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The Giving Tree

Shel Silverstein

4.37 · Rating details · 792,486 ratings · 15,798 reviews

"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 tr ...more

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Hardcover, 64 pages

Published October 7th 1964 by HarperCollins Publishers (first published 1964)

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Dec 03, 2010 David rated it liked it

Shelves: low-calorie, brat-lit

HEY, KIDS AND SHEL SILVERSTEIN FANS! COME OVER HERE AND READ THIS!

Okay, this some motherfuckin' fucked-up shit right here. The Giving Tree is the straight-up wack story of how this selfish little ass-faced prick kicks it with this full-on saintly tree. Ever'thin' fine for a while, y'all, with the lil' prick all gettin' up in there an' sayin' to the tree, "Yeah, you know you mah bitch," but then all of a sudden, this jumped-up prick go through puberty, get his chia on or some such shit, and so he HEY, KIDS AND SHEL SILVERSTEIN FANS! COME OVER HERE AND READ THIS!

Okay, this some motherfuckin' fucked-up shit right here. The Giving Tree is the straight-up wack story of how this selfish little ass-faced prick kicks it with this full-on saintly tree. Ever'thin' fine for a while, y'all, with the lil' prick all gettin' up in there an' sayin' to the tree, "Yeah, you know you mah bitch," but then all of a sudden, this jumped-up prick go through puberty, get his chia on or some such shit, and so he's off screwin' the skank-ass bitches on the block all damn day and can't spare one motherfuckin' minute for this poor old tree who waitin' for him and lookin' all motherfuckin' sad an' droopy an' shit. So this little punk-ass bitch come up on the tree -- this is a motherfuckin' tree, hear? -- and ask her ['cuz she a sexy-ass lady-tree] fo' some g's. Well, the tree is all, like, "I ain't got no cash, bitch. What part o' me say ATM on it? Mmm-hmmm. I thought so..." And she shoulda held up there, but -- no -- this tree gets all fuckin' benevolent and be, like, "Well, I got mad apples you can go hustle on the streets." So this ass-faced prick just, like, boosts all these goddamn apples an' leaves this tree with, like, its weave all out an' shit. So next, after workin' the streets wit his crew, little bitch boy come back, lookin' all older an' jacked-up, and ask the motherfuckin' tree for a goddamn crib. So the tree like, "Hol' up. Do you even fuckin' see Coldwell Banker all up an' down in here? I think not." But then, being all kindly an' shit, the tree is, like, "But I got mad branches..." And what? She motherfuckin' takes it up back again fo' this fool. Later, another goddamn time, punk-ass bitch come back, lookin' all old an' saggy and wack now, and he like, "Bitch, what you got fo' me now?" "Awww, hell naw," tree says, but then she start gettin' all soft an' shit again an' say, "Why don' you cut down my trunk or some such shit and go 'head and whittle a pimped-out yacht, full-on Hamptons-style?" He, like, "Yeah, I thought so, bitch." And then -- guess the fuck what? -- little shriveled-up, played-out mack come on back wit his ass all hemorrhoided-up an' shit. He look straight-up nasty and old. Tree is, like, "I know you ain't come t'ask me. All's I got is a motherfuckin' stump, you ass-faced motherfucker. How you gon' come back at me like that?" This punk-ass bitch is all drooling and jacked-up and just wanna sit the hell down. What do the motherfuckin' tree do? She say, "Hell no! You motherfuckin' fucked-up fucker, get yo' motherfuckin' ass face out o' here fo' I cut you up good: give you some stank-ass mad tree fungus, motherfucker!" The motherfuckin' end, motherfuckers.

Okay, so that's not really the way The Giving Tree ends, but maybe it's the way it should. Some time ago, my ex-girlfriend and, afterward, long-time co-dependent friend gave me The Giving Tree as part of my birthday gift. I loved it, but I hated it, too, because I felt so bad for the tree who is endlessly shat upon by this worthless "Boy"--as he is always known, regardless of age; I longed to console the tree and, maybe a little, to condemn this book as yet another emotionally-scarring "children's" entertainment in the manner of Old Yeller. Don't give me any shit about learning valuable lessons. The only lesson I learned was that human beings are nothing but steaming piles of corn-freckled feces, and that I wanted to found a not-for-profit shelter for unloved trees and rabid dogs and any other nonhuman thing, living or not, which was either unwanted or despised.

