Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

"Once there was a tree . . . and she loved a little boy." So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein.

Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk . . . and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave.

This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return.

Average Customer Rating:

Its a great book, with a great philosophy. Read between the lines.	Customer Rating:
The moral of the story is touching, its a great gift to give a parent.

Embarassing Parenthood

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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

A boy and a tree?	Customer Rating:
Really, I believe this is a fantastic piece of work and a tribute to the genius that is Shel Silverstien. But I also always have to wonder about the ambiguous message of the story and is truly meant. There is so much contraction. Clearly the tree represents love, but she completely gives of herself entirely for so little. The debate is indeed the charm, though.

classic book to share with your children	Customer Rating:
i bought this as a gift for a friend of mine who is always the person giving everything they have to others, it is a great story and if you havent read it, please do, it is truly wonderful

A Changing Lesson for EVERY Age

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Every child and adult should have this book. There are many controversies about The Giving Tree, many will write that it is a self-less act of love, an issue with co-dependency, or may even send a bad example of relationships with creating selfish children/adults. I think one of the greatest things about this story is that you can interpret it differently at evolving life stages. From a child who sees a self-less act of love to an adult who has been in a troubled relationship (much like the tree and the boy). Regardless, I believe that this story clearly shows 2 sides of A relationship, and if the the reader feels bad for the tree - it is a way to learn how to appreciate and recognize such unconditional love. To always be thankful.