Focusing on a single square meter of old-growth Tennessee forest, biologist David Haskell tells the story of the life that flourishes beneath the surface through all four seasons. There are Douglas firs as tall as skyscrapers, and a banyan tree in Calcutta as big as a football field. Some children of rape felt that their emotional struggle was trivialised when they were compared to gay activists. At the very top of the tree they discover a ladder which leads them to a magical land which is different on each visit, because each place moves on from the top of the tree to make way for a new land. It's entirely possible that the tree, if you'll forgive the expression, is acting according to the Lethani.

As of 2001, over 5 million copies of the book had been sold, placing it 14th on a list of hardcover "All-Time Bestselling Children's Books" from Publishers Weekly.

When it comes to Gary's adulthood, he wants the Giving Tree to grant him an addition to his house for his growing family. This James Fazio reference is the best "beginning" book on forestry and woodland management I have found to date. I suppose that this book may have been intended as an anti-lesson, an example of how NOT to behave -- but if so, then it was not made clear that this was the case, because most people who read this book seem to take it as an ideal example of love. Haskell repeatedly visits a dozen trees, sharing how they are interconnected with other life around them, as well as with humans through history, ecology, and wellness. Part environmental manifesto, part memoir, this heartfelt book invokes the inherent connection we all have with nature.

Eric Rutkow fleshes out little-known but significant historical events to form an intriguing account of trees in the United States. For instance, the boy in the book never seemed to thank the tree, leading to readers speaking out that the boy was exploiting the tree.

Using field observations and new discoveries about the brain, this book gives some powerful insights into what animals think and feel. Add the contrivance of small creatures whispering plot points to its branches and for me, coincidence trumped craft. The Halloween Tree itself, with its many branches laden with jack-o'-lanterns, serves as a metaphor for the historical confluence of these traditions.

The Giving Tree is featured in the Robot Chicken episode "But Not in That Way" with the boy (whose name is Gary) voiced by Seth Green and the Giving Tree voiced by Hulk Hogan. Jo has been changed to Joe, the more common spelling for males, and Bessie is now Beth, the former name having fallen out of use as a nickname for Elizabeth. I know that many people have a sentimental love for this book, and I respect that -- you can't rationalize emotional connection. I can imagine berating the attitude of the boy, of the tree, but I can't imagine not coming away from this book with a deeper understanding of human nature, of reciprocity, of a parent's love for a child and the nature of servanthood. There was, for me at least, a before and an after, a world in which I hadn’t read it, and one in which I had.In the final pages, both the tree and the boy feel the sting of their respective "giving" and "taking" nature. An educational resource for children describes the book as an "allegory about the responsibilities a human being has for living organisms in the environment". Discover just how incredible the soil beneath our feet really is, and how it has the potential to reverse climate change, feed the world, and improve your health. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, BC, copublished by the BC Ministry of Forests. If you -- and, yes, I'm talking to you personally -- are not moved by the plight of the tree after reading this book, then perhaps it's time to go an' check yo'self: are you the givin' tree or are you the motherfuckin' takin' tree?