Littlewoods Index The Giving Tree Author: Shel Silverstein Hardcover Usually ships in 24 hours Delivery is subject to warehouse availability. Shipping delays may occur if we receive more orders than stock. Our Price: $23.95 You could save $2.40 (10%) with our iREWARDS Program Ordering is 100% secure . Spend $39 or more at chapters.indigo.ca and your order ships free!. ( Details ) Dimensions: 56 Pages | ISBN: 0060256656 Published: January 1964 | Published by HarperCollins Canada, Limited chapters.indigo Review A young boy enjoys the shade of a generous apple tree, plays in its branches, eats its apples and the tree soon grows to love the boy. The boy puts more and more demands on the tree who gladly obliges. When he needs money, she gives him her apples for him to sell. When he needs a home she suggests he cut off her limbs and use them to build a house. When he is old and bored she offers the rest of herself for a boat so he can sail off. This deeply sad story of self-sacrifice and love will touch your heart. Even though Shel Silverstein wrote The Giving Tree for kids, people of all ages will respond to its message. From the Publisher "Once there was a tree ... and she loved a little boy." So begins a story Of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk ... and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave. This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another’s capacity to love in return. About the Author "And now, children, your Uncle Shelby is going to tell you a story about a very strange lion -- in fact, the strangest lion I have ever met." So begins one of Shel Silverstein’s very first children’s books, Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. It’s funny and sad and has made readers laugh and think ever since it was published in 1963. It was followed the next year by two other books. The first, The Giving Tree, is a moving story about the love of a tree for a boy. In an interview published in the Chicago Tribune in 1964, Shel talked about the difficult time he had trying to get the book published. "Everybody loved it, they were touched by it, they would read it and cry and say it was beautiful. But . . . one publisher said it was too short . . . ." Some thought it was too sad. Others felt that the book fell between adult and children’s literature and wouldn’t be popular. It took Shel four years before Ursula Nordstrom, the legendary editor at Harper Children’s books, decided to publish it. She even let him keep the sad ending, Shel remembered, "because life, you know, has pretty sad endings. You don’t have to laugh it up even if most of my stuff is humorous." Ultimately both adults and children embraced The Giving Tree. Shel returned to humor that same year with A Giraffe and a Half. If you had a giraffe . . . and he stretched another half . . . you would have a giraffe and a half . . . is how it starts and the laughter builds to the most riotous ending possible. Shel’s first collection of poems and drawings, Where the Sidewalk Ends, appeared in 1974. It opens with this invitation: If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer . . . If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire, For we have some flax golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in! Shel invited children to dream and dare to try the impossible, from making a hippopotamus sandwich to drawing the longest nose in the world, to writing about eighteen flavors of ice cream and Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who wouldn’t take the garbage out. With his second collection of poems and drawings, A Light in the Attic, in 1981, Shel asked his readers to turn the light on in their attics, to put something silly in the world, and not to be discouraged by the Whatifs. WHATIF Last night, while I lay thinking here, Some whatifs crawled inside my ear And pranced and partied all night long And sang their same old Whatif song: Whatif I’m dumb in school? Whatif they’ve closed thw swimming pool? Whatif I get beat up? Whatif there’s poison in my cup? . . . Instead he urges readers to catch the moon or invite a dinosaur to dinner -- to have fun ! School Library Journal not surprisingly called A Light in the Attic "exuberant, raucous, rollicking, tender, and whimsical." Children everywhere have agreed and Shel’s books are now published in 30 different languages. Yet Shel did not set out to write and draw for children. As he told Publishers Weekly in 1975, "When I was a kid . . . I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn’t play ball, I couldn’t dance. . . . So I started to draw and write. I was lucky that I didn’t have anyone to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style." He grew up in Chicago and created his first cartoons for the adult readers of Pacific Stars and Stripes, when he was a G.I. in Japan and Korea in the 1950s. He also learned to play the guitar and to write songs, including "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash and "The Cover of the Rolling Stone" sung by Dr. Hook. He performed his own songs on a number of albums and wrote others for friends, including his last in 1998, "Old Dogs," a two-volume set with country stars Waylon Jennings, Mel Tillis, Bobby Bare, and Jerry Reed. In 1984, Silverstein won a Grammy Award for Best Children’s Album for Where the Sidewalk Ends -- "recited, sung and shouted" by the author. He was also an accomplished playwright, including the 1981 hit, "The Lady or the Tiger Show." He and David Mamet each wrote a play for Lincoln Center’s production of "Oh, Hell," and they later co-wrote the 1988 film, "Things Change," which Mr. Mamet also directed. A frequent showcase for Shel’s plays, the Ensemble Studio Theatre of New York produced Shel’s "The Trio" in their 1998 Marathon of one-act plays. Yet Shel Silverstein will perhaps always be best-loved for his extraordinary books. His latest collection, and his last book to be published before he sadly passed away in 1999 ... was Falling Up (1996). Like his other books, it is filled with unforgettable characters such as Screaming Millie who "screamed so loud it made her eyebrows steam." Then there are Danny O’Dare the dancing bear, the Human Balloon and Headphone Harold, and a host of others. Shel was always a believer in letting his work do the talking for him. So come, wander through the Nose Garden, ride the little Hoarse, and let the magic of Shel Silverstein open your eyes, tickle your mind, and show you a new world. NEW WORLD Upside-down trees swingin’ free, Busses float and buildings dangle: Now and then it’s nice to see The world -- from a different angle. Reader Reviews Average Reader Review: Number of Reviews: 11 1. Amazing Reviewer: Erika Myers from Toronto, ON (silversea333@hotmail.com) Date: 5/1/2002 1:10:46 AM It is incredible the strength of the mind of a child. I walked into Chapters the other day, and I glanced at the book on the shelf...I hadn't read it since I was a child...and it brought a sense of awe, I couldn't even remember why, until I read it again. I truly love this author. 2. The Giving Tree Reviewer: Kiru from Vancouver, B.C. (kiru@canucks.com) Date: 4/16/2001 2:25:15 PM Oh... what a lovely book. I'm a student teacher and I was in a classroom where the teacher read the book aloud to the children, and I almost broke down in tears! What a touching book. I was so touched that I went out and bought a copy to give to my parents. They are my Giving Tree. 3. depth and simplicity Reviewer: Stacey Gleddie from Abbotsford/BC (sgleddie@hotmail.com) Date: 3/20/2001 4:59:37 PM Shel Silverstein manages to capture the soul of sacrifice in an increadibly simple portrayal of the relationship between a boy and his tree. The book explores the depth of human selfishness, and the selfless sacrifice of Christ. This is a powerful story of sacrifice spurred by love. 4. Suitable for All Reviewer: ELISA from VANCOUVER Date: 1/7/2001 2:31:32 AM I was amazed by the power of this book. It's simple wordings and clean pictures can reach the heart of every reader, young or old.It brings out different feelings from readers of different age and life experience.My six years old girl enjoyed this picture book over and over again but I am the one who burst into tears when I went through the pages....and I am not the only one! 5. Inspiring Reviewer: Tina Hansen from Kelowna Date: 12/30/2000 11:47:42 PM This was one of those books that pulls on the heart strings. I once again gives us a simple yet important lesson in live. I thought it was real cute. A definite quick but needed read Read all of the reviews... 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