Comments on: The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: The Giving Tree Edition

By: real estate

real estate — Mon, 17 May 2010 03:49:52 +0000

Nice post. A simple, informative, catching one. Thanks for posting.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:02:51 +0000

just a heads up, the warehouse article now links to an article about makeup.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:54:43 +0000

When the kids were little, we read them Uncle Wiggily’s Story Book, Rabbit Hill, & Boxcar Children. When they were older, Danger on Panther Peak, & Pilgrims Progress. As a kid I enjoyed Big Red stories (a boy and his dog), the Black Stallion books (a boy and a horse), Pippi Longstocking, Dr. Doolittle, Anne of Green Gables, and any book with horses in it. We used to read to the kids several nights a week, even when they were reading on their own.

By: J

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:15:14 +0000

The problem with the “If Craigslist cost $1″ article is that the country is littered with failing newspapers that DID charge $1 for classified ads.

By: Beth

Beth — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:05:06 +0000

I’ll add my vote for the Paper Bag Princess! One of my other favourites that I always buy for baby showers is the Runaway Bunny. The artwork is fabulous :)

By: reulte

reulte — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:36:23 +0000

…. taking notes ….

My (boy’s) favorite picks include some of the above — Sandra Boynton, Dr. Seuss — as well as some action graphic novels (aka comic books).

I plan to start reading him Prydain Chronicles and Swiss Family Robinson soon, then into King Arthur and Robin Hood. He particularly likes science books — the little Golden Guides (Weather, Stars, Reptiles & Amphibians) and the DK ones. Currently, he really like reading about spiders (shudder!!) and I hate picking up a book with a life-size bird-eating spider on the cover!

By: Georgia

Georgia — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:50:25 +0000

Also a comment on Sam’s Club, etc. Since when is waiting in line for 15 minutes a drain on our resources? I go and give myself plenty of time to window shop, taste the goodies, visit with others, get a soda or lunch, buy, and check out. It is a fun experience and I enjoy it. I think in this day and age everyone seems to think that shopping, driving, etc should be instantaneous ventures. Why? Is our time that valuable? Go, save, enjoy. Attitude is half the battle.

By: Georgia

Georgia — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:47:15 +0000

So many of these books are great and some I have never heard of and am glad there is so much reading to be done in the world today. I read to my children and their father through high school. I have a good reading voice and we went through so many different kinds of books – kids, sci fi, romance, true adventure, mystery, comedy. Some of our favorites were the series of books written for adults by Thor Heyerdahl on his amazing adventures around the world.

My favorite of all time book of fiction would be Swiss Family Robinson. I have read it at least 50 times in the past 62 years since I was in the 5th grade. It never bores me. I also still read Louisa May Alcott and the Harry Potter series. I guess I am still a kid at heart.

How about the Baby Sitter’s Club’s Little Sisters?
Or the Scholastic books of history, such as What Were You Doing on ____date, Patrick Henry? Just get kids in the habit of reading and give them great variety, so they can develop their own taste.

By: L

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:03:59 +0000

I love The Giving Tree, and so does my class of preschoolers. I don’t think it’s a book you just read – there needs to be some discussion between adult and child about the relationship there and the love. Actually, any book will be more educational and enjoyable for kids if they can talk about it and express what they think is going on.

My kids also love anything by Eric Carle, and I loved anything by S.S. or Roald Dahl, but there are some AMAZING new authors and books out there. I would check with a teacher and see what she is using, or check out the best sellers.

By: CaGirl

CaGirl — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:57:11 +0000

Love all the great books listed above! One I had to name since I didn’t spot it in the list was the Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. The books are a bit racist, but you have to remember that they were published by a British author in 1902. I grew up hearing these and love them to this day – especially The Cat That Walked By Himself.

By: Esther Ziol

Esther Ziol — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:18:06 +0000

Besides the ones mentioned, my son (now 16) loved Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, which I also loved as a child.

By: Fenton

Fenton — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:06:05 +0000

Also add:

The Indian in the Cupboard books & the Wrinkle in Time books.

@rhymeswithlibrarian #72:

“The tree DOES “give and give and give until there is nothing left…”. I don’t think that self-destructive martyrs are the kind of lovers the world needs. I think you can give more love, and the love that really benefits the beloved, if you are a strong, whole person with thoughts and boundaries.”

