The Giving Tree Reviews

• The Co-dependent Tree

  
  By A3LANZMYICF2MS on 2005-08-05
  First, let me say that I adore Shel Silverstein... usually. When I was a child, I thought this was a sad story about a generous tree and a thoughtless boy. Despite that, I thought it was a wonderful ideal to be that giving. I read it again as an adult and was disturbed. "And the tree was happy... but not really". I know some people see this selfless sacrifice as a sign of unconditional love. I think there are a myriad of other stories that give children a positive view of unconditional love that doesn't entail a life long cycle of use, abuse, and abandonment. What's worse is I have to wonder with whom would my children identify: the doormat of a tree or the selfish user child? Please, don't dismiss me as cynical. I cry at sentimental stories. I have, however, seen people in my life who are stuck in unhealthy relationships that remind me way too much of this tree. Silverstein, however, was a clever writer, and I wonder if we've missed the point of this book. I don't know that it's supposed to leave us with a warm, fuzzy feeling as many claim. Perhaps we were supposed to feel a bit uncomfortable. As a child, I knew something was wrong with this relationship. As an adult, it makes my skin crawl.
  
  

• A CONTROVERSIAL Classic to promote family discussion

  
  By A3MNHLNFYU15CD on 2005-11-28
  There are two extreme ways to interpret this book, as shown by the multiple ratings of 1 and 5.
  
  The first: This is a beautiful and sad story of unconditional love between a tree and a boy, in which the tree is generous and gives of itself to help the boy whenever he is in trouble. The metaphor in this case is that of a mother and a child, or God and a human.
  
  The second: This is a story of a very selfish boy and a tree who loves him. Whenever he is in trouble, he returns to the tree who gives him another part of her self without ever setting limits, even though it makes her sad (and physically damages her) to do so. In this case, you can compare the story to a metaphor of an abusive, codependent relationship.
  
  I can understand both views of this story, but the fact that the second interpretation is just as valid as the first makes me hesitate to recommend this book. Personally, I would NOT buy this book as a gift, or for my own children. If I had this book, I would wait to read it to my children until they reach the recommended 10 years old (or at least 8), and then I would discuss the book and its concepts (selfishness, limit setting/saying NO) with them. "What did you think of this book?" "Do you think that the tree/the boy did the right thing?" "What would you have done differently if you were the tree/the boy?" "If you were the tree, would you have said 'NO' to the boy at any point?"
  
  A story that may be complementary to this one and more appropriate for younger audiences is "Ladies First", also by Shel Silverstein (found in "A Light in the Attic" or "Free to Be, You and Me"), which is about a girl who always gets to be first to do everything, but in the end that is not to her advantage. At least in that book the message is clear that selfishness is not OK.
  
  If you prefer to avoid this type of discussion, you might be better off sticking to one of the MANY childrens' books that are much less controversial and intended only for entertainment.
  
  

• A children's book which never loses its power

  
  By A28DA4HNDPAGHK on 2002-08-15
  The Giving Tree is a beautiful book about a tree who loves a little boy. In the beginning, the love the two share is enough to make them both happy. As the boy grows older, his needs change and the tree gives him everything in order to help him achieve happiness. When the boy is gone and the tree is left with nothing, she is happy, but not really. Eventually the boy returns and the tree has nothing left to give, but the boy has changed and no longer wants anything from the tree other than the companionship they once shared, and both are happy once again.

  I fell in love with this book the first time it was read to me, and my feelings have never changed. As I child I knew it was a sad book, but I didn't know why. Now that I am an adult, I can understand the cost of unconditional love and I know why the tree was sad. The fact that this book inspires so much debate is a testament to the power of Shel Silverstein's writing. There is a lesson in this book and a powerful message. For me, the key point is that in the end, the love the tree had for the boy was vindicated by his return- older, wiser, and more appreciative. My mother bought me this book when I was young because she thought it had a poignant lesson to teach. My mother tells me that the tree is every mother, and that the sadness felt by the tree is the sadness every mother feels when her child grows up and grows apart. She says every mother's hope is that her child will return someday, wanting nothing more than to to sit together in silence and to be happy. Anyone who has ever loved someone enough to let them go will understand the painful choice highlighted in The Giving Tree.

