Read this when
The Giving Tree
POV: you realise you're the tree 🌳
Who it's for
Few books have split readers like this one.
Drained, used, guilty→Clear, self-respecting
Feelings it meets
What it is
Shel Silverstein's picture book follows an apple tree that loves a boy. As he grows up he keeps returning to take something more: her apples to sell, her branches to build a house, her trunk to make a boat. Each time the tree gives and is "happy", until she is only a stump, and the old man comes back needing nothing but a place to sit.
Where to find it
In print, from libraries, and as an e-book.
Before you start
Heads up: A sad ending.
Age: All ages (adult reflection recommended)
I have not broken your heart—you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
