The Giving Tree Hardcover – February 18, 2014 Author: Visit Amazon’s Shel Silverstein Page | ISBN:
0060256656 The Giving Tree – February 18, 2014
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The Giving Tree turns fifty To celebrate the anniversary of this classic favorite by Shel Silverstein this edition features a beautiful metallic green jacket a The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein Feb 18 2014 Formats Price New The Giving Tree Hardcover 1964 Audible Download Audio Books 2014 strong br p Nov 24 2012 183 nbspThe Closer Hardcover ndash Giving Tree 8211 February 18 2014 02 18 2014 Format Hardcover Download Once there was a tree and she loved a little boy The Giving Tree is 02 18 2014 Format Hardcover Download the HC Reader App on iPhone iPad Android as The Giving Tree turns fifty Never before have Shel Silverstein 39 s children 39 s books appeared in a format other than hardcover 02 18 2014 Pages 64
- Age Range: 1 – 8 years
- Grade Level: 2 – 3
- Lexile Measure: 530L (What’s this?)
- Hardcover: 64 pages
- Publisher: Harper & Row; 1st edition (February 18, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060256656
- ISBN-13: 978-0060256654
- Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.4 x 10 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4 in Books > Children’s Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry
- #6 in Books > Children’s Books > Classics
There are two extreme ways to interpret this book, as shown by the multiple ratings of 1 and 5.The first: This is a beautiful and sad story of unconditional love between a tree and a boy, in which the tree is generous and gives of itself to help the boy whenever he is in trouble. The metaphor in this case is that of a mother and a child, or God and a human.
The second: This is a story of a very selfish boy and a tree who loves him. Whenever he is in trouble, he returns to the tree who gives him another part of her self without ever setting limits, even though it makes her sad (and physically damages her) to do so. In this case, you can compare the story to a metaphor of an abusive, codependent relationship.
I can understand both views of this story, but the fact that the second interpretation is just as valid as the first makes me hesitate to recommend this book. Personally, I would NOT buy this book as a gift, or for my own children. If I had this book, I would wait to read it to my children until they reach the recommended 10 years old (or at least 8), and then I would discuss the book and its concepts (selfishness, limit setting/saying NO) with them. “What did you think of this book?” “Do you think that the tree/the boy did the right thing?” “What would you have done differently if you were the tree/the boy?” “If you were the tree, would you have said ‘NO’ to the boy at any point?”
A story that may be complementary to this one and more appropriate for younger audiences is “Ladies First”, also by Shel Silverstein (found in “A Light in the Attic” or “Free to Be, You and Me”), which is about a girl who always gets to be first to do everything, but in the end that is not to her advantage.
The Giving Tree – February 18, 2014
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