  I love this book and I give it to special people in my life to celebrate our friendship. I higly recommend this book to adult and child alike.
  
  

• Sweet, sad story of unconditional love

  
  By A3ATTCCO32ZXET on 2003-12-29
  I read this book to my two year old son for the first time a few years ago. The obvious metaphor, that of the tree being a mother whose son is destined to leave her someday, struck me right off. I was tearing up about halfway through. What mother of any child -- male or female -- doesn't secretly dread that far-off event, even while it signals a positive step in the natural order of things? That's a universal theme and part of nearly everybody's life at one time. So maybe it's a little manipulative on that level.

  After I was done reading my boy bounced up and went into our back yard to play. In passing he actually stopped and hugged the big old pepper tree! At that point I realized a new metaphor for this story, and a deeper level of meaning to it that had touched me as well. You see, the tree also represents God. He loves us from the beginning of our lives and nurtures us with wholesome gifts (represented here by apples and leaves) and we accept this with joy that gives His love right back. Children have that universally satisfying relationship with God even while they may have no name for it. They are able to simply enjoy the truly important things in a way adults have trouble with.

  You'll notice that when the boy gets a little older he spends less and less time with the Tree. His growing up signals the start of worldliness and materialism. He comes back as a teenager and asks for money. Then he comes back and asks for a house, and later a boat. The things of the world never truly satisfy him the way fellowship with the Tree did earlier, but it takes a while to realize this. In the end, he recognizes the truth and comes back to the only source of true love and peace he ever really had, and can accept the simple pleasure of sitting with the Tree once again. In the same way, we get distracted by worldly concerns and materialism as adults and tend to stray from God, only to realize after the best years of our life are spent that we should have spent more of them with Him.

  God's selfless, unconditional love for His children (and the generally ungrateful attitude we throw right back most of the time) is so poignantly portrayed by this metaphor of the Giving Tree that I think it's better than any metaphor I've found in the bible! In the deepest sense, my tears were in recognition of my own ingratitude and selfishness as contrasted by the love of God. For one small minute, I was able to see the human condition from His perspective and weep for it. That was precious to me, and something I will always have Silverstein to thank for.

  I can understand the interpretations of The Giving Tree from an environmental perspective and from a feminist perspective as well, and understand why so many people object to it. Truthfully, we don't really know which of these many messages Shel Silverstein intended, or if he even believed in God or not. But God does work in mysterious ways, and I truly believe He used Shel's work to send a message of His own to those of us who can receive it.
  -Andrea, aka Merribelle
  
  

• To call this book REPUGNANT would be an understatement

  
  By A31DGBPYF0MWTS on 2002-01-15
  If your aim is to mold a small, impressionable child into a self-absorbed narcissist, then this is certainly the book you've been seeking. The story illustrates how it's perfectly acceptable to be completely selfish and to exploit those who love you. As Gordon Gecko said, "Greed is good!"

  Lesson 1 - How Life Works: You are free to take all that other people may be willing to give to you out of their own unselfish love for you. If someone is willing to make sacifices because he/she loves you, just use it to your advantage; there is no price for you to pay. In fact, not only can you get away with taking anything-and-everything your little heart desires from those who love you, but afterwards you are free to simply abandon them without explanation. Even then, if you should ever think of something *else* you'd like to have that they might be able to help you acquire, just swing by for a quick visit and ask them for it; it'll be perfectly okay. Trust me, they'll be thrilled that you merely dropped by.

  Lesson 2 - Giving Back: You need give nothing in return, because it's YOUR happiness that's paramount to all. When someone who loves you is sad or lonely or in need, that does not matter; the only thing that matters in life is your happiness. Just ignore others' troubles, even when you are (and i use this deliciously ironic word intentionally) responsible. Instead, focus solely on having fun and indulging your whims at the expense of those who love you.

  The Cherry On Top: No matter how badly you may have treated them, no matter how ruthlessly you may have exploited them, no matter how cruelly you may have neglected them, the people who love you will ALWAYS love you. No matter what, they will always be happy to see you again, to be near you once more, to indulge you, to comfort you, to shower you with unconditional love.

  Here endeth the lessons.
  