That’s pretty much what I said. :) Indeed the tree DOES continuously give, but my point wasn’t for us to emulate that, but the TYPE of love continuously given: a selfless, self-sacrificing love that expects nothing in return but the good that it imparts.

Cheers!

By: Ann

Ann — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:53:43 +0000

Trent,

I hope people haven’t already mentioned these, but some of my favorites when I was in grade school include:

the E.B White books – Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, Trumpet of the Swan

Harriet the Spy

all of the Little House books (I reread them as an adult and was re-amazed!)

Thanks for the topic and letting me relive my childhood!

Ann from Maryland

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:24:38 +0000

Oh my goodness, this is making my heart explode–I want to go straight to the children’s section of the library!

Has anyone mentioned the Boxcar Children series yet? (Only the original 19 books, please!) I think Trent would enjoy them as much as the kids would. :-)

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:21:44 +0000

oh boy — lots of these have been mentioned, but my list includes (and I regularly give these as gifts!)

pretty much everything by Maurice Sendak
The Madeleine books
The Babar books
Curious George
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Narnia Series
Madeline L’Engels’ Wrinkle in Time trilogy
Nancy Drew
Hardy Boys
Tom Swift
Pippi Longstocking
Everything by Richard Scarry
James and the Giant Peach (and all of Dahl’s books)
Freddie the Detective
Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain series
The ‘Harold’ books by Crockett Johnson
Dr. Seuss
Harry Potter series
Ursula Le Guin’s EarthSea series
David Edding’s Belgariad series (both of them)
Little Women
Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NIMH
Beatrix Potter books
So You Want to be a Wizard? (Diane Duane)
The Secret Garden
The Black Stallion books
Misty of Chincoteague

By: EsH

EsH — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:35:52 +0000

I love, love, LOVE “The Phantom Tollbooth” as a book to read to slightly older children. It can be read over and over and the children understand more of the lessons and humor each time.

Dr. Seuss books are also classic, as well as the Berenstain Bear books.

For the potty-training set, “Once Upon a Potty” is awesome.

By: rhymeswithlibrarian

rhymeswithlibrarian — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:51:56 +0000

For older children (and adults), another big vote for Anne of Green Gables. And for the other Montgomery fans here, click on my name to link to a song about Anne that you might enjoy.

Fenton said about The Giving Tree:
“The tree, throughout everything, loved the boy and sacrificed herself (to use the gender in the book) for the boy, not once questioning whether or not she should give to the boy. If there was ever anything worth emulating, that would be it. Not that we should give and give and give until there is nothing left of ourselves, but that we should give freely and without requiring anything in return. To give out of love.”

I agree that the book’s intended message is that the tree’s style of loving is to be admired and emulated… but I don’t agree that this is a good message. The tree DOES “give and give and give until there is nothing left…”. I don’t think that self-destructive martyrs are the kind of lovers the world needs. I think you can give more love, and the love that really benefits the beloved, if you are a strong, whole person with thoughts and boundaries.

Am I the only one who finds “Love You Forever” kind of creepy? The pictures where mom is crawling into the room of the sleeping child, or breaking into her adult son’s house, creep me out. If I were her son, I’d get some better locks… or a restraining order.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:42:19 +0000

I would have to add The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. It is a role reversal of the typical fairy tale. In this story the girl rescues the boy!

By: f1owerprincess

f1owerprincess — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:33:36 +0000

I forgot to say that Wayside School books are great for everyone. I read them aloud to my grandma when we were travelling across country in her RV when I was a kid and she loved them. They are so funny!

By: f1owerprincess

f1owerprincess — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:30:21 +0000

I love children’s books and agree with many people on this list. Post #22 especially.

Tikki Tikki Tembo
The Secret Garden & A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Redwall series by Brian Jacques
Enchanted Forest series by Patricia C. Wrede
Golden Compass trilogy by Philip Pullman
Earthsea series by Ursula K. Leguin
Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carrol

Here are a few of my other faves:

The Tripod series – When the Tripods Came, White Mountains, City of Gold & Lead, Pool of Fire – by John Christopher
Boxcar Children mysteries
Time Warp Trio series (my neices & nephews love these – especially “Your Mother was a Neanderthal”)
Wayside School series by Louis Sachar (these are great to read aloud. My neices & nephews love me to read them, especially chapter 2 of “Sideways Stories from Wayside School”)

So glad to know that other people love kids’ books and that you are teaching yours to love literature!