The Giving Tree May Give You Something Also

Author's Rating:

Pros: Easy read and a story-line which has been interpreted differently by many.

Cons: Quite simple, quick read with few words and pages.

The Bottom Line: 
Easy read, can be read in less than 15 minutes, but take the time after reading. Your child may just shock you with their insight.

Author's Review
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein has been a long time favorite in our home. We purchased this book for my daughters who are now 15 and 16 years old and it remains one of only a handful of cherished books from their early reading years.

The Giving Tree is the story of a little boy who would spend time with his favorite tree. The tree so loved the little boy that it would share everything it had. The boy enjoyed the leaves, shade, apples and a trunk for climbing. As the boy became a man he spent less time with the tree, yet upon each visit, the tree offers the boy everything it has because of it's undying love of the boy. This giving continues right down to the final page of the book, which ends with the tree giving a very old man (the boy) something he needs even though The Giving Tree had little left to give.

The real meaning of the book may be open to interpretation but whatever one may come away with, it would be a good exercise to sit with your child and ask just what it is they think. This thought provoking sense is reason enough to go out and purchase this book. An adult may see a child/parent relationship in this book, yet a youngster or young teen may see a more literal nature/man relationship. Even though this children's book was first published in 1964, The Giving Tree carries with it, some timely messages to this day.

I highly recommend this book, not so much for it's reading practice value, but rather for it's message. A few minutes of reading The Giving Tree followed by a healthy discussion of it's message may go a long way for a parent to learn about their children.

A used hardcover copy of this book is currently available on amazon.com for as little as $5.89. Also check out other books by the same author, my girls also enjoyed Where The Sidewalk Ends and A Light In The Attic.