  

• The Giving Tree Makes Even Ms. Spock Cry
  By A2KRIS6BBMU02C on 2006-01-27
  One of my nicknames is Ms. Spock for my general tendency NOT to be terribly emotional, but just talking about The Giving Tree always makes me burst into tears.
  
  I LOVE Mr. Silverstein's poems for children so much that I've (optimistically) asked my Mom to bring them to the hospital and read them to me between contractions when I'm in labor with my baby. (Note that he also created a much larger body of work of adult-only poems and songs distributed in Playboy magazine and elsewhere.)
  
  HOWEVER, I HATE this story and I absolutely do not agree that it is appropriate for children, although it may be appropriate to help adults in abusive or co-dependent relationships see that all they will get for their sacrifice is NOTHING and that their sacrifice won't even help the other person.
  
  The boy in this story never gives back and never even says "Thank You." He just takes and takes and takes. He never brings the tree water, he never plants another tree, and when all that is left is a sad little stump, he comes back to sit on her.
  
  It reminds me of all the reasons why I grew up wishing that I had not been born female. All the women I knew, even the ones who were VPs of big name companies, were submissive -- endlessly giving to the men and children around them and never being appreciated for their sacrifices.
  
  The book reminds me of all the people who think nature is just there to deplete for profit. It reminds me of the contrasts I've seen between neighborhoods with trees and those without -- the ones without are generally hot, dirty, graffiti-covered places with open air drug markets. Cultures that don't protect their trees are doomed to fail.
  
  If this were a book about the cycle of life, the boy would have planted some of the apples and grown more trees. He would have brought his family to picnic under the tree, rather than taking her limbs to build his house. He would have introduced his children to the joys of playing in the tree, which would have made the tree truly happy too. But that is not what this story is about.
  
  I HATE this book BECAUSE I'm a very giving person, BECAUSE I spend my days working on engineering projects to benefit humanity, and BECAUSE I spend so many of my evenings and weekends cleaning up city parks, supporting groups that teach under-privileged children, and attending endless community group meetings, including fundraiser meetings for the local library.
  
  What is the real message of this book? That you can give your best, that you can give everything that you have to give, and it ultimately achieves nothing? Not even a "thank you"?
  
  That's a terrible thing to be teaching to children!
  
  P.S. Since writing my review on January 27, 2006, I happened to visit a family that has recently moved their Mother from her home to a nursing home. They seem to be in such a terrible hurry to sell her house and divide up her things. They sure didn't seem to think much of the sacrifices she made to raise them -- even an occasional phone call was too much for them! And guess what book was prominent among the ones on their bookshelf? The Giving Tree!
  
  June 2008 Update: Just to clarify my review, I never meant to say that I thought Shel meant to demean women, which is why I chose my words carefully, e.g. "It reminds me of..." and "All the women I knew...."
  
  I do believe in unconditional love between parents and children. However, I don't think there's anything "wrong" with thanking my Mom and Dad and recognizing the sacrifices that they made for me, as I have done from a very eary age. I also take my son to see them as often as possible. The special joy of grandparents is awesome! I anticipated that somewhat in my initial review under the ideas for bringing children to play in the tree and picnic beneath it.
  
  
• I Never Liked This Book
  By A18M68DE1Y6W51 on 2002-03-10
  As a mother, I felt honor-bound to read this book to my children, as it was presented to me by all the other moms I knew as an absolute MUST. Well...I hated it. And I hated it so strongly, I never did read it to my children.

  What exactly is the point of this story? That you give and give until you die while somebody else just takes and takes? That it's honorable and wonderful to give of yourself until you are nothing but a wounded stump, but the (male) person to whom you gave is happy so you are too?

  I have a truly visceral dislike of this book, and I have never recommended it to anybody. I know this is not the popular view. I have never heard anybody else do anything but praise this book to the skies, but again, I have to ask, WHY? What exactly is so wonderful about this message for children...and what exactly is the message? It is certainly praiseworthy to give of oneself...but in my mind, there is nothing praiseworthy about this "giving tree."

  I remain glad that I did not read this book to my young children, and my view of the book today, when they are both teens, is the same as it was when they were toddlers.
  