Having said all this -- and although I don't approve of the treatment of the giving tree -- this book is very moving and very delicate. The delicacy is somewhat counteracted when the reader turns over the book and sees the author photograph of a thoroughly evil-looking Shel Silverstein. He looks like the sort of person who would burn down whole forests of rare giving trees just for kicks. Picture Othello just before he strangles Desdemona.

If you -- and, yes, I'm talking to you personally -- are not moved by the plight of the tree after reading this book, then perhaps it's time to go an' check yo'self: are you the givin' tree or are you the motherfuckin' takin' tree? Or are you the sneak-out-in-the-middle-of-the-night-an'-steal-all-my-shit tree? ...more

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Sep 28, 2014 Patrick rated it it was amazing

I recently read this book to my little boy.

It's not the first time I've read it. It's probably not even the tenth time. But it's the first time I've read the book in a decade, and given the fact that my memory is like a cheese grater, I like to think I got a pretty fresh experience.

The result is this: I honestly don't know how I feel about this book.

Even if you haven't read the story, you probably know the gist of it. A tree loves a young boy and gives away pieces of itself to the boy to make ...more

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Jan 08, 2008 Nathan rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Psychologists?

Shelves: young-folks

I know that many people have a sentimental love for this book, and I respect that -- you can't rationalize emotional connection. And generally, I like this author. But with this book, since it inspired no real emotional response in me, I am left with only the rational perspective, which in me was this:

This book troubles me deeply, because it enshrines self-destructive and self-pitying martyrdom as the paragon of love for others. And I think there is already far too much of this in our society. I know that many people have a sentimental love for this book, and I respect that -- you can't rationalize emotional connection. And generally, I like this author. But with this book, since it inspired no real emotional response in me, I am left with only the rational perspective, which in me was this:

This book troubles me deeply, because it enshrines self-destructive and self-pitying martyrdom as the paragon of love for others. And I think there is already far too much of this in our society. This book seems to say that if you really love someone else, you will damage yourself, cripple yourself, tear down your boundaries, destroy yourself for them. And further, it implies that those who are loved must by nature use and devour those who love them. An incredibly unhealthy model for love and relationships, especially for a child's book.

I am a parent of two, and though many parents have offered up this book as representative of the true nature of parental love, I cannot agree. If I were to raise my children this way, I feel I would only be teaching them to take selfishly from those who love them, to use people up and always expect more -- and on the flip side, I would be teaching them that if they love someone then they have to give of themselves until it hurts, have to live without boundaries of any kind.

Instead of raising my kids this way, I feel it's important to teach them to respect those who love them and care for them, to not take from others so much that it damages; I feel it's important to teach them that even in love we all must maintain our boundaries, our integrity. I feel it's important that my kids, and all kids really, understand that real, healthy love does not demand destruction or diminishment of anyone involved in it, that in fact real and healthy love ultimately heals and builds up those who participate in it.

I suppose that this book may have been intended as an anti-lesson, an example of how NOT to behave -- but if so, then it was not made clear that this was the case, because most people who read this book seem to take it as an ideal example of love.

Certainly it's possible to not take it so seriously; but when the underlying message and philosophy is so concentrated and heavy-handed, it's hard to avoid tasting it in every passage.

It reminds me of that other beloved childhood book about love, where the young boy's mother is so obsessive about cuddling him and tucking him in at night that even as he gets older and older, she follows him around, sneaks into his college dorm, sneaks into his home as an adult, takes him from his bed with his wife still sleeping and reassures him (herself?) that he'll "always be my baby". *shudder*

Overall: Sweet, but to the point of being cloying, and a disturbing message. =/ ...more

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Nov 28, 2007 Sava Hecht rated it did not like it

Co-dependent tree needs to set some fucking boundaries.

