"The Giving Tree" book -- what am I supposed to make of this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you this now because I've come to terms with my limitations. But I've always wanted to write "The Taking Stream," wherein the little boy swims and fishes in the stream, then eventually builds a factory next to his beloved stream, then the factory spills sludge into the stream, and finally the stream gets sick of it all and floods the factory and drowns the boy.

Thanks for the laugh! This is great!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you this now because I've come to terms with my limitations. But I've always wanted to write "The Taking Stream," wherein the little boy swims and fishes in the stream, then eventually builds a factory next to his beloved stream, then the factory spills sludge into the stream, and finally the stream gets sick of it all and floods the factory and drowns the boy.

i like you.

Off to the therapists, please.

Man, you have no sense of humor. Can we create a separate section of DCUM for people like you?

[Anonymous]

OP, he will tire of it after a while, but do try to retire it as soon as possible. We absorb a lot of things unconsciously between the ages of 0-5 -- not all of them healthy. He's probably too young to get anything more than the broad strokes now, but I would not keep in his library.

I had a similar reaction to The Rainbow Fish. At first glance, it seemed like it was a book about sharing. While reading it, I realized that it had a number of unfortunate messages: 1) it's not possible to be different/special and still humble and nice, and 2) the best way to make friends is buy them with presents and be just like them. I think we need to be very careful about how we talk about difference with children.

Sharing, of course, is great. However, there are many other books on sharing that are much better than The Rainbow Fish.

[Anonymous]

I cried the first time I read it (age 6 or 7, I think), and every time since. I hate that book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I can tell you this now because I've come to terms with my limitations. But I've always wanted to write "The Taking Stream," wherein the little boy swims and fishes in the stream, then eventually builds a factory next to his beloved stream, then the factory spills sludge into the stream, and finally the stream gets sick of it all and floods the factory and drowns the boy.


Thanks for the laugh! This is great!

Wasn't the Lorax sort of like this? I haven't read it since childhood.

[Anonymous]

I really love this thread. Laughing so hard right now!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I can tell you this now because I've come to terms with my limitations. But I've always wanted to write "The Taking Stream," wherein the little boy swims and fishes in the stream, then eventually builds a factory next to his beloved stream, then the factory spills sludge into the stream, and finally the stream gets sick of it all and floods the factory and drowns the boy.


Thanks for the laugh! This is great!

Wasn't the Lorax sort of like this? I haven't read it since childhood.

Kind of, except I don't think the Lorax kills anyone. He just lifts himself by the seat of the pants, and carries himself away.

[Anonymous]

+1 on the rainbow fish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, he will tire of it after a while, but do try to retire it as soon as possible. We absorb a lot of things unconsciously between the ages of 0-5 -- not all of them healthy. He's probably too young to get anything more than the broad strokes now, but I would not keep in his library.

I had a similar reaction to The Rainbow Fish. At first glance, it seemed like it was a book about sharing. While reading it, I realized that it had a number of unfortunate messages: 1) it's not possible to be different/special and still humble and nice, and 2) the best way to make friends is buy them with presents and be just like them. I think we need to be very careful about how we talk about difference with children.

Sharing, of course, is great. However, there are many other books on sharing that are much better than The Rainbow Fish.

See, to me Rainbow Fish is just creepy. He's giving away his body parts.

But the Giving Tree is a fantastic conversation starter book, maybe not for a 3 year old, but for a 7 or 8 year old it's great. You just have to understand that neither the boy nor the tree is the hero in the story. It's not saying "be like the tree" or "be like the boy". It's more of a warning than a celebration of their relationship.

And I love Love you Forever, because I think it totally captures all the intensity and weirdness of the preschooler-parent relationship. When he was 4 my kid asked me, totally seriously, if I could be his college roommate when he grew up. And when he was 4, I'd sneak into his room to watch him sleep and think "don't grow another day older", and the book captured that feeling perfectly, even though I never planned on literally sneaking in my adult child's window.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you this now because I've come to terms with my limitations. But I've always wanted to write "The Taking Stream," wherein the little boy swims and fishes in the stream, then eventually builds a factory next to his beloved stream, then the factory spills sludge into the stream, and finally the stream gets sick of it all and floods the factory and drowns the boy.

Love this. Please make it be the same boy. That's why he made a boat, right?

[Anonymous]

OK, so I found the words to the Giving Tree online...and...WTF??

And then I dared to click on the youtube video of the other one.

Suddenly that annoying Elmo book my son make me read him thousands of times doesn't seem that bad.

[Anonymous]

It's a book about co-dependency.

Balance it out with books about Growing Up.

[Anonymous]

My kids think the old man is taking a poo at the end so they love it. Tree potty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids think the old man is taking a poo at the end so they love it. Tree potty.

LOL, so instead of figuratively crapping on the tree, they think he did it literally? That's awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The picture of Shel Silverstein on the back is terrifying

Yes!! Only just discovered that gem last week.

OP, I also dislike the story but I'd just be glad your kid likes reading without moralizing too much.

Here's a hilarious Ryan gosling quote on the giving tree : http://www.vh1.com/celebrity/2010-05-13/why-we-love-ryan-gosling-you-be-the-tree/