  

• Horrifyingly Depressing
  By on 2005-07-14
  Let me start off by saying, that if this book is in your posession, throw it away. But before you do, rip off the back cover of the book and bury it underground so you don't give the garbage men a heart attack. Honestly! The author looks like an ungroomed cavemen who, by the way, is staring at you irritably, and looking like he'd much rather kick you, then look at you. Silverstein looks like a surprise monster on the back cover that's supposed to freak you out for laughs. That alone lets you know that the book is going to sadden/depress/scare you. I'm twelve years old. I read the book. At first, I thought it was good.....but then as I got towards the end, it started to dawn on me: "That tree's an idiot, and the boy's not helping the situation." Eventually, I made it through the end, which left me in bewilderment and confusion. Unconditional love? So if you love someone, you are supposed to let them chop you up to pieces, and then when they come back as an ugly, shriveled man, let them sit on you? Silverstein was confused when he wrote this. Poor guy.
  
  The ill-fated people who said this was a "beautiful" book are still confused. They are in shock of what a horrifying book this is, so for the time being, they'll call it a classic. Many "classic" things are labeled by unfortuantely lost and confused people. Pray for them.
  
  When you do get a message, you'll either get one of the two:
  
  1) Be a savage! Take from people until they are useless and dead. If you meet a pushover, squish them like a bug and sit on them when you are done abusing them. Take advantage of the weak! Destroy the kindhearted and simpleminded!
  
  2) Let yourself be killed. Let people use you until you have nothing left. Then, be happy that you got to do such an honorable thing as being used and plunged to your death by a greedy, selfish, loveless jerk.
  
  None of of these messages are good for children. If they (your children) are unusually impressionable, be warned! You might raise a brat or a doormat if they start getting ideas from this book. Please spare the world from another Giving Tree, and/or another Selfish Pig.
  
  
• The Taking Boy!
  By AXXF23I3GZ4F0 on 2003-09-02
  I will never understand why people love this horrible book. Yes, there are somethings that are worth giving your life for, but a selfish little boy is not one of them. I have never understood the "lesson" of this sad book. I hope my children are neither the tree nor the boy -- instead I hope they learn to give when they can and take when they need.
  
  
• I can't express how much I hate this book
  By A1SSVILBJR98JE on 2005-12-13
  I was given this book as a gift when I was 19 years old and was disgusted with it. That was before I had kids. Now I am 35 years old and have a child and another on the way, I would not want my children to be either character in this book. Therefore, I will never read this book to them. The tree is totally giving of herself even to the point of sadness and self destruction. For one to do that would mean they believe they have no value themselves. The boy is a selfish, and uncaring human. Just like most humans, taking or destroying everything in their path. someone who is so easily willing to take from someone so giving doesn't know what love is. The tree has wasted herself because her value was never recognized by the boy. Even in old age, he was still using the stump. If he still had energy, vitality or youth on his side, he'd still have left the selfless tree to die...alone and lonely. I lost respect for the person who gave this book to me and can not understand what it was they were trying to convey to me. I hope my not sharing this book with my kids will be one step closer to teaching them that everyone has value.
  
  
• I hate this book.
  By A15BB4TRLH2R4L on 2005-06-13
  I read this book once to my son. It is so sad and that little boy is so selfish that I was totally shocked. It made me cry. Who the heck needs a children's book like that? I would have to say that it is very well written, because it certainly packs a wallop. Make sure you read this first before you read it to your kids.
  
  
• Not for all children
  By ARCCM5Z7Z1GF on 2006-02-24
  I think, had I read this as an adult, I might have considered it a very good book. However, it was read to me when I was young. I was a sensitive child and remember feeling very badly because of this book. I cried. I was sad for the tree, sad for the boy -- I felt just awful.
  
  I mention it only because I personally remember having a negative reaction to the book... I don't think all children would react this way, but if you have a particularly sensitive child you might want to reconsider.
  