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Apr 20, 2007 Mer rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: enviornmentalists, nurturers, parents and children who want to discuss empathy and reciprocity

Shelves: childhood, nostalgia, alltimefavorites, seminal

Scrolling down, it seems several reviewers resent this book's apparently heavy-handed message about selfishness/selflessness. I can totally understand why they find it upsetting or sappy. Overbearing, even. But I don't agree.

Some fascinating theories have been put forth about The Giving Tree. It's deceptively simple on its surface, yes. But if this were truly just some hard and fast hippie dippy morality tale, would its two main characters (living natural tree, growing human boy) and their relat Scrolling down, it seems several reviewers resent this book's apparently heavy-handed message about selfishness/selflessness. I can totally understand why they find it upsetting or sappy. Overbearing, even. But I don't agree.

Some fascinating theories have been put forth about The Giving Tree. It's deceptively simple on its surface, yes. But if this were truly just some hard and fast hippie dippy morality tale, would its two main characters (living natural tree, growing human boy) and their relationship have weathered such extensive interpretation over the years?

Professor Timothy Jackson from Stanford University (found on Wiki):

Is this a sad tale? Well, it is sad in the same way that life is sad. We are all needy, and, if we are lucky and any good, we grow old using others and getting used up... Our finitude is not something to be regretted or despised, however; it is what makes giving (and receiving) possible. The more you blame the boy, the more you have to fault human existence. The more you blame the tree, the more you have to fault the very idea of parenting. Should the tree's giving be contingent on the boy's gratitude? If it were, if fathers and mothers waited on reciprocity before caring for their young, then we would all be doomed.

An admirable assessment from a theologian... although as a wee grub, my perception was different. My own folks, secular humanist scientists who taught me a "recycle, reduce, reuse" mantra at around age four, introduced me to The Giving Tree around the same time we started reading The Lorax. (Another seminal doozy!) Perhaps due to their influence on my early development, I came away from both books with a lot of very heavy, persistent questions concerning humanity's careless attitude towards ye olde Mother Earth.

Without question, we're a species that generally takes and takes from the environment, thanklessly and thoughtlessly. Sadly this seems to be a trend that will continue until both we and the earth's resources are completely exhausted. (That is, unless we can all somehow convince ourselves AND our kids to turn it around.)

Ever notice that throughout the course of the tale, the little boy just "wants" things from the tree? Only at the very end of his life does he actually "need" something from her... a place to rest for a moment, to be at peace.

Anyhoo. Aspects of human behavior introduced to me in this book continue to flummox and obsess me in adulthood. Rereading it now only reinforces my lifelong desire to give something back to our weary but still beautiful mother earth, who seems to have no choice but to submit to our endless taking.

Silverstein fable is empathetic and open-ended. At its core, it reflects humanity's short-sighted, often lifelong inability to distinguish want from need, but it does not damn us for it. ...more

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Nov 26, 2007 Benjermin rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: all human beings

Yes, the boy is a selfish bastard, who doesn't deserve the love and generosity he gets time and again. Anyone who read this book as a child is well aware of this fact.

Nonetheless, I'm shocked to see how many disliked it. My only thought is that many readers allow their hatred for the boy to be confused with hatred for the book. Does the book condone the boy's behavior, or simply seek to tell a narrative? Does the quality of a book suffer when the moral quality of its characters flags?

It is the j ...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, fiction, poetry, childrens-young-readers, fantasy

