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Summary: Appreciation ...and the tree AND boy were happy.
Review: I love the story of 'The Giving Tree', otherwise nicknamed by some as 'The Taking Boy'. It seems to be a tale that you either love or hate.What I take away from this story is that of appreciation for others. Initially the boy and tree play together enjoying each others friendship. As the boy grows older he takes more and more from the tree, believing that the more he has, the happier he will be, until at last the tree is an old stump and the boy is an old grump. But, it doesn't end there... The old grump returns to the stump, as he finally realises what the tree has known from the very beginning - how to be happy. He has learned to appreciate his friend, not for what she can give him, but for her companionship. For me, this is a beautiful gift to share with a friend.
Rating: 
Summary: The Taking Boy!
Review: I will never understand why people love this horrible book. Yes, there are somethings that are worth giving your life for, but a selfish little boy is not one of them. I have never understood the "lesson" of this sad book. I hope my children are neither the tree nor the boy -- instead I hope they learn to give when they can and take when they need.
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Summary: Laying on a guilt trip
Review: I didn't read this book to my daughter when she was a child, but someone gave it to her for her new baby. When I read it, it was all I could do not to take it away and hope that no one would miss it, because I don't want my granddaughter to have this story! It is just too sad, and little children should not be reading sad stories. Yes, it is a meaningful parable, but tiny children don't need meaningful parables. They should have joy, not deep thoughts. The mothers who love it probably have a secret martyr complex. When I read the review quoting the mother who said the tree is "all mothers" I thought this is someone who is laying the foundation for a major guilt trip later in life. The boy is selfish and never does appreciate the tree, and that's OK with the tree. But I'll bet that mother is someone who will tell her grown child "look at all I did for you, and you don't appreciate me."
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Summary: The Giving Tree
Review: This book is absolutely *precious* I gave it to my youngest son on his 13th birthday as an extra gift. It's so touching that it still brings a little tear to our eyes. My son is now almost 20 years old and keeps it in a special box so that some day he can give it to a child of his own. This children's book isn't just for the little ones, the older ones appreciate it too, it carries such deep feelings...enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: depressing
Review: I remembered this being a favorite childhood book of mine, but as I read it to my own children for the first time, I was very disturbed. I haven't read it to them again. I'm in agreement with the reviewer who said he'd outgrown it. It doesn't hold any social value at all to me. We've come so far from abusive relationships in this day and age. I refuse to introduce the idea to my children.
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Summary: teach your child to be a doormat?
Review: I never understood the appeal of this book. The tree is used by the boy, who gives nothing back. What's the message here?
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Summary: Poor example for children
Review: I would never want my two boys to act like the boy in this story. Not only is he always selfish and grasping, the tree is given a female gender, thus teaching boys to devalue women, and girls not to value themselves. It is a dangerous message. If I were to ever allow my sons to read this book, it would be with the express purpose of explaining to them what is wrong with the story. I found absolutely nothing heartfelt or tender about this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A children's story without a happy ending
Review: "And the tree was happy." Those are the last words in The Giving Tree -- but the story leaves the reader feeling sad. One could say that in the end the boy enjoyed all that the tree had to give and the tree enjoyed giving -- so both were happy. Or, that the man used the tree to give him everything he wanted in his life, money, marriage, house, and boat. Still, in the book, the boy and tree spend most of their life apart and unhappy aand this creates a feeling of sadness in the reader. The written words say "happy" but create a feeling of sadness. On the surface, this is just a story about a tree and a boy who love each other. On a deeper level, the story could be a metaphor for most relationships. Mother, father, mentor, friend, sister, brother, wife, husband. In this story the tree is female and the boy never is referred to as a man in the story, even though he grows older. Sometimes we are the giver and sometimes we accept the gifts given to us. The happiest time in the boy's life was in the beginning, when he loved the tree back. As the boy grew older and began trying to find happiness in things like money, marriage, house, boat -- he became needy and unhappy. Finally, at the end, the tree is only a stump and thinks he has nothing left to offer that the boy values. But the boy no longer needs anything outside his relationship with the tree. Boy and tree are together again. In the end, the tree is happy and the boy has what he needs -- a quiet place to sit and rest. It is an inspired and disturbing story.
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Summary: A Book I Grew Up Reading.....
Review: As a child, this was one of my favorite books. As an enlightened adult, it's a disturbing look at relationships. The Giving Tree was happy to give to the boy, but the boy never gave back in return. The most disturbing image to me was the last page. The tree had given everything she had (her apples, branches and her trunk). Her reward for her kindness was a boy(now an old man) sitting on top of her at the very end. Since the author died a few years ago, one cannot ask him what he meant by this. Was this meant to be a happy ending or not? Was this a child's example of how not to treat a loved one? Who knows? People will debate the meaning of the story. As for me, I've outgrown it.
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Summary: A Mother's Perspective
Review: I am a student in English Education and I was on campus with my three year old son. I sat on the floor of the bookstore and read this book to him. By the time the boy cut off all of the tree's limbs, I was quietly weeping. Several people were listening and one woman was crying as well. When I was finished and closed the book, one young man thanked me. The simple words and images of this story moved me (and my listeners) beyond what I can describe. To me, Mr. Silverstein's book illustrated some of what it means to be a parent, to give and give and give... gladly, until all is consumed. It is both a guide and a cautionary tale. To give is beautiful, but it can devastate.
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