The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.

A book that lends itself to a variety of interpretations and observations.

If you have had a chance to read this wonderful book, you would know that it is about a special friendship between a tree and a boy. I read it by myself and thought that it is a beautiful book. In particular, I liked the tree’s character for being selfless, deriving joy by giving her best friend anything he asked for. I did not quite think that it would be even more thought provoking when read with groups of children.

They enjoyed reading about how the tree and the boy loved spending time together. Once the turning point in the story- where the boy begins to lose interest in the tree and moves on to worldly pleasures, several questions came up from the group. Each one tried answering each one’s questions, sometimes even challenging someone’s point of view. Here are few snippets from those sessions. I am in awe how much children can observe and think, if given a chance.

The sessions concluded with the happy thought that when it comes to reading a book and understanding what the author wants to tell the reader, there is no right or wrong. Different points of view are the different sides of the same coin. It depends on where you stand and how you see something.

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