diff --git a/build.zig b/build.zig
index 4d892f0..244068e 100644
--- a/build.zig
+++ b/build.zig
@@ -31,31 +31,25 @@ pub fn build(b: *Build) void {
     });
     docs_step.dependOn(&xml_docs_copy.step);
 
+    const examples: []const []const u8 = &.{
+        "reader",
+        "canonicalize",
+        "tree",
+    };
     const install_examples_step = b.step("install-examples", "Build and install the example programs");
+    for (examples) |example| {
+        const example_mod = b.createModule(.{
+            .root_source_file = b.path(b.fmt("examples/{s}.zig", .{example})),
+            .target = target,
+            .optimize = optimize,
+        });
+        example_mod.addImport("xml", xml);
 
-    const example_reader_mod = b.createModule(.{
-        .root_source_file = b.path("examples/reader.zig"),
-        .target = target,
-        .optimize = optimize,
-    });
-    example_reader_mod.addImport("xml", xml);
-    const example_reader_exe = b.addExecutable(.{
-        .name = "reader",
-        .root_module = example_reader_mod,
-    });
-    const example_reader_install = b.addInstallArtifact(example_reader_exe, .{});
-    install_examples_step.dependOn(&example_reader_install.step);
-
-    const example_canonicalize_mod = b.createModule(.{
-        .root_source_file = b.path("examples/canonicalize.zig"),
-        .target = target,
-        .optimize = optimize,
-    });
-    example_canonicalize_mod.addImport("xml", xml);
-    const example_canonicalize_exe = b.addExecutable(.{
-        .name = "canonicalize",
-        .root_module = example_canonicalize_mod,
-    });
-    const example_canonicalize_install = b.addInstallArtifact(example_canonicalize_exe, .{});
-    install_examples_step.dependOn(&example_canonicalize_install.step);
+        const example_exe = b.addExecutable(.{
+            .name = example,
+            .root_module = example_mod,
+        });
+        const example_exe_install = b.addInstallArtifact(example_exe, .{});
+        install_examples_step.dependOn(&example_exe_install.step);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/examples/tree.zig b/examples/tree.zig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4acdd7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/tree.zig
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+const std = @import("std");
+const xml = @import("xml");
+
+// deinit functions are omitted for brevity; this example uses an arena to
+// store all allocations for the nodes so we don't have to worry about it.
+
+const Document = struct {
+    root_nodes: []const Node,
+
+    fn parse(arena: std.mem.Allocator, reader: *xml.Reader) !Document {
+        var root_nodes: std.ArrayList(Node) = .empty;
+        while (true) {
+            const node = try reader.read();
+            switch (node) {
+                .eof => break,
+                .xml_declaration => continue,
+                .element_start => try root_nodes.append(arena, .{ .element = try parseElement(arena, reader) }),
+                .element_end => unreachable,
+                .comment => continue,
+                .pi => try root_nodes.append(arena, .{ .pi = try parsePi(arena, reader) }),
+                .text, .cdata, .character_reference, .entity_reference => unreachable,
+            }
+        }
+        return .{ .root_nodes = try root_nodes.toOwnedSlice(arena) };
+    }
+
+    fn parseElement(arena: std.mem.Allocator, reader: *xml.Reader) !Node.Element {
+        const name = try arena.dupe(u8, reader.elementName());
+        var attributes: std.StringArrayHashMapUnmanaged([]const u8) = .empty;
+        for (0..reader.attributeCount()) |i| {
+            try attributes.put(
+                arena,
+                try arena.dupe(u8, reader.attributeName(i)),
+                try reader.attributeValueAlloc(arena, i),
+            );
+        }
+
+        var children: std.ArrayList(Node) = .empty;
+        var text: std.Io.Writer.Allocating = .init(arena);
+        while (true) {
+            const node = try reader.read();
+            switch (node) {
+                .eof, .xml_declaration => unreachable,
+                .element_start => {
+                    if (text.written().len > 0) {
+                        try children.append(arena, .{ .text = try text.toOwnedSlice() });
+                    }
+                    try children.append(arena, .{ .element = try parseElement(arena, reader) });
+                },
+                .element_end => break,
+                .comment => continue,
+                .pi => {
+                    if (text.written().len > 0) {
+                        try children.append(arena, .{ .text = try text.toOwnedSlice() });
+                    }
+                    try children.append(arena, .{ .pi = try parsePi(arena, reader) });
+                },
+                .text => reader.textWrite(&text.writer) catch |err| switch (err) {
