# "The Giving Tree" - What a horrible lesson it teaches **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 19, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-giving-tree-what-a-horrible-lesson-it-teaches/635190 "2012-09-19T16:58:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 8
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-giving-tree-what-a-horrible-lesson-it-teaches/635190/8 "2012-09-19T17:15:09Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I know many will disagree, but I think “The Giving Tree” is a book with a very negative message. You’re not the first to say so. [We’ve had at least one other thread about it.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=489301) I thought there were more threads about it, but maybe I’m remember posts in discussions of books with bad messages and things like that. I continue to be very surprised by this interpretation of the book. I always thought it was primarily about love and willingness to give, probably from the point of view of a parent. Also, what’s a boy supposed to give a tree exactly? Water and mulch (which it already gets from nature, otherwise it wouldn’t have survived into treehood)? --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-giving-tree-what-a-horrible-lesson-it-teaches/635190)._