The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
The Giving Tree is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. First published in 1964 by Harper & Row, it has become one of Silverstein's best known titles and has been translated into numerous languages.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز چهاردهم ماه می سال 2009 میلادی
عنوان: درخت بخشنده؛ نویسنده: شل سیلورستاین؛ مترجم: سیما مجیدزاده؛ مشهد، گل آفتاب، 1383 در 55 ص؛ شابک: 9645599326؛ چاپ هفتم 1388؛ چاپ دهم 1392، شابک: 9789645599322؛ موضوع: داستان The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
The Giving Tree is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. First published in 1964 by Harper & Row, it has become one of Silverstein's best known titles and has been translated into numerous languages.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز چهاردهم ماه می سال 2009 میلادی
عنوان: درخت بخشنده؛ نویسنده: شل سیلورستاین؛ مترجم: سیما مجیدزاده؛ مشهد، گل آفتاب، 1383 در 55 ص؛ شابک: 9645599326؛ چاپ هفتم 1388؛ چاپ دهم 1392، شابک: 9789645599322؛ موضوع: داستانهای خیال انگیز از نویسندگان امریکایی - قرن 20 م
مترجم: هایده کروبی؛ تهران، انتشارات فنی ایران، 1385 ، در 36 ص؛ شابک: 9643891739؛
مترجم: مونا ماشی؛ تهران، ماشی، 1387 ، در یک جلد؛ شابک: 9786009060184؛
مترجم: کمال برزگر بفرویی؛ قم، فراکاما، 1390 ، در 52 ص؛ شابک:9786009241309؛
مترجم: امیرحسین مهدی زاده؛ تهران، نشر نو، آسیم، 1392 ، در 58 ص؛ شابک:9789647443784؛
مترجم: کمال مرادی؛ تهران، پلک، 1392 ، در 104 ص؛ شابک:9789642862290؛
مترجم: صفورا نراقی؛ تهران، البرز فر دانش، 1393 ، در 44 ص؛ شابک:9786002022622؛
مترجم: هرمز ریاحی؛ تهران، انتشارات خروس، 1391 ، در 58 ص؛ شابک:9786009453924؛
سیلور استاین شهرت خویش را به عنوان نویسنده ی ادبیات کودکان؛ مدیون همین کتاب است. داستانی درباره: یکی که میبخشد و دیگری که میستاند. داستان در مورد درختی ست که: سایه، میوه، شاخه و حتی کنده اش باعث شادی پسرکی میشود
متن داستان درخت بخشنده و مهربان
روزی روزگاری درختی بود ….؛ و پسر کوچولویی را دوست میداشت. پسرک هر روز میآمد برگهایش را جمع میکرد. از آنها تاج میساخت و شاه جنگل میشد. از تنه اش بالا میرفت. از شاخه هایش آویزان میشد و تاب میخورد و سیب میخورد. با هم قایم باشک بازی میکردند. پسرک هر وقت خسته میشد زیر سایه اش میخوابید. او درخت را خیلی دوست میداشت. خیلی زیاد. و در خت خوشحال بود. اما زمان میگذشت. پسرک بزرگ میشد. و درخت اغلب تنها بود. تا یک روز پسرک نزد درخت آمد. درخت گفت: «بیا پسر، ازتنه ام بالا بیا و با شاخه هایم تاب بخور، سیب بخور و در سایه ام بازی کن و خوشحال باش.»؛ پسرک گفت: «من دیگر بزرگ شده ام، بالا رفتن و بازی کردن کار من نیست. میخواهم چیزی بخرم و سرگرمی داشته باشم. من به پول احتیاج دارم. میتوانی کمی پول به من بدهی؟». درخت گفت: «متاسفم، من پولی ندارم». من تنها برگ و سیب دارم. سیبهایم را به شهر ببر بفروش. آن وقت پول خواهی داشت و خوشحال خواهی شد. پسرک از درخت بالا رفت. سیبها را چید و برداشت و رفت. درخت خوشحال شد. اما پسرک دیگر تا مدتها بازنگشت …؛ و درخت غمگین بود. تا یک روز پسرک برگشت. درخت از شادی تکان خورد. و گفت: «بیا پسر، از تنه ام بالا بیا با شاخه هایم تاب بخور و خوشحال باش». پسرک گفت: «آن قدر گرفتارم که فرصت بالا رفتن از درخت را ندارم، زن و بچه میخواهم و به خانه احتیاج دارم. میتوانی به من خانه بدهی؟»؛ درخت گفت: «من خانه ای ندارم. خانه ی من جنگل است. ولی تو میتوانی شاخه هایم را ببری. و برای خود خانه ای بسازی و خوشحال باشی». آن وقت پسرک شاخه هایش را برید و برد تا برای خود خانه ای بسازد. و درخت خوشحال بود. اما پسرک دیگر تا مدتها بازنگشت. و وقتی برگشت، درخت چنان خوشحال شد که زبانش بند آمد. با این حال به زحمت زمزمه کنان گفت: «بیا پسر، بیا و بازی کن». پسرک گفت: «دیگر آن قدر پیر و افسرده شده ام که نمیتوانم بازی کنم. قایقی میخوانم که مرا از اینجا ببرد به جایی دور میتوانی به من قایق بدهی؟». درخت گفت: «تنه ام را قطع کن و برای خود قایقی بساز. آن وقت میتوانی با قایقت از اینجا دور شوی. و خوشحال باشی». پسر تنه درخت را قطع کرد. قایقی ساخت و سوار بر آن از آنجا دور شد. و درخت خوشحال بود. پس از زمانی دراز پسرک بار دیگر بازگشت، خسته، تنها و غمگین. درخت پرسید: «چرا غمگینی؟ ای کاش میتوانستم کمکت کنم. اما دیگر نه سیب دارم، نه شاخه، حتی سایه هم ندارم برای پناه دادن به تو». پسر گفت: «خسته ام از این زندگی، بسیار خسته و تنهام. و فقط نیازمند با تو بودن هستم، آیا میتوانم کنارت بنشینم؟». درخت خوشحال شد و پسرک پیر کنار درخت نشست و در کنار هم زندگی کردند. و سالیان سال در غم و شادی ادامه زندگی دادند …؛ دوستان خوبم، آیا شرح داستان، چیزی به یاد ما نمیآورد؟ اکثر ما شبیه پسرک داستان هستیم و با والدین خود چنین رفتاری داریم. درخت همان والدین ماست، تا وقتی کوچکیم دوست داریم با آنها بازی کنیم. تنهایشان میگذاریم و دوباره زمانی به سویشان برمیگردیم که نیازمند هستیم و گرفتار، برای والدین خود وقت نمیگذاریم، آیا تا به حال به این فکر کرده ایم که پدر و مادر برای ما همه چیز را فراهم میکنند تا ما را شاد نگه دارند و با مهربانی چاره ای برای رفع مشکل ما پیدا میکنند و تنها چیزی که در عوض از ما میخواهند این است که تنهایشان نگذاریم. به والدین خود عشق بورزیم، فراموششان نکنیم. برایشان زمان اختصاص دهیم. همراهیشان کنیم. شادی آنها در دیدن ماست. هر انسانی میتواند هر زمان و به هر تعداد فرزند داشته باشد. ولی پدر و مادر تنها یک بار ….؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Dec 23, 2007 Skylar Burris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens

