Play Book Tag discussion

I decided on this book to read this year based on the review in the book Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks: A Librarian's Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life.

Growing up as a kid I loved Shel Silverstein and his poetry. I still do as as adult. My favorite book by him is Where the Sidewalk Ends. I can't believe that I had never read The Giving Tree.

Annie Spence did not like this book. But I did. It's about a boy and his friendship with his favorite tree. The story progresses through life as the boy grows and gets older and what the tree continues to give to this boy. The tree gives a place to play, food in the form of apples, shade from the heat, branches for a boat, the trunk for a house and finally it's stump as a place to rest. Kind of like true friendships....when we age and grow, sometimes we grow apart but the friendship stays and we always have something to give to one another.

Sorry, Joni. The problem that many people have with this book is that the boy doesn't give the tree anything. He just keeps taking. It's not a picture of a healthy friendship.

Jgrace wrote: "Sorry, Joni. The problem that many people have with this book is that the boy doesn't give the tree anything. He just keeps taking. It's not a picture of a healthy friendship."

I can see where people can see this. In a way I see it also. This is one the one reviews from Annie Spence.

The good thing about books is that we call take something different from them....good or bad.

I never did like this book either, kept wanting to smack that boy, and rolling my eyes at the pushover tree. Reminded me of overly permissive parents who don't do their child any good with lax parenting. I will stick to his excellent poetry.