The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
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Book Reviews of The Giving Tree
Book Review: This is another book that all children should hear
Summary: 5 Stars
My Degree is in Early Childhood Education. I have five grown children that I bought this book for and once again my now seven year old got it as a hand-me-down at the age of two. It is like a parent's love for their child. They cling when they are young, move onto lives of their own, as it should be.They return at moments of their lives, and they move onto the next stage. The parent is always there for them to share whatever they can to help with the next stage, but miss their children a great deal while they are gone.Life moves on for both as the years go by. And as time goes by the parent has less and less to give,but hopefully we will live long enough to see our children grow up, see we did all we could as parents and that we have some time left to spend with our children. Children do not come into the world to satisfy our needs, and children just love this book, not knowing that,at least to me, it is a story of the life stages.My seven year old did get a new copy of the book, because the older one had been read so many times, by request of my other children, that still know the story because they loved it so much.All six children felt compassion for the tree, something that some people never feel. We all know the world could use a lot more compassion for their fellowman, an animal, themselves, the ability to have the feelings of compassion. Mrs. SymmingtonBook Review: a thought-provoking, awe-inspiring message for all readers.
Summary: 5 Stars
Shel Silverstein has a powerful message to deliver-and he does. Long after I finished it, the message remained in my head and heart. Actually, there are two lessons here. The first one, which I call the children's lesson, teaches about our selfishness, and how we sometimes forget to appreciate our gifts. The second, more "adult" lesson, could be translated as mankind's abuse of our natural resources, and the desire to always take the Earth's treasures, with little regard for the consequences. However, I must respectfully disagree with an earlier review, in which the reviewer could find no redeeming quality in this story. Depressing?Yes, to the knowledgeable adult mind. Pessimistic? Perhaps, again to the adult mind. However, even small children, who view it simply as a story, with no lesson or intention, can see that the boy in the book is selfish, and the tree is a great friend. As a mother of 2, I wish everything I read to my children was bright and sunny and had a happy ending. Those stories exist. They are called fairy tales. If my children are to learn to live in this strange world of ours, they need to learn from an early age about "real life." I am flad there are books like this one, which tell it like it is in a gentle way, leaving the (mature) reader with a faint glimmer of hope for our future.Book Review: What Goes Around Comes Around
Summary: 5 Stars
The great debate: Did Shel hate kids or respect the sacrifice of parenting?
Like a loving parent, the tree gives all it has to give. Much of what is offered can be replaced, regrown, and replenished. Then it gives more to meet the ever-growing demands of the one it loves most. The tree is later cut down, the ultimate sacrifice. The boy uses the heart of the tree to leave. When the boy is finally grown all that is left of the tree at the end of its long, sacrificial life, is a stump that proves useful as a seat.
Read to me by my father, who was considerably older than most, The Giving Tree had a resonating quality. Like a typical child, I was selfish and insistent and didn't appreciate my parents for all they gave to me, and gave up for me. Like the greedy little boy I grew up taking branches and leaves from them, never quite returning to the love and need I once was so unashamed to display. So to my parents and to that tree, thank you.
Whether or not Shel hates children is anyone's guess and many a critic's long drawn out theory. In this story in particular, the boy as an older adult still doesn't seem as grateful as he should. It seems the great irony if the hatred does exist, is that his works have brought joy to children around the world and will continue to do so generation after generation.
Book Review: The Giving Tree, NOT The Taking Boy
Summary: 5 Stars
It's funny how adults can't see the forest for the trees... Children take things at face value, and this is a good thing.
The book is entitled "The Giving Tree" and that's exactly what it's about. Unconditional Love. It is something that AMERICANS are trying very hard to destroy. If you'll notice, most of the negative reviews are written by americans... sad really. This book is had a very Christian attitude about it, not fake Christian, true Christian. If someone strikes your cheek, turn and offer the other. That is also unconditional love. If we all learned the lesson of this book, to give as long as you have something to give, then we would all be very happy. Instead many people concentrate on the taking boy. It shows that ultimately the taking boy is unhappy, yet the Giving Tree is ultimately very happy. We've decided to label good values as Clichés. "It is better to give than to receive" may be a cliché, but it is not clichéd. It is MORE important today than ever, because we are so far removed from this sentiment. People call this "co-dependence" but it's not. The giving tree is not giving to get something in return, she is simply giving because she feels good to give. She does get something in return though after all. The good feeling of giving, and she is never sad.
Book Review: Embarassing Parenthood
Summary: 5 Stars
I just read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein for the first time. Now, I do remember having the book read to me at the public library when I was little, and I am pretty sure it was featured in Reading Rainbow, so the story is not new to me. However, since this is the first time I ever read the story on the other side of parenthood, I was surprised by my overwhelming emotional reaction to the book. I read it as a bedtime story to my two lovely girls and I wept for the brief interval of time where I can help form them as young Christian ladies.
More surprising to me than my emotional response, was how I understand the Tree much better now. As a child, I guess I pitied the tree and sympathized with the boy. I simply expected that the Tree enjoyed helping the boy so the Tree was happy. Now I know that the Tree did enjoy helping the boy, but that the Tree suffered as the boy grew since the boy grew further away. I guess The Giving Tree taught me the lesson of love which I only absorb intellectually from the tree of the cross. Successful love, like successful parenting, involves suffering. The better I do my job of raising my daughters into mature, independent ladies, the more I will miss these years of providing everything for them.
Reprinted with permission from http://naturalfamilylife.blogspot.com