"The Giving Tree"

Last night I was reading a book to Ava at bedtime. We have just recently gotten our bookshelf moved from our old house with the rest of our books on it. We had gotten away from reading books at bedtime, because Ava always wanted to watch a cartoon before bed. Now she wants to start reading books again at bedtime, which is fine by me!

She picked out "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. Ava got this from my friend Treva on her first birthday. I am a book freak, and that goes for kid books too. I just love my big, beautiful bookshelf full of mine and Ava's books!

We were laying in bed, and its been over a year since we've read this book. I was really getting into the voices of the tree and of the little boy as he grows up from a kid, to teenager, to adult, and to an old man. It is a really touching book, and I've always loved it. Ava didn't say anything while I read the book, and when I finished I looked over at her and she had big crocodile tears rolling down her face with the biggest pout you've ever seen.

My baby had gotten the "meaning" of the story. She knew it was more than just the kid playing with the tree, taking her apples, cutting down her branches, and finally chopping down her trunk. I was filled with so much love when I looked into that sweet little face.

Ava is so rough and tough...always with a smart comment or sassy remark! It was nice to see that she has a soft side too. I was always tender-hearted growing up, almost to a fault. I'm glad my baby girl has a touch of that too. And it is so meaningful to me that she finds meaning from the written word. I am so dreading the days of I-Pods, DS's, floTV, and everything else that takes away that bright-eyed child and turns her into a little zombie!

If you've never seen his work, look it up and see what you can find. I know he also has a few collections of poetry that are geared toward children. Great, simple illustrations!