I have fond memories of Shel Silverstein stories being read to me, from pages alive with his trademark, squiggly illustrations. My favourite was The Giving Tree: the tale of a tree who gives, and gives to a boy - apples, branches, his trunk...until all that is left is a stump to sit upon. I based my illustration on the already familiar tree Silverstein drew, and tied in type to express the idea of giving away parts of itself.