This book review is now available on my blog at https://www.skylarb.com/single-post/2...

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Feb 23, 2017 Mischenko rated it it was amazing

Please visit our blog at www.twogalsandabook.com to see this and other reviews!

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a must read for children. It's a story that can bring tears to your eyes. Children can learn about the importance of caring, giving, and how we should treat others.

This essential and childhood favorite still remains a part of our home library.

5*****

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May 26, 2011 TK421 rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya-children

So it is Christmas time, and my wife likes to have all of us—my wife and I, and our three years old twins—do a different event each night during Advent as a family. I like this practice; it is little things like this that keep our family strong. Tonight’s event was reading Christmas themed books.

We decided to read THE GIVING TREE as well as three other Christmas books. Had I foreseen what was about to transpire I would have omitted THE GIVING TREE from my selection.

Allow me to replay said event: ...more

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Aug 06, 2013 Brian Yahn rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Everyone

The Giving Tree will rip your heart out in 621 words.

We all know and love Shel Silverstein for his whimsical poems, but The Giving Tree is both one of the saddest and most hopeful stories ever told. Pure and utter genius, this one is.

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Apr 06, 2009 Morgan rated it did not like it

Horrific relationship between a selfish unappreciative child and an enabling self-sacrificing mother who has no purpose in life other than to give herself away. I keep expecting a missing page to show up where he pisses all over the tree stump at the end.

I think this is offensive and despicable.

It is a horrible lesson for children. I'd rather see more literature that honors and respects the sacrifices that parents make, rather than this book's actual focus: demonstrating the expectations that th ...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Nilesh Kashyap rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Trees, that can read

Shelves: short-story

I try to steal books written for children, since I am no giving tree and I am not paying for what my child reads. But this book, each time I read this (at the bookshop itself), I thrust it back to the place from where I took it, angrily, if I may add. This book does not deserve to be stolen.