  
• Highly overrated claptrap
  By A132RLJLQ5G2Z9 on 2001-10-17
  I know many people, my sister included, who will cite this as their favorite children's book ever. I wonder if those people have really ever read the book, critically, as adults. I bought it for my small daughter on the strength of its reputation as a "classic," and once I'd read it, took it right back to the store. There is something fundamentally dishonest about all of Shel Silverstein's books, and something very distasteful, even hateful, about this story of a pathetic tree who gives her life for a most undeserving boy. There is no greater good gained by this sacrifice, no nugget of human truth uncovered. It is not a beautiful story nor a profound one, though one gets the impression that Mr. Silverstein spent a fair bit of time congratulating himself on each cringe-inducing line. Please really read this through before deciding to give it to your kids. There are so many books for kids that do confront the ideas of love, friendship, sacrifice, sadness and death honestly, without condescending, and with artistic genius: try "A Wrinkle in Time," "The Chronicles of Narnia," and the works of Hans Christian Andersen before you resort to this.
  
  
• 1 star or 5 there is no middle ground
  By A1R528E072DF8U on 2002-04-27
  You pick up the Giving Tree. You read it. You are touched. You think to yourself, this is a wonderful book! However, as you are finishing the last sentence, something starts to bother you. What was the moral of the story? What was it? you think to yourself. Is it, that you must give your all to the person you love? Is it that you should sacrifice everything you have to them? This train of thought becomes troublesome, and one of two things happen: 1) You realize that the book teaches a horrible lesson(or leads the reader to it unintentionally) or 2) You squash the bad thoughts and tell yourself that moral doesn't matter, and the story is about love, and don't think about it any more. Then you get on Amazon and write a 5 star review.
  
  
• A Story To Grow Up And Grow Old With.
  By on 2000-08-19
  I highly recommend this book for children and adults alike. I am 31 years old and I am reviewing this book as I interpreted it at 7 yrs. of age. I remember seeing it in a bookstore and the cover immediately drawing my attention. I was deeply moved from the start of the story, and I was crying before the end. My initial response to the book was the loving, unselfish kindness of the tree and the ungratefulness of the boy. I did not think into any more detail than that. However, I have applied the knowledge I received from the book to my entire life. I believe that Shel Silverstein wanted to instill in children to respect Nature and Humanity and "Do Unto Others As You Would Like Done Unto You". I read this book often when in bookstores even though I own a copy. I have kept "The Giving Tree" and "Charlottes Web" dear to my heart and they have had a profound affect on my life. When I become saddened by the callous and selfish thoughts of people, I ask them if they have read this book. It also reminds me that we were not given this Earth to exploit,but merely borrowing it from Humanities and Nature's future generations.
  
  
• For bright people only
  By on 2004-03-11
  Like most of the reviewers here, I read this book as a young child. I remember it was not like any other children's book I had ever read. I remember not liking the boy as he grew older and not wanting to be like him when I grew up, but I also remember wondering why the tree gave so much for nothing in return. I had questions and I asked them.

  Reading some of the reviews in here I am astonished at the degree and depth of ignorance some parents, including those describing themselves as educators, have with the themes in this book.

  Here is a sampling of the conclusions:

  "A cautionary tale about the human impact on the environment" -

  Certainly one can draw a conclusion about the effect man has on the environment but to leave it at that is to miss the vast majority of the themes in the book. Or:

  "it rationalizes and supports battered women staying with their scumbag abusers" -

  The battered woman theme is so contrived that it could only be brought up by people who have nothing else on their minds but battered women. Give an inkblot to a battered woman and she sees a battered woman. Even:

  "As a child, this was one of my favorite books. As an enlightened adult, it's a disturbing look at relationships"

  This is a sad and ironic statement which strangely hints at the life of the person in the book! To the person that made this review: as a child you could "see"; as an adult you will make it what you want it to be. You are not enlightened; you were smarter as a child. Relationships!? Stop reading People magazine. The tree is not a symbol of people it is a symbol of bigger themes like life, unconditional love, self-awareness and introspection, even God - but relationships? Turn off your TV.

  "a theme neither concrete nor relevant to young children's experiences"
  "Beyond a young child's grasp"

  To the one that wrote that comment, children old enough to read are old enough to understand the major themes. You must have trouble with the themes yourself and so you automatically assume others, and especially children, will too. Give your kids some credit; they are smarter than you think. Relevant!? What are you teaching your kids? Here's some advice for you: turn off the Family Channel - our world has enough conniving manipulation and prejudice for your kids to add to the mess as adults.

