As of early Friday morning I am officially an Aunt or Zia as I am going by to a gorgeous baby boy and I couldn't be happier!! In honour of my new nephew I thought I would showcase two of my favourite childhood books.
A lovely story about the relationship between a boy and a tree
The story of a princess who uses the magic of the balloon tree to save her village.
Congratulations on the new blog! I plan on visiting in the upcoming months as I am trying to get back to pre-marriage reading levels :)
ReplyDeleteRE: The Giving Tree. I have to say that of all of Shel Silverstein's books, and I think I've read them all, this is the only one I absolutely loathe!
I never really knew why I dislike it as a child, but as I got older and more experienced I realized that the relationship between the boy and the tree was incredibly toxic and dysfunctional. No matter how I tried to spin it - ("It's just a kids book."), I found that I could not see myself giving it to anyone - especially a girl - for fear they would mistake it as an example of a healthy relationship.
I don't know, maybe I've read too much into it, but I've met other women who have felt the same way about it. I'd love to hear your take on it.
Thanks so much for my very first comment, I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest with you I haven't read The Giving Tree in ages but I always remember liking the story and the pictures. Now that you mention it I do remember feeling sorry for the tree and thinking that the boy was very selfish but I justified it with thinking it was an example of unconditional love; I guess the mind of an 8 year old doesn't question the ever powerful love. Now that I am 26 I can see what you mean about it being toxic. Way to bring up some great talking points I love analyzing!
PS Congrats on the marriage, I just got married myself in July and I know what you mean about pre-marriage reading levels. Wedding planning takes over your life!
ReplyDeleteSome food for thought. I thought the comparison to the parent-child relationship rather interesting.
ReplyDeleteSome academic readers describe the book as portraying a vicious, one-sided relationship between the tree and the boy; the tree is a selfless giver, and the boy as a greedy and insatiable entity that constantly receives, yet never gives anything back to the tree. The boy has a selfish love that could be misrepresented and imitated by its young readers. Indeed, some of these speakers single the tree out as an irresponsible parent whose self-sacrifice has left the boy ill-equipped. Other readers argue that the tree gives everything to the boy freely because it loves him, and its feelings are reciprocated by the boy when he returns to the tree for a rest. In this way, the relationship between the tree and the boy as he grows up could be viewed as similar to that between a parent and child; despite getting nothing in return for a long time, the tree puts the boy's needs foremost, because it wants him to be happy. Indeed, the only time the tree ever seems to be sad is when it feels that it has nothing left to give the boy and that the boy might never return
Congratulations auntie!! Thanks for commenting on my blog!! I am so excited that you have your own space now to talk about your love of literature! I subscribed :) I am starting a book club too so I'd love to hear about your club reads too!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, being an Aunt so far is great!! Yay book clubs I love the women in my club and our meetings are something I look forward to all month. I am happy to share our picks and help in anyways I can. Good luck!!
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