This is a book that you will want to keep long after your little one has grown up.

My dad used to read us this book when we were little. I loved this book then, and I still love it now. Its such a touching story that every child should read.

While it is just a short, little childrens' book that can be read in five minutes, it's one of the sweetest books you can read. I first read it in a bookstore at the urging of a friend. It brought tears to my eyes, right there in the store. I had to buy it, even though my daughter was still a baby and we were quite poor. On the surface, the book appears to be about the relationship of a boy and an apple tree (which is referred to with a feminine pronoun). The boy loves the tree and the tree loves the boy. As the boy grows up, the tree always meets his needs, offering herself willingly because of her love for the boy. As for the deeper meaning, it has been the subject of debate. I think it demonstrates the sacrificial love of parents toward their children. Although you could argue that the boy seems to be selfish and unappreciative of all the tree gives him, that is the nature of children. It's also normal for parents to want to provide for their children. It is a poignant, sweet story. I don't regret buying it.

Since the day my grade two teacher first read The Giving Tree to my class, I have been in love with the story. As an adult I realize that the messages it sends to readers, young and old, to live and love, and never stop being a kid, is clear and very important. I always wondered whether or not the tree was right in giving the boy everything he needed, and whether or not it was right to want so much from the tree. Either the way, the sadness at the end is real and teaches children to appreciate what they have because you never know if it may be taken away. I also love how Silverstein illustrates the different stages in life; very real and very effective. I will always enjoy this read; for myself, my students and my own children one day.

I just don't get it. This is a story of a man's life from boyhood to old age and the life of a glorious tree to its final destiny as a stump - the gift of itself to the man. Both grow and diminsh with the boy only taking and the tree only giving. As this is written in a simple format, I would imagine many a child has heard this story. I think this parable is one that is too complex for a young mind to understand. The Giving Tree does not teach us anything about giving - and that is not something I want to teach to any child.

GET THIS BOOK!!!

There was a little boy and a tree. The little boy loved the tree. He would swing in the tree's branches and sleep in the tree's shade. Sometimes he would eat apples off the tree, but as time passed, he grew older and older. When he was a teenager he asked the tree to give him money, the tree said "I can't give you money but I can give you apples to sell". He got older and older and he asked for more things, when he was old the tree said "I can't give you anything else because I have already given you everything I have she said sadly. The boy said "that's okay because I only need a quiet place to sit. "Well then", said the tree straightening herself up ''you may sit on me

This book is so amazing in it's morals, and just the overall idea behind it. I find this book hard to read without wanting to cry at the tree's pain. It's a great read for kids and adults alike!

This is a wonderful book, that should not be overlooked. Its message is wonderful and moving, and a great book for children. I can't say enough of the message in which this book puts forth.

It is incredible the strength of the mind of a child. I walked into Chapters the other day, and I glanced at the book on the shelf...I hadn't read it since I was a child...and it brought a sense of awe, I couldn't even remember why, until I read it again. I truly love this author.