Comments on: The Giving Tree http://girlinapartyhat.com/index.php/2010/02/the-giving-tree/ Girl in a Party Hat Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:32:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Elaine http://girlinapartyhat.com/index.php/2010/02/the-giving-tree/comment-page-1/#comment-1611 Elaine Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:49:43 +0000 http://girlinapartyhat.com/?p=2284#comment-1611 My own mother refused to read "The Giving Tree," because she thought it was a warped view of motherhood. She also spurned "Runaway Bunny," for the same reason. Another verboten book in our house was "Curious George" (neocolonialism, misbehavior rewarded, just not great text...). Richard Scarry was also disallowed because it doesn't really tell a story. It's not that my mom is a moralist, it's more that she's an English teacher and a book-lover, so I grew up in a house full of fabulous books that no one else has ever heard of: The Greennough series, Millions of Cats, and everything by Daniel Pinkwater. Last night, my own Sophie found "Curious George" on the shelf and asked me to read it -- and, in the midst of reading it, I suddenly understood my mother better. I think I'm going to give that book away. There are just too many other good books out there. Even though I don't want to be censoring, even though I would like to vary Sophie's book diet away from Doctor Meow's Big Emergency (which I have now read aloud far more than a hundred times), and even though no book is perfect (we do read Runaway Bunny, because I love those pictures, but I vary the words when I read it), and even though I think that books should sometimes be uncomfortable, still: we don't need to read The Giving Tree. My own mother refused to read “The Giving Tree,” because she thought it was a warped view of motherhood. She also spurned “Runaway Bunny,” for the same reason. Another verboten book in our house was “Curious George” (neocolonialism, misbehavior rewarded, just not great text…). Richard Scarry was also disallowed because it doesn’t really tell a story. It’s not that my mom is a moralist, it’s more that she’s an English teacher and a book-lover, so I grew up in a house full of fabulous books that no one else has ever heard of: The Greennough series, Millions of Cats, and everything by Daniel Pinkwater.

Last night, my own Sophie found “Curious George” on the shelf and asked me to read it — and, in the midst of reading it, I suddenly understood my mother better. I think I’m going to give that book away. There are just too many other good books out there. Even though I don’t want to be censoring, even though I would like to vary Sophie’s book diet away from Doctor Meow’s Big Emergency (which I have now read aloud far more than a hundred times), and even though no book is perfect (we do read Runaway Bunny, because I love those pictures, but I vary the words when I read it), and even though I think that books should sometimes be uncomfortable, still: we don’t need to read The Giving Tree.

]]> By: Leah http://girlinapartyhat.com/index.php/2010/02/the-giving-tree/comment-page-1/#comment-1607 Leah Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:59:27 +0000 http://girlinapartyhat.com/?p=2284#comment-1607 I absolutely can't stand that book. Love is giving and giving when the other person abuses you? Ugh. I absolutely can’t stand that book. Love is giving and giving when the other person abuses you? Ugh.

]]>