  Sure, I'll get a lot of "no" marks for this review. But that's OK because, you see, most of the more intelligent reviews for this book are also given poor feedback. I'll be in good company.
  
  

• You're forgetting who this book is for
  By A32PU1GB40X2MP on 2006-06-22
  As a mother, I can sort of appreciate why so many people have given this book 5 stars. We all have days when it feels like our children are canabalizing us, so we can easily identify with the "female" tree's martyr complex.
  
  However, if you're reading this to your kid(s) with the idea that you're reading them a warm fuzzy or teaching them a valuable life lesson, you need to reconsider. This is the tale of a boy that is willing to completely destroy the one that loves him to gain what he wants. He does not even consider the fact that he is destroying the tree. The only thing that matters is what he wants. Is this the person you want your son to grow up to be?
  
  As for the tree...well, the maternal, nurturing female being plundered by the selfish male is an old story. You'd think, in this day and age, it would be passe, but judging from the sheer number of positive reviews, I guess it is not.
  
  The mysogyny and misbegotten life "lessons" aside, this book is fully depressing for children to hear. Yes, unpleasant things do happen in life, and that's not a fact that needs to be kept from children. However, I see no reason to distress a child with their bedtime stories. There are better ways to teach a child about love, giving and compassion.
  
  
• Should be retitled.
  By A14SYE83XLPMFX on 2005-11-14
  "The Codependent's Almanac." That's what the title of this book *should* be.
  
  Don't get me wrong - I am a big, big fan of Shel Silverstein. I appreciate his creativity and his willingness to touch on ugly subjects and to question authority. I just can't help but wonder, though, whether he really meant this to be a children's book.
  
  Seriously, though, where does the "unconditional love" thing occur in this book? It's not the kid - he's as selfish and self-serving and materialistic as they come. It's not the tree, either - if she had *really* loved the kid, she wouldn't have let him mooch off of her and would instead helped him to build his character. Who of us would want our daughters to allow herself to be taken advantage of in this way? It's just not healthy, no matter what the relationship is - parent, friend, or otherwise.
  
  No, this is not a children's book. This is a great text for parents of what happens when we fail to teach our children values.
  
  
• Despoliation is Good
  By A1CA4IP0DCPF7W on 2005-06-19
  An appalling tale that teaches that exploitation to the point of eradication is the kind of lovely thing to give you misty eyes. A Main Selection of the Despoilers' Book Club: NOT printed on recycled paper! Perhaps parents feel that this story conveys how much of themselves they are willing to sacrifice for their children. But if, with such ideals, they create consuming little monsters like this kid, they're not doing their child or the world any favors.
  
  
• Poor example for children
  By A30XBBG2NNKAME on 2003-08-03
  I would never want my two boys to act like the boy in this story. Not only is he always selfish and grasping, the tree is given a female gender, thus teaching boys to devalue women, and girls not to value themselves. It is a dangerous message. If I were to ever allow my sons to read this book, it would be with the express purpose of explaining to them what is wrong with the story. I found absolutely nothing heartfelt or tender about this book.
  
  
• PLEASE DON'T LET YOUR KIDS READ THIS!
  By A20Z1PKIH0PFUF on 2007-04-20
  In an interview in the early 60's Silverstein said that he wrote this little book for adults. I remember receiving this book when I was about five years old and it depressed the hell out of me. First off, that ugly little troll of a kid was a brat with a capital B. He later went from being a bratty kid to an ugly, self-centered troll of a man. Talk about taking that little lady (the tree) for a ride! That SOB used her up and used her up but good. And for what? In the end, it didn't even matter and neither one of them were happy. That tree also infuriated me as a kid. Why don't you tell that jerk to take a hike! Why do you let this idiot take advantage of you like this? What kind of friend does that to another friend? The bottom line, this is one of the most depressing books I have ever read. It makes novels like "Crime & Punishment" and "The Jungle" a joy to read. To this day, I still get depressed every time I even see this book. One of my in-laws wanted to buy this book for our new born baby as a gift and I told her that that would be fine as long as it's on his sixteenth birthday.
  