+                    error.WriteFailed => return error.OutOfMemory,
+                },
+                .cdata => reader.cdataWrite(&text.writer) catch |err| switch (err) {
+                    error.WriteFailed => return error.OutOfMemory,
+                },
+                .character_reference => {
+                    text.writer.print("{u}", .{reader.characterReferenceChar()}) catch |err| switch (err) {
+                        error.WriteFailed => return error.OutOfMemory,
+                    };
+                },
+                .entity_reference => {
+                    const value = xml.predefined_entities.get(reader.entityReferenceName()).?;
+                    text.writer.writeAll(value) catch |err| switch (err) {
+                        error.WriteFailed => return error.OutOfMemory,
+                    };
+                },
+            }
+        }
+        if (text.written().len > 0) {
+            try children.append(arena, .{ .text = try text.toOwnedSlice() });
+        }
+
+        return .{
+            .name = name,
+            .attributes = attributes,
+            .children = try children.toOwnedSlice(arena),
+        };
+    }
+
+    fn parsePi(arena: std.mem.Allocator, reader: *xml.Reader) !Node.Pi {
+        const target = try arena.dupe(u8, reader.piTarget());
+        var data: std.Io.Writer.Allocating = .init(arena);
+        reader.piDataWrite(&data.writer) catch |err| switch (err) {
+            error.WriteFailed => return error.OutOfMemory,
+        };
+        return .{ .target = target, .data = try data.toOwnedSlice() };
+    }
+
+    fn dump(document: Document, writer: *std.Io.Writer) !void {
+        for (document.root_nodes) |node| {
+            try dumpNode(node, writer, 0);
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn dumpNode(node: Node, writer: *std.Io.Writer, indent: usize) std.Io.Writer.Error!void {
+        switch (node) {
+            .element => |element| try dumpElement(element, writer, indent),
+            .pi => |pi| try dumpPi(pi, writer, indent),
+            .text => |text| try dumpText(text, writer, indent),
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn dumpElement(element: Node.Element, writer: *std.Io.Writer, indent: usize) !void {
+        try dumpIndent(writer, indent);
+        try writer.print("<{s}", .{element.name});
+        for (element.attributes.keys(), element.attributes.values()) |name, value| {
+            try writer.print(" {s}=\"{f}\"", .{ name, std.zig.fmtString(value) });
+        }
+        try writer.writeAll(">\n");
+        for (element.children) |child| {
+            try dumpNode(child, writer, indent + 1);
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn dumpPi(pi: Node.Pi, writer: *std.Io.Writer, indent: usize) !void {
+        try dumpIndent(writer, indent);
+        try writer.print("<?{s} {s}?>", .{ pi.target, pi.data });
+    }
+
+    fn dumpText(text: []const u8, writer: *std.Io.Writer, indent: usize) !void {
+        var lines = std.mem.splitScalar(u8, text, '\n');
+        while (lines.next()) |line| {
+            try dumpIndent(writer, indent);
+            try writer.print("|{s}\n", .{line});
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn dumpIndent(writer: *std.Io.Writer, indent: usize) !void {
+        for (0..indent) |_| {
+            try writer.writeAll("  ");
+        }
+    }
+};
+
+const Node = union(enum) {
+    element: Element,
+    pi: Pi,
+    text: []const u8,
+
+    const Element = struct {
+        name: []const u8,
+        attributes: std.StringArrayHashMapUnmanaged([]const u8),
+        children: []const Node,
+    };
+
+    const Pi = struct {
+        target: []const u8,
+        data: []const u8,
+    };
+};
+
+pub fn main() !void {
+    var gpa_state: std.heap.DebugAllocator(.{}) = .init;
+    defer _ = gpa_state.deinit();
+    const gpa = gpa_state.allocator();
+
+    const args = try std.process.argsAlloc(gpa);
+    defer std.process.argsFree(gpa, args);
+    if (args.len != 2) {
+        return error.InvalidArguments; // usage: tree file
+    }
+
+    var input_file = try std.fs.cwd().openFile(args[1], .{});
+    defer input_file.close();
+    var input_buf: [4096]u8 = undefined;
+    var input_reader = input_file.reader(&input_buf);
+    var streaming_reader: xml.Reader.Streaming = .init(gpa, &input_reader.interface, .{});
+    defer streaming_reader.deinit();
+    const reader = &streaming_reader.interface;
+
+    var arena_state: std.heap.ArenaAllocator = .init(std.heap.page_allocator);
+    defer arena_state.deinit();
+    const arena = arena_state.allocator();
+
+    var stdout_buf: [4096]u8 = undefined;
+    var stdout_writer = std.fs.File.stdout().writer(&stdout_buf);
+    const stdout = &stdout_writer.interface;
+
+    const document: Document = try .parse(arena, reader);
+    try document.dump(stdout);
+    try stdout.flush();
+}