The book tells a story about the lifelong relationship between a boy and a tree. Near the beginning, the tree and the boy had a good relationship with each other and met the boy everyday. The boy grew older causing the tree to be alone and the boy is too old and busy to climb the tree. The boy built a house out of the tree, and made a boat out of his trunk. The tree was happy at the end because the boy didn't need much now because of his age and being tired. The Giving Tree shows that you should only get what you need and not want. The tree keeps on giving to the boy, not wanting anything back, and the tree sacrificed so much which shows altruism.