The Giving Tree Book

Category: Book
Price: $8.99
Total Reviews: 127 customer reviews
Average Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
Buy From Amazon

Product Description

Teach your little ones about the gift of giving by reading them The Giving Tree. First published over 50 years ago, this classic children's book will pull at your heart strings while delivering a timeless message of kindness and compassion that peopl

Top Reviews

Beautiful edition
by Rhonda L. B. (5 out of 5 stars)
November 21, 2017

I have always loved this story. With the adult coloring craze still going on and storybook coloring books becoming a big deal I decided to pick up a copy of The Giving Tree that I would color to give to my kids and future grandkids. This edition is perfect for that purpose.
↭ 🍁 ↭

Dear Mr. Silverstein,
by Rihard C. La Bella (5 out of 5 stars)
February 8, 2018

My wife and I were joined in a nearly two year battle with a disease that wanted to take her from me. As the season of giving neared, she asked me to purchase a gift for me that would be from her. She was too weak to go out any longer. I was in a Book Sellers thinking I would purchase a gift card for her to give to me. I passed a display and saw a flash of red and green. They were my wife's favorite colors. I looked closer and saw the little boy, the apple, and the giving tree. Without even opening it I knew this would be from her to me. When we exchanged gifts she looked at it and smiled. Without a word, I held and put it in a quiet place to be read again at a special time.

On the early morning of January 31st, while I held and kissed her gently, she left the field of battle.

This morning I re-read her gift to me and actually, Mr. Silverstein, your gift to us.

My wife Vincenza (Vincy) of almost 45 years was my giving tree.

Now as a old man I sit where she rests. I dream and remember.

As always, Richard La Bella.
↭ 🍁 ↭

"I ALWAYS GIFT THIS BOOK"
by snowflake gramma (5 out of 5 stars)
June 1, 2016

Whenever I am invited to a baby shower, this is always a gift from my husband & myself. I have even chose this book as a house warming gift.

Like movies, books of all kinds are very personal. What I mean is everyones perception of what they are viewing , in this case reading are very different.

All that I can honestly say about this book, what some people say is "controversial" is it ;

touches on feelings

teaches about selfishness

teaches about selflessness

teaches about caring

teaches about giving

this book really tugs at all the emotions everyone goes through one time or another. Or even all at once.

It has turned into a discussion book for all my grandkids. Through your own eyes, minds & hearts is how each person feels & experiences when they read this book, or has it read to them.

The book is a hardback & comes with a cover resembling the cover of the book. There are only 30 pages to these book. The illustrations are clean & simple black drawings on crisp white pages. These pages aren't numbered, just clean illustrations.

I hope this review helped.

I keep my copy in our livingroom, it's there always.
📖THANKS FOR READING, BYE📚
↭ 🍁 ↭

Beautiful edition
by Rhonda L. B.,Top Contributor: Coloring (5 out of 5 stars)
November 21, 2017

I have always loved this story. With the adult coloring craze still going on and storybook coloring books becoming a big deal I decided to pick up a copy of The Giving Tree that I would color to give to my kids and future grandkids. This edition is perfect for that purpose.
↭ 🍁 ↭

...and the tree was happy!
by Howard Family (4 out of 5 stars)
June 6, 2017

I bought this book to read to my kids. I honestly had never fully read it before but I had read the reviews and thought I would give it a shot. It arrived on time and in good condition. The copy I had received was the 50th-anniversary edition. Beautiful hardcover, with a glossy dust jacket that makes the book stand out. Before reading this book to my kids, I read it out loud for my husband to hear it as well. It is both a sweet and sad story. There are so many ways a person can view this story and I was worried that it would go over my kids head but as I was reading it, especially around the parts where the boy got older and only kept coming back whenever he wanted or needed something, I could hear my daughter feeling sad for the tree. She had asked, "Why doesn't he want to play with the tree?" Needless to say, it was a good teachable moment about giving and taking or giving and not expecting anything in return and so on. I am very glad I purchased this book.
↭ 🍁 ↭

this book should be called the "TAKING TREE" or the "I DONT CARE ABOUT THIS TREE"
by Kay (1 out of 5 stars)
October 7, 2018

I honestly don't understand how this book got good reviews. It's DEPRESSING, should be called the "TAKING TREE". The boy basically selfishly took from her showing now love, gratitude or appreciation for the tree, yet the tree begged for him to continue to take from her without being loved or cared for. Just thinking about the poor messaging makes me sad. I do NOT recommend this book. The story is so not a good Lesson for children. Boys or girls.
↭ 🍁 ↭

Good book, prefer gifting the original book vs this one
by SuzieQ (4 out of 5 stars)
December 21, 2017

I gifted this to parents of a new baby. I really didn't like how small this special edition is or the fact that it didn't have a cover. I've gotta believe, however, that I'm more than a tad at fault for not reading the description thoroughly. Strangely, when I'd purchased this exact product 10 months ago for another friend's baby, I received the original, normal sized copy with the glossy paper cover (I remember as a child)....?? Anywho....
↭ 🍁 ↭

So many lessons in this story!
by Pokemom (5 out of 5 stars)
October 4, 2016

One of my favorite books as a child, and now I read it to my children.