  I know I am going to get a lot of negative votes for this review. Yet, if I can just get one person out there to stop giving their kids this very depressing book to read, then this was worth it. I like the book and I really enjoy most of Silverstein's work. This book is what he is known best for, but unfortunately he has so much other work out there, which is much better and much more conducive for children than this gut-wrenching story. The world is depressing enough as it is. Kids don't need a story like this before they go to bed at night. If they are anything like I was as a child, this book will depress and confuse them like no other.
  
  
• or taking boy?
  By A3QVAKVRAH657N on 2000-10-01
  recently to my pleasant surprise I found a copy of The Giving Tree for a quarter at the local library book sale. I brought it home & showed my wife and she said: "I can't believe you got that book, it's so sad". I'll admit I may have scoffed a little. Then I read it and darn near found my eyes growing moist. I just felt so sorry for the tree that I wanted to pistol whip that selfish, acquisitive kid/man. Which brings us to the question: Is it possible that this slender children's book is one of the most insightful comments ever written on the "Me" generation?

  This may strike you as absurd, but take a look at the First Things Symopsium about the book which can be found online. For my own part, I read the book as a tragedy, and despite my initial reaction, the boy/man strikes me as the tragic figure. He is completely consumed by selfish concerns and what he can get from the tree. The story could equally well be called The Taking Boy. And in the twilight of his life, what does he have left after taking and taking and taking? Nothing. In fact, he has to return to the tree and ask for more. The final scene seems less of a "reconciliation" than one more desperate act of selfish consumption on his part. It reminded me of Citizen Kane, with Charles Foster Kane looking back at his life from his death bed and realizing how unfulfilled he is.

  Silverstein was just a tad older than the Baby Boomers, but his status as a pop icon rested on their enthusiasm. So it's ironic that they made him a best-selling author by blindly reading this truly devastating critique of their cohort and their lifestyle to their kids. Ironic, but delicious.

  GRADE: Giving Tree: A+
  
  

• Worst Childrens Book I've Ever Read
  By on 2003-12-12
  I am mystified as to how anyone could actually like this book, or read it intentionally to their children. It is truly awful. If you're interested in teaching your children life lessons using horrible, depressing examples, this book is for you. A selfish individual abuses and exploits an unselfish individual to death, then relaxes by sitting on her corpse. I would love to hear a psychologists take on the anger, resentment and passive aggression simmering beneath the surface of this ugly tale. There are many positive ways to teach your children about the value of gratitude. This is not one of them.
  
  
• Misconceptions addressed
  By AVJDDHOX3TJFV on 2004-08-19
  I began reading the reviews for this book and once I started I couldn't stop. Interpretations abound, from one end of the spectrum to the other, and even those with a mutual delight (or dislike) have many conflicting perspectives about what the moral was meant to be. So I went searching for everything I could discover about the author (whose poems, as well as this book, I've loved since childhood). I uncovered the following:
  
  Shel Silverstein, when asked about this book's meaning, would say no more than this: "It's just a relationship between two people; one gives and the other takes." So I'm going to assume those who judge the book (positively or negatively) based on its environmentalist "message" are reading into it more than what the author intended.
  
  Most of us, however, seem to recognize this book as a very human story. Whether we like it or hate it, it resonates with too many to be dismissed as anything else. A number of people reject it as too sad for children (one woman actually stated that children should be joyful and not have "deep thoughts.") Others say that the ending is happy (for various reasons). The author, however, DID consider the ending sad. In an interview, Silverstein said that his editor Ursula Nordstrom let him keep the sad ending "because life, you know, has pretty sad endings. You don't have to laugh it up even if most of my stuff is humorous." Happy endings, magic solutions in children's books, he says, "create an alienation" in the child who reads them. "The child asks why I don't have this happiness thing you're telling me about, and comes to think when his joy stops that he has failed, that it won't come back."
  
  Others rejected the book because of its supposed negative message for girls (that they should give their all to the man in their life) or because of a perceived mockery of women, but NOWHERE in the interviews or stories about him did I find any evidence of this whatsoever. Instead, his friends seemed to think of him as *very* giving, and it appears the friendships he had, he kept. Though many may not know this, Silverstein was accomplished in many other areas, not the least of which was his talent as a song-writer (he wrote "A Boy Named Sue," for example). Anytime someone would offer even the smallest bit of advise that he would use in a song, he would cut them in for *equal* credit on the royalties (from his poorest days to his richest). Now, I don't know if that seems like a small thing to some, but I find it an amazing piece of...what would you call it? I'd say selflessness or at the very least a generous spirit. And after reading everything I could about him, I am convinced that in this story he was definitely intending to portray deep beauty in the tree's giving but with unflinching, if tender, honesty.
  