What makes me angry:
Each time I read this story, all I want to do is to insert my hand in bookcover, catch that falling fruit and saw the tree and take it home and make ~~bat for my child~~ a foot that my bed is I try to steal books written for children, since I am no giving tree and I am not paying for what my child reads. But this book, each time I read this (at the bookshop itself), I thrust it back to the place from where I took it, angrily, if I may add. This book does not deserve to be stolen.

What makes me angry:
Each time I read this story, all I want to do is to insert my hand in bookcover, catch that falling fruit and saw the tree and take it home and make ~~bat for my child~~ a foot that my bed is missing (currently balanced on bricks) and add an extra plank to my bed so that I can lay with my legs spread a little more. After being fully relaxed, then, yes then, I would eat that tasty fruit and thus making sure that miniature, cute-looking, never-happy piece-of-shit gets nothing.
But seriously speaking (this does not mean, I was not serious before), the tree which reduced itself to a stump, repeatedly asked the boy to sit under her shade and play with her. But all that mattered to that boy were his needs, indeed the tree fulfilled all his needs by giving all she had and not once that boy was thankful to her.

I don’t think this story signifies parent and child relationship. This boy, all he shared was his problems but what about those moments when he enjoyed his life. In reality, obviously we tell our problems to our parents, and they do eventually help us get rid of it. But it is also those moments of happiness that we share with them.
Happiness gets double when shared (with the right person).
Parents do grow along with the child unlike the tree which diminished itself to make child happy, but never ever saw him happy and smiling.
This story is often read by parents to their child but what if it makes them feel miserable and guilty, thinking that their parents are like the ‘giving tree’ and they don’t give anything in return. How can anyone read this book to a child?

I told the story to my mother and asked about her thoughts - First of all she recites a verse in Sanskrit and translates to me as:
A tree never eats its own fruit and a river never drinks its own water.
Further she explains it that they (tree, river and in general nature) exist not for themselves but for others.
I think to myself that it is also we people (certainly not everyone), who are there to protect and conserve them as our token of mutual love.
As I am writing this review a song plays faintly in my mind:

Sweet dreams are made of these
Who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused
Sweet dreams are made of these
Who am I to disagree?

I am utterly confused what this story is about and what message Mr. Silverstein was trying to convey....but what i know for sure is that Marilyn Manson Rocks! ...more

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Oct 22, 2008 Kenny rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, spiritual-growth, childrens

“Once there was a tree, and she loved a little boy.”
Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree

I recently reread Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree. It was the first time in many years I have read it. I love this book ; I always have. But, reading it as an adult, over 30, was so different this time around. The warm fuzzies of past reads were missing. Now, it made me feel sad, and empty. This go around, I saw it not as a parable of generosity and love, but instead I saw it as a story of selfishness, ...more

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Sep 05, 2016 James rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1-fiction, 2-fic-childrens

Book Review
I first read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein when I was twelve-years old, but then I read it again in college as part of a course called "Reading in the Elementary School." My opinion didn't necessarily change between the two reads, but my eyes were opened a little wider. I never realized it was such a controversial book, nor that the author was sometimes considered not ideal for children, despite writing picture books for them.

The basic gist of the book revolves around friend ...more

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Aug 29, 2007 Merrin rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: anyone

Shelves: childrens-books, favorites

Reading the other reviews on this book, I'm really surprised that there's such a level of hatred for this book. But then I thought everyone else in the world loved my fourth grade teacher too. We have to grow up sometime.

I can't imagine not loving this book. I can imagine berating the attitude of the boy, of the tree, but I can't imagine not coming away from this book with a deeper understanding of human nature, of reciprocity, of a parent's love for a child and the nature of servanthood.

