit Cap Girl and her friends discover a hollow tree in the middle of the forest. What can be done with one ordinary tree? “I will keep my book in this nook so everyone can read it,” Red Knit Cap Girl says.
But the tree isn’t only for books. Little by little, one by one, the animals share their unique gifts and turn the ordinary tree into a special spot for everyone to enjoy!
The Lantern House
by Erin Napier
Illustrated by Adam Trest
Even when we take them for granted, our homes hold and care for us. They love and protect us just like the tree provides for the little boy.
Imagine a house’s early days as a home: A young family builds a picket fence and plants flowers in its yard, children climb the magnolia tree and play the piano in the living room, and there is music inside the house for many happy years. But what will happen when its windows grow dark, its paint starts to crumble, and its boards creak in the winter wind? The house dreams of a family who will love it again…and one day, a new story will emerge from within its walls.
If the tree and the boy in The Giving Tree had a reciprocal, loving relationship instead of a one-sided friendship, it might look a bit like Berry Song.
On an island at the edge of a wide, wild sea, a girl and her grandmother gather gifts from the earth. Salmon from the stream, herring eggs from the ocean, and in the forest, a world of berries.Through the seasons, they sing to the land as the land sings to them. Brimming with joy and gratitude, in every step of their journey, they forge a deeper kinship with both the earth and the generations that came before, joining in the song that connects us all.
Faraway Things
by Dave Eggers
Illustrated by Kelly Murphy
This classic-feeling adventure explores the sacrifice of letting things go and the reward that it can bring.
Lucian’s father called them faraway things, those mysterious objects orphaned upon the windswept shore, their stories long lost in the shroud of ocean fog. Lucian’s discovery on the beach this particular day, though, is no ordinary faraway thing. It’s a cutlass: strong, shiny, and powerful. As its history comes to light, Lucian faces a choice: cling to the sword he loves or accept a gift that shines farther, wider, and deeper than he could have ever dreamed.
Hello, Star
by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic
Illustrated by Vashti Harrison
When a young girl learns that a bright light in the sky is coming from a dying star, she promises to keep it company until the light goes out. Every night the girl reassures her friend that she is still there.
As the years pass, the girl learns everything she can about planets, space, and the universe, inspired by her dimming friend—until she realizes she needs to do something more.
This touching tribute to stars, space, and science celebrates how a small act of compassion can flourish into a life full of meaning and wonder.
Coral
by Molly Idle
Coral, Filly, and Manta live on a sunlit reef teeming with sea life. When Coral comes upon an empty hollow at the heart of the reef and tries to keep it as her very own, Filly and Manta are banished. All that grows in the wake of her anger is regret, and Coral must find a way to turn the tide…but she can’t do it alone.