The Giving Tree
by Shel Silverstein
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Book Reviews of The Giving Tree
Book Review: A children's story without a happy ending
Summary: 3 Stars
"And the tree was happy." Those are the last words in The Giving Tree -- but the story leaves the reader feeling sad. One could say that in the end the boy enjoyed all that the tree had to give and the tree enjoyed giving -- so both were happy. Or, that the man used the tree to give him everything he wanted in his life, money, marriage, house, and boat. Still, in the book, the boy and tree spend most of their life apart and unhappy aand this creates a feeling of sadness in the reader. The written words say "happy" but create a feeling of sadness. On the surface, this is just a story about a tree and a boy who love each other. On a deeper level, the story could be a metaphor for most relationships. Mother, father, mentor, friend, sister, brother, wife, husband. In this story the tree is female and the boy never is referred to as a man in the story, even though he grows older. Sometimes we are the giver and sometimes we accept the gifts given to us. The happiest time in the boy's life was in the beginning, when he loved the tree back.
As the boy grew older and began trying to find happiness in things like money, marriage, house, boat -- he became needy and unhappy. Finally, at the end, the tree is only a stump and thinks he has nothing left to offer that the boy values. But the boy no longer needs anything outside his relationship with the tree. Boy and tree are together again. In the end, the tree is happy and the boy has what he needs -- a quiet place to sit and rest.
It is an inspired and disturbing story.
Book Review: An Old Favorite
Summary: 5 Stars
I cant even count the number of times Ive read this book, but this year teaching a 7th grade language arts class, I found myself reading this book to the class and then assigning the students to write an essay about it. Most of the students were familiar with this book but despite that all we eager to revisit the story of a tree and a boy. Once again we found ourselves loving every word and page and it reminded is of some valuable lessons which included friendship, loyalty, giving, receiving and most of all about love.As a young boy, boy loves to pay with a neighborhood tree. Boy swings on the branches, climbs the trees branches, plays hide and seek and often naps under the limbs. But as boy gets older, he abandons the three although the tree never abandons the boy and misses him terribly. At various times boy returns asking the tree for something to sell, something to use as a boat and finally as an old man boy learns that the tree has given him almost everything it has to offer, it still has one more thing to give to him.
I found that this was a wonderful book to discuss with my class and elicited not only good conversation but wonderful essays where the students were able to relate their own stories about giving and receiving.
It is always a special treat to revisit some old favorite titles. And this time was no different than other times when I read The Giving Tree as an adult. As in the past I realized how delightful it is to find a book which can and always will appeal to me no matter how old I am in years.
Book Review: A Cautionary Tale
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Giving Tree," beautifully written and simply illustrated, is a five-star book for adults in need of a cautionary tale: this book warns us, powerfully, that to give to the point of self-destruction is harmful both to the giver and the receiver. The tree, so admirable from one point of view, dismembers herself for the sake of the boy, who only becomes more selfish and more demanding as the story progresses. He does not grow or learn or experience love; instead, he squanders what is given to him and makes the tree, in one sense, responsible for his happiness. How eloquently the book cautions us not to become this selfish, spoiled boy who takes what he is given so for granted: what a wonderful metaphor for adults to use in teaching children to be truly grateful, rather than truly self-aborbed, demanding, and manipulative. We know the boy is not to be admired from any point of view: we strive, hopefully, not to be like him. And the tree, who gives to the point of her own destruction and dismemberment: she too teaches us that giving blindly neither helps the giver nor the receiver. We learn from her that our happiness does not have to depend on giving to the point of our own destruction to another who learns to take us for granted. This book is a source of learning and self-reflection; we can learn from both characters, and teachers and parents can use this book to help children understand the how we do not need to be like the tree or the boy, but how instead we can learn the true nature of giving and receiving.Book Review: The tree taught me a true kind heart.
Summary: 5 Stars
Book Report
Title of Book: The Giving Tree
This book is a story of heart contact between a tree and a little boy.Once there was a tree, and she loved a little boy who came to her and played with every day. When he was a little boy he gathered her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest, and climb up her, swing from her branches, eat her apples, and so on. He hadn't especially wishes yet. But time went by, he grew up and didn't come to her so much than he was a little boy. However, one day he came to her and said, "I want some money." So tree gave him a lot of apple and she said, "Take these apples. You can sell these, and you can get money." He sold them in the city. After that, he came to her occasionally, and asked her something. Whenever he wished to her, he took something which made him granted. At last the tree became only stump, and when the boy came, she said to him, "I'm sorry I can't give you anything." But the boy became very old, so he didn't need anything but only need relax place. So he sit down on her, and the tree was happy.
I thought this story was very thinkable. The tree always gave a lot of her own body for the boy when he wanted something. And the tree felt happy, but it is really? I think the tree always gave him her kind heart, but he didn't notice that because he was too young to understand. When the boy became very old, he noticed that and the tree became happy truly. This book touched my heart.
Book Review: Some of the negative reviewers really need to get a life...
Summary: 5 Stars
I first read this book as a child and remember being totally touched by the beauty of the story. A few years ago I re-read it again at our public library and even as an adult, I was completely moved by the powerful but simple tale of uncondtional love and giving.
After reading many of the reviews here (admittedly, most of them positive) I have to say that some of the critical reviews of this book are just crazy. Some people seem to think that this is a story about radical enviromentalism (the boy represents mankind destroying the enviroment), radical feminism (the boy is a typical man using and abusing a loving woman) or some sick co-dependent relationship. What????? Have you people read this book?
Folks, it's really a simple story. A boy and a tree who loves him very much. As the boy progresses from childhood to adulthood the tree loves the boy and gives him whatever she can. A simple, beautiful and timeless tale about love and friendship.
This is not meant to be a radical enviromentalist/feminist manifesto, Ok? It is a KID'S BOOK. I think the negative reviewers need to ease off of the Starbuck's extra espresso.
Really, I don't mean to be overdramatic, but the venom directed at this book is just baffling to me.
Do yourself a favor. If you have never read this book, please get a copy and do so. Share it with those you love. If you have not read it in a while, read it again and see if it does not still make you feel like a kid again.