Shel Silverstein writes in such a way that a child can relate to the situations he creates. He expertly crafts many different worlds for children to explore, and adventures for them to journey on. One thing he superbly paves, however, is a path to escape.
Tree House is a delightful poem that leads children to a special place, away from the rules and regulations of a typical home. Every child dreams of that house “high up in the leafy branches.” Up there, they are free to investigate and delve into the unknown. Up there, there are no grown-ups telling them to clean their room or eat their supper. Up there, they can imagine and believe that their backyard extends beyond wonder and excitement; their own tree house providing them with shelter, and protection from the hungry dinosaurs roaming below.
Maybe war is on their minds. The tree house will then act as a fortress where they can shoot projectiles at trespassers. Maybe it’s a club house for boys where “No Girls Allowed” is the common slogan. Girls might turn their tree house into a “be sure and wipe your feet house,” and invite their dolls up for tea and crumpets.
Regardless of how the tree house regulates, children love having that hidden loft closer to the sky. Shel knew this, and he could relate to it, which is why the poem, Tree House, was written to appeal to everyone who reads it. You will always find parents of children with tree houses trying to figure out that secret password for entry. There’s a child in all of us. There was a child in Shel, and that child wanted to dream in that tree house that was built when he was a kid.

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