|
| The Giving Tree | 
 enlarge | Creator: Shel Silverstein
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy Used: $4.00
You Save: $12.99 (76%)
New (77) Used (101) Collectible (10) from $4.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  608 reviews
Sales Rank: 610
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 64
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 7.3 x 0.6
ISBN: 0060256656
UPC: 000060256652
EAN: 9780060256654
ASIN: 0060256656
Publication Date: October 7, 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: This book may have some surface wear, may be a former library book, may have loose binding, or may have some writing and/or highlighting in it. Thank you for supporting Goodwill of Central Illinois!
|
| Customer Reviews:
 The Giving Tree Makes Even Ms. Spock Cry January 27, 2006
39 out of 61 found this review helpful
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 March 10, 2002
32 out of 63 found this review helpful
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 July 14, 2005
29 out of 49 found this review helpful
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! September 2, 2003
28 out of 42 found this review helpful
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 December 13, 2005
28 out of 53 found this review helpful
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.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
