by Ellen Carroll on February 20, 2009

Book Reviews, Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree

When I became a mother, my parents lavished all sorts of fine gifts on me (and my expanding family, of course) but of all those things, there is one that I will literally keep forever. Shortly after the birth of my son, my parents gave me a copy of one of my favorite childhood books, The Giving Tree. I can’t be sure if it was the insane hormones or the thoughtfulness of the gift, but I cried my face off.

I grew up in a home where reading was of the highest importance. We spent very little time watching the television and my love of reading grew deep from a very young age. My parents would read to us every night, everything from Good Night Moon to The Hobbit and our imaginations would soar.

Shel Silverstein’s imagination is a gift to all his readers. His works are refreshingly original and thoughtfully penned. He is a master of children’s literature, to say the least. All of his collections are worth reading but if you can only own one, choose The Giving Tree.  There is no other book like it, the story of a boy and his tree.  When the boy is young, he is content to eat it’s apples and swing from it’s branches. As he grows older, he asks more and more of the tree, and the tree willingly sacrifices every bit of itself to make the boy happy. Parallelling the love between a parent and child, The Giving Tree beautifully tells of true, selfless and undying love and the power of self-sacrifice.

Shel Silverstein’s classic book is touching to the very last page and will undoubtedly become a favorite in your home as it has in mine.

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