Maybe ...more

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Oct 15, 2016 Agir(آگِر) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

من دلم می خواست می توانستم به تو چیزی بدهم
اما چیزی برایم باقی نمانده. من فقط یک کنده پیر
...و کهنسالم. متاسفم
description

ممنون عموشلبی عزیز
که به یادم آوردی «مادر» چه وجود مقدسی است
که عظمت عشقش فراتر از درک ماست
description

پسرک بزرگ شد و مرد شد و بعد پیرمرد، ولی هیچوقت از درخت سپاسگزاری نکرد
و با خودم فک می کنم که چقدر شبیه اش اویم؟

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Feb 09, 2010 Carol rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 18, 2016 Michael Finocchiaro rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kids, classics, american-20th-c

Shel Silverstein is truly one of the greatest American poets for kids. The Giving Tree is a wonderful story about friendship and ageing. No spoilers, but don't let your kids miss out on this absolutely gorgeous story!

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Mar 08, 2013 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it it was ok

Here's the book I really want to read:

description

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Jun 07, 2007 Jeremy rated it it was ok

Shelves: children, gift

The book is impossible to wrap my mind around. Part of me wishes it ended thusly: the tree suggests the boy chop her down to make a boat, he takes her advice, and the tree falls on him, killing them both. The moral being a quote I've heard attributed to Bill Cosby: If you spend your whole life trying to make other people happy, YOU'LL never be happy. The boy is punished for all but raping the one who cares more for him than anyone in the world, and the tree pays the ultimate price for a lifetime ...more

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Jul 13, 2007 Laura rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: not terribly bright hippies

Shelves: children

Easily the most vile children's book ever written, for reasons eloquently stated by about a zillion other posters here. I remember my grandmother, whom I disliked (yeah, some kids don't like their grandparents, it's true) used to push this book on me as terribly DEEP and BEAUTIFUL and something I should really THINK ABOUT. And you wonder why I didn't like my grandmother? (My mother thought it was a piece of shit, too.) Anyway, it's a vomitous book, always has been, and I'm glad there are other p ...more

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Apr 15, 2015 Calista rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bage-children, own, genre-poetry-prose-rhyming, genre-spiritual, classic, 1960s, genre-fantasy, z-shel-silverstein

I have always loved this book. AS youth we even acted it out as a skit with four people playing the tree.

Last year, I read someone memoir and they hated this book and talked about how unhealthy the premise is. Giving all you have to someone that leaves you until there is nothing left. There are no healthy boundaries here. I can see it from this side and the other side. It bring out many different arguments which is what art is supposed to do. I have to say, I still love the story, I'm am more c ...more

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May 03, 2011 Wendy Darling rated it it was amazing

Shelves: juvenile, sweet-old-fashioned, favorites-all-time, illustrated, made-my-heart-hurt

"I am sorry," sighed the tree. I wish that I could give you something...but I have nothing left. I am just an old stump. I am sorry...."
"I don't need very much now," said the boy,
"Just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could,
"Well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.

And the tree was happy.

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Mar 14, 2009 David added it

Sorry, Mr Silverstein. This kind of tripe is inexcusable. And exposing children to it? I'm no child psychologist, but what would be the point? I'd hazard a guess that Bernie Madoff read this book, and look how he turned out. In fact there's a whole generation of bwankers who took it as their bible. Thanks a bunch, Shelly boy.

My real reaction to this piece of morally ambiguous reprehensible mawkishness is best expressed by the kind of interpretative dance that was Molly Shannon's forte (one sylla ...more

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Sep 01, 2007 Jan Bednarczuk rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: nobody

Shelves: childrens

I can't stand this book. Someone gave it to my children as a gift, and I'm very close to hiding it or giving it away so that I don't have to read it to them at bedtime anymore. The selfish, uncaring boy who takes and takes and takes from the tree until the tree literally has nothing more to give, just makes me want to reach through the pages and throttle him. What's the message here? Is it "When someone loves you, it's okay to just take advantage of them endlessly because they will always be the ...more

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Feb 14, 2018 Soheil rated it it was amazing

