The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Giving Tree
Book Review: A Wonderful Book
Summary: 5 Stars
The Giving Tree is full of simple illustrations. The book begins with the introduction of a little boy's favorite tree that serves him as a leafy playground, and provider of shade and apples. The tree enjoys giving to the boy because as it makes him happy, it makes the tree happy to give. As the boy grows older, however, it is harder to provide for his needs. When the boy needs money, the tree offers for him to sell her apples, when he asks for a house, she offers her branches to build with. In the end the boy uses the trunk for the wood to make himself a boat and at this point in the story all that is left is a pathetic solitary stump cut down to the heart the boy once carved into the tree as a child that said "M.E. + T." In the end the old boy comes back to the tree and the tree has nothing left to offer him, so she thinks. But all the boy wants is a place to sit. This book is a great way to teach the sequence of age to students. As the author wrote the story, the boy and the tree grew during the duration of the book. The story also has some repetitive text which will be good for young children if they are new readers. This is a wonderful book and a great one to share with children and adults as well.Book Review: A Wonderful book about a boy and a tree
Summary: 5 Stars
My daughter loves this book. When she read it to me I got a little misty. Shel not only speaks to children in his books but reminds the adults what being a child was like. This book was introduced to my daughter by her first grade teacher. For a child who had trouble reading to be so interested with his books is a blessing.Book Review: A beautiful spiritual lesson
Summary: 5 Stars
It seems many well-intentioned readers are sadly missing the point of this beautiful story. Stop being offended or depressed about this story, dear readers. As Dr Wayne Dyer says, That which offends you only weakens you. It is your ego at work, convincing you that the world shouldn't be the way it is. The tree in the story was not abused at all. This view must be a projection from your own experience. (And I'm sorry if that is so). The tree doesn't have to be female either. Don't take it so literally. The tree is just a symbol of a being who has reached ultimate spiritual beauty and grace. Females often have this quality, naturally (but so do many men). You clearly didn't read the words closely enough, or understand their powerful message. The tree was only truly happy when she gave something of herself to the boy. As St. Francis of Assisi teaches us, It is through giving that we receive. We can only be truly happy when we give of ourselves to others, expecting nothing in return. When we let go of our egos, stop wanting to be admired, and think only of other's needs, we attract true love back to us in return. The boy loved the tree, and that was all the tree needed to be happy.
So many readers have focused on the apparently selfish boy, but the lesson here is not given by the boy, it is given by the tree. (Hence the title). It is the tree who we must try to copy in our lives. The boy represents others around us, who we must love and give selflessly to. The boy actually did nothing inherently wrong. If he had rejected the tree's offers, or the tree's love, that would have been much sadder for the tree. However, he took nothing more than what the tree lovingly and willingly offered to him, and by loving the tree in return, he made the tree truly happy.
Yes, the image of the tree giving away her trunk to the boy, and becoming only a stump at the end, is indeed stunning. The first time I read the book, I had tears streaming down my cheeks. Tears of humility and awe. This story is a breath-taking example of abundant love. It shows us that we are not our bodies or our possessions. Our ego tries to cling to these things, but it will never be satisfied. Our ego can never have enough material things and will always be disgruntled and offended, because our bodies and possessions cannot be controlled. Over time they will age, fade and disappear.. However, who we really are is our spirit, which lies deeper than our bodies and possessions, and is infinite. Our spirits are full of beauty, love and abundance, no matter what happens to our bodies or our possessions. The more we give of our selves and our possessions, the richer, more beautiful and more abundant our spirits become. Then, nothing can truly hurt us, not even losing our limbs.
In giving away nearly everything she had, the tree became a thousand times more spiritually beautiful than she was in her younger days. And only then, as the story says at the end, the tree was happy. Only then did the tree reach true lasting peace and happiness.
It is a lesson for us all, and I'm thrilled to hear that this book is being taught in schools. I have now bought the book for my 2 young children, and intend to teach it to them, so that they may learn how to be selfless, loving and giving, so that their spirits may grow so beautiful and abundant that they will have lasting happiness, no matter what happens in their lives.
Book Review: A beautiful story ...
Summary: 5 Stars
Last night, I read this book, my first-ever reading, to my 5-year old. By the end of the story I was quite teary-eyed. In my mind this book moved me for one simple reason; it is the most eloquent expression of love that I have ever read.Book Review: A beautiful story of unconditional love
Summary: 5 Stars
The Giving Tree is a powerful lesson in love and spirituality. This book has become my gift to every child I love and to their parents. Thank you Shel.