Critics of this book opine that it is hardly fit for a child, with it's ambiguous tale of a tree that serves the demands of a very selfish boy. Treacle stories replete with affirmative messages and happy endings is what we normally expect for younger children. That there is no pat moral explicitly included in The Giving Tree, is to me, it's best feature. Parents needn't worry that there is no lesson to be learned--though it isn't propped up for readers--there is. With a little reasoning, children are usually able to grasp the tragedy in the tree's generosity. This is a different kind of children's book, and parents should be responsive to the reaction it stirs in their little one.