Customer Reviews: Read 605 more reviews...
 A little story with a big heart... December 2, 2008
It's amazing how a book, barely a hundred in pages, could quickly and intensely impart so much sadness and despair, and with something so simple and as complicated as unconditional love.
Sure, a number of readers have probably thought that the tree was nothing but a big sop, a martyr blind to the selfishness and capricious whims of a child, but shouldn't the object of our unceasing wonder be the always unpredictable capacity of one's sacrifice for love? Beyond what a tree could give, imagine what a person would be willing to go through. Tragic, true--but that is what also makes us human.
One of the Best Children's Books Ever Written November 27, 2008
In 1974, I gave this to my then seven-year-old son for Christmas - a time for "Giving." I let several days pass and then asked him if he had read the book. He had, so I asked him if he liked it. He said he did, so I asked him what he liked about it. He told me he was glad the tree was still there enough for the man to sit on because the man needed a good friend. Out of the mouths of babes, I thought. I remember stroking his head and saying, "You're right, he did. I'm glad, too, that he had such a good friend to whom to return." It was his observation that made me realize the tree wasn't left anything, but instead, as it used up its life in good deeds, it remained just as useful as a stump to sit on as it did when it was a full tree. Socrates observed that "The unexamined life is not worth living." Upon examination of my own life, I have found what makes it most worth living is being useful to others. My son is now 38 and has always been generous of spirit and deed. He still has this book with my Christmas inscription, "To the best son a mom could hope for" written on the inside cover, and his three children have read it. I've never "told" my son what is right or wrong. I preferred using the Socratic method of asking questions that provoked him to think more deeply and far beyond the tip of his nose. That's what this book does, and does brilliantly.
This book a must. November 23, 2008
I bought this for my granddaughters after they lost all their books in a flood this summer. I am trying to rebuild their library. It is a wonderful classic book and comes with an audio CD of Shel Silverstein reading it. Definitely a must for any child's library.
Great for all ages. November 19, 2008
The tree that keeps giving, wanting nothing in return but to please the little boy.
It's a wonderful story and teaches a lesson, at any age. I found myself feeling like the giving tree lately, while part of a non-profit organization. When I verbalized the analogy, I realized that many people had never heard of the book. It's on top of my gift list this year.
 I can't believe this book was in the Childrens section October 31, 2008
My little girl is four years old. I was strolling around the book store looking for simple books to read. I picked this book up after only reading the first few pages. With the simple syntax and simple line drawings, I thought this would be a book we could read at bed time. Toward the end of the book, I shut it and picked another bedtime book to read her. This story may be representative of real life, the aging of a relationship, we all grow old and pass away, or maybe it is a metaphor for some co-dependent relationship, what ever. I will not be reading it to my daughter again. I'll put it high on the shelf and let her find it later in life. This book did not belong in the small childrens section. The book was not placed there by mistake as there was an entire stack of them. I thought the story was excellent, and I had mixed emotions when I finished reading it but it is not for young sensitive children. My daughter is part of a diviorced family and I think it would have a negative impact on her little mind as she is trying to figure her own life out as things already exist.
Definitely not for small children!
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