  In closing, I think former Times entertainment editor Charles Champlin said it best:
  
  "His charming book seems to me to prove again that in art, less is more, and that what is true can always be simply said."
  
  
• I HATE this book
  By A8WDQA0Y2VG0X on 2003-07-15
  It is a sad and disturbing view of the world in which a selfish horrid little boy grows to be a selfish horrid little man and takes and takes and takes and takes and abuses a weak-willed tree with no self-esteem to death. If anything it rationalizes and supports battered women staying with their scumbag abusers. Children's book...right. Shel had issues.
  
  
• excellent, but inappropriate!
  By A3KAL47Q5J4UCQ on 2006-02-20
  As you can read from the reviews, this book is excellent in the sense that it is eloquent and so complex it inspires discussion and self-reflection. This book is appropriate for a journal club or an adult poetry reading. However, in my opinion it is inappropriate for young children. I think children are drawn to children's stories, and parents read these stories to their children, because they describe our cultural norms with messages and symbols that are simple and compelling for their young minds. However, this book is far too subtle! Little children enjoy the book because they don't understand even that the man is sad and the tree is a sad! Thus, they are indeed far from understanding that the story is a negative reflection of what should be! I think real life is sad enough and we should focus on the joy of life with our children. Being jaded and complex is for adults! I would be especially careful not to give this book if there is a chance the mother is experiencing post-partum depression.
  
  
• Worst of the Shel Silverstein books ever
  By A1M2T0J45TTE64 on 2004-04-20
  This book is terrible. What makes it seem even worse is how good the Poetry books by Mr Silverstein are. My kids hated this book because the basic story is that the tree is willing to die for the kid. The kid is seen by my kids as a spoiled brat who doesn't appreciate the gifts given to him and the tree never learns. ARRRRGGG! We are not tree huggers but the one side "love" is not a healthy relationship between kid and tree. Skip this book and buy the poetry books. Those are worth owing.
  
  
• Dark Story, Not for Kids
  By A18ZY8P0XYBVB9 on 2005-02-27
  I just bought this book for my 3 year old and returned it without reading it to her. If you think this is a book about a boy and a tree, which on the most superficial level it is, then it is a story about a selfish, ungrateful exploitative boy and the havoc he can wreak on the environment. If you think for even a few more seconds about this book, you will probably be tempted to think allegorically (after all, were Aesop's Fables REALLY about tortoises and hares?) in which case it is either a story about a hugely sacrificing mother and her rotten, exploitative son who finishes the tale by sitting on her (for which she is grateful) or it is a cautionary tale for people considering entering an abusive relationship.
  
  The inside cover says it is about unconditional love (which it is) and about learning to receive love (which it isn't). I read it to both my husband and my mother (both regular not-politically correct people) and they were both horrified that this is marketed as a story for kids. It is a powerful book, but it is not for kids.
  
  I agree that the author picture is frightening, although if the book were worth keeping I wouldn't have let that stop me.
  
  
• The Giving Tree
  By on 2000-03-08
  Mommies beware, this book is not for every child. When my 4 year old asks "read me a book", she usually means "read me this book several times over". After hearing The Giving Tree, she was silent. I asked her if she wanted me to read it again, and she said "no, take it back to the store". This is coming from a child who loves books and greets me at the door with "what did you buy me". What was her dislike? "He cut down the tree" A sensitive child will be disturbed by abusive treatment of the tree by the boy it loves.
  
  
• The Dependency Tree
  By A3E0V2Y6SQBNSJ on 2004-10-21
  This wasn't a noble giving tree. In giving to the boy-man at every opportunity, the tree thought it was doing right. Instead, it created a dependency relationship in his human friend that lasts his whole life and that leaves both impoverished. This is not a quality one would wish for a friend, and even more so, for one's son or daughter entering into marriage.
  
  

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