"يكى بود،يكى نبود.يك درخت بود،كه پسر كوچولويى را دوست داشت."
هر دفعه با خودم ميگم "آخه مگه يه داستان كوتاه چقدر ميتونه خوب و تاثيرگذار باشه؟" و هر دفعه با يه داستانى مواجه ميشم كه معادلاتمو بهم ميريزه.اين كتاب رو امروز تو كتابخونه ملاقات كردم و لا به لاى روندِ بروكراتيكِ تمديدِ زمانِ تحويلِ كتبِ امانتى(!)،تصميم گرفتم نگاهى بهش بندازم.
خوندن كتاب كلا ٥ دقيقه طول نميكشه و بى نهايت زيباست.
از داستان چيزى نميگم چون سر جمع ١٠-١٥ خط بيشتر نيست و لوس ميشه،اما ياد سكانس پايانى فيلم "مادر!" افتادم كه جنيفر ...more

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Dec 31, 2007 Jon rated it really liked it

My wife and I had a debate about this book:

VONNIE: I’m not sure at what age a person discovers the joy of giving. Maybe, for me, it was that first Christmas when I had saved up enough of my allowance to actually buy something for my parents. I remember the anticipation of watching them unwrap the gift and then the big smiles that spread across their faces as they said “Vonnie, you shouldn’t have.” I think The Giving Tree is really a story about parenthood, and the lengths to which moms and dads ...more

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Nov 10, 2011 K.D. Absolutely rated it liked it

Shelves: childrens, graphics, environment, quick-read

Not sure what's the fuss about my friends either really liking or really hating this book. I find this just good. Good message. Good illustration. Good easy read. Nothing spectacular to go crazy about. Nothing sad to really cry a bucket of tears.

The Giving Tree is a poignant story of friendship between the selfless apple tree and a boy. They used to enjoy each others' company when the boy was still little but when he grew up, his priorities changed and he had other needs. The tree tried to help Not sure what's the fuss about my friends either really liking or really hating this book. I find this just good. Good message. Good illustration. Good easy read. Nothing spectacular to go crazy about. Nothing sad to really cry a bucket of tears.

The Giving Tree is a poignant story of friendship between the selfless apple tree and a boy. They used to enjoy each others' company when the boy was still little but when he grew up, his priorities changed and he had other needs. The tree tried to help the boy until she (the tree) did not have anything to give as she was reduced to a stump. At the time, the boy was already an old man and so, upon the invitation of the tree, he restfully sat down and the tree was again happy.

I liked the story because, on the surface, it is about environmental protection. Trees give us life (oxygen, fruits, shelter and shade to protect us from sunlight). Trees hold water on the soil preventing soil erosion and floods. However, men have been cutting trees and destroying forests. Time will come that we will all be old and has nothing to rest on except decaying dead stumps.

Digging deeper, this could be about the unconditional love that parents (tree) give to their children. Did either the tree or the old man (used to be the boy) regret about what happened in the end? No. Why? Because that's how life goes. Parents provide for their kids and do everything to make them happy and to help them fulfill their dreams. The boy went to the tree to ask for help on several occasions. The tree helped by giving her fruit, her leaves and branches, her trunk even if she was reduced to a stump in the end. She was still alive and she invited the old man (the boy) to sit on her and it made her and presumably him, happy.

So, its a happy ending! Why did some of my friends cry reading this book? For all you know new sprouts will grow from the trunk and the tree will outlive the man and their will be another boy and another story and the book will have a second part. It's just that Shel Silverstein is already dead and he could not write a sequel for this book.

I think readers interpret this too much when the whole point is that Silverstein just wanted this to be a children's book depicting the reality of life: that parents sacrifice themselves for their kids and that's because parents love their kids unconditionally and that's how normally life goes. ...more

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Jun 09, 2007 Meredith rated it it was amazing

I have always loved this book, so I was surprised at how many reviewers hated it. As a child I wondered how the tree could give so much. Now that I am older, I know that parents/caregivers do give that much to their children/charges (if metaphorically). So are all parents saps? Certainly they do not literally give house and home, but the sacrifices we make for the ones we love have no quantifiable limit. This book isn't supposed to teach children the value of sharing so much as it shows that som ...more

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About Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein

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Shel Silverstein was the author-artist of many beloved books of prose and poetry. He was a cartoonist, playwright, poet, performer, recording artist, and Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated songwriter.