This story teaches the reader the importance of giving generously, without expecting anything in return. Even though the child in this story doesn't seem to show a lot of gratitude (teaching moment when I'm reading to my kids.. I ask them how they would treat the tree if they were the little boy), it shows that a giving heart is always beautiful, always worthwhile to someone who needs them. Sadly, there are people in this world who will take and take, until you have nothing left to give, and then they will turn their noses up at you and find another "sucker" to take from. This book also gives the opportunity to teach children that, while it is good to give without expecting anything in return, it's also necessary to take care of yourself, and make sure you have enough for YOU before giving too much to others. Also, helping people is always a good thing, but when someone DOES try to take advantage of your kindness, you have to walk away in order to keep yourself from ending up as a "stump".

All in all, many lessons can be found in this book, about gratitude, generosity, kindness, and learning when to say "no" to someone who would take away from you until you had nothing left without a second thought.
↭ 🍁 ↭

Excellent reprint of a childhood favorite
by Stuart Dunn (5 out of 5 stars)
June 14, 2014

The copy I received was the 50th anniversary edition. It is a nice hardcover, with a glossy dust-jacket that makes the book stand out on your shelf. The pages have a nice thickness to them, and the images are just what I remembered when I was little. Shel Silverstein would have been pleased with this re-print, as he was very particular about what kind of paper his illustrations were printed on, as well as the size of his images. Harper Collins did a nice job honoring and respecting that, even 50 years later, with this book and other recent re-prints/anniversary editions they are releasing. Though, he probably wouldn't be too keen on them being released on Kindle.

As for the content of the book, I was stunned to learn that "The Giving Tree" is a book that apparently is really hit or miss on Amazon. I had no idea as many people loved it as hated it. I personally love the story, even if it is a sad one. As most everyone knows, the whole premise of the story is a tree who loves the little boy unconditionally, and a boy who never returns the love, but continually takes until there is nothing left to take. We can choose to view this metaphor in a bunch of ways. The tree could be the parent, or the tree could be Earth and the child humanity. Either way it is a book that makes you think, and can definitely be used as a teaching book or a critical thinking book. It is not a book you read to a 1 or 2 year old, but one you read along with older children and ask questions as you go along. I can't wait until my children are old enough to share it with them!
↭ 🍁 ↭

Re-examine with a childlike mind.
by S. Bola (5 out of 5 stars)
December 24, 2014

Now I don't mean to encourage the negative debates that often rage like a wildfire on the internet, but I must say that this book has always had a special place in my heart. I still remember the thoughts and feelings I had when my mother first read it to me as a child. Of course I can now see the story for how it can be interpreted, but as a child I looked at it through a lens of innocence. I interpreted the actions of the tree as pure, and didn't even identify with the brutality of the boy. I embraced the tree as the purest symbol of love. And because the reader through their emotional attachment has an active role in this story we must acknowledge that the tree sacrificed not only for the boy, but to the children who read her story.

Her sacrifice shows us the true strength of love, and comforts us with the knowledge that love will always outlast greed. This message could not come across if she was not willing to sacrifice everything for the boy.

Also, if the tree came out and chastised the boy, and told us directly what was right and wrong we would have our morality implanted in us, and not developed through our own understanding of the story. This is the true beauty of The Giving Tree. Her sacrifice gives us the time to see whats right from wrong. And the thoughts we develop on our own are worth more than so many "I told you so's" from an adult.

I have shared this book with my daughter, and soon with my son as well. It was important not to tell my daughter what to feel, but to help her develop her own moral through conversation. It was a wonderful experience passing this book down another generation.
↭ 🍁 ↭

Still remains to be one of my children's faves
by Tammy Amuan (5 out of 5 stars)
October 18, 2017

This was a favorite of both of my daughters even though they are 10-years apart in age. The eldest who was born in 2001 had the hard bound copy, and my youngest born in 2011 has both the hard bound and digital version of this book. Mr. Silverstein was a genius and really knew how to provoke thought in children about topics that never really change no matter what era. My girls asked me questions about life and getting old because of this book and it gave them a more heightened awareness of time and spending the time we have here wisely ;) I'm grateful this book was made a reality. It's a good way to teach your kids about things we take for granted.

Buy From Amazon


*If this is not the "The Giving Tree Book" product you were looking for, you can check the other results by clicking this link.  Details were last updated on Nov 20, 2024 16:17 +08.