The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree is a timeless tale of the love between a tree and a boy.  Created by Shel Silverstein, this simple story is heartfelt and makes for a warm parable about the endless capacity of love and how giving is an act of love that does not need anything in return.  A beautiful book for parents to read to their children, The Giving Tree has been around for over twenty years and won’t soon disappear from the bookstore.

The story is short and never leaves the tree on its own.  It all starts when a boy comes to the tree.  He is hungry, so the tree offers her apples for him to eat.  From there the boy and the tree bond and a friendship is formed.  However, as the boy grows older, his desires change, but the tree still gives him what she can, apples to sell, branches to make a house, until all that is left is a stump.  By now the boy has become an old man and all he wants is something to rest on.  Once again, the boy and the tree are together, and both of them are happy.

No matter how long the boy was away, the tree was always happy to have helped.  This is a great way of showing children that the act of giving is something special and nothing should be expected in return.  Of all the children’s books available, The Giving Tree one book that should be certain to have some shelf space.

With little effort, you can see the rich, spiritual story encased in these pages. The tree gives up it's very life for the boy, is always joyful for his return no matter how long the boy has been away, and in the end the tree provides rest. 

This is one of Laomai's favorite books. She read it on video for a beloved friend and I thought I would share it here. Please pardon my poor video taking and enjoy her reading. She is reading from a stump she found and proclaimed to be a "giving tree."