Half a Dozen Bird Houses

 

I have a confession: I despise Shel Silverstein’s book, The Giving Tree. I know parents have been reading this to their children since I was five. I know generations of kids have grown up loving it. Not me. The book is about a tree who loves a boy. She gives him apples to munch, branches to swing on, and shade to rest in. The book says the boy loves the tree, but he seems to only love what she can give him. Eventually, the boy chops down the tree for lumber, and she is nothing but a sad, lonely stump. It seems to me if the boy REALLY loved the tree, he would have nurtured and protected her. His children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren could have enjoyed the tree for many years. This isn’t a cozy bedtime story. It’s a warning about dysfunctional, toxic relationships. And it should be called “The Taking Boy.”