May she sell some of its branches for firewood to raise money for her studies? Again the tree cautions to use only the fallen branches. When it comes time for college, she makes a new request of the tree. Time passes and the young girl continues to read and study under the tree. Then she thanks the tree by planting some fallen apples so new trees will grow she realizes her tree needs compost and provides it. She agrees and makes dolls only from the fallen apples. The tree agrees, but cautions her not too take too many because other creatures also depend on her. In order to investigate further, she wants to buy a chemistry set and a microscope so she asks the tree if she could pick and sell some of its apples. As she grows older, she learns to appreciate its beauty and the creatures who inhabit it.

A little girl loves a small, wild apple tree sapling. Both feature a tree and a child who make requests of the tree, but here the similarity ends. When I began reading this book, I immediately thought of Shel Silverstein's book, The Giving Tree. Your thoughts? Should you read both books (which I highly recommend), please leave your comments here. But, reading it in the context of the author’s comments, and in contrast to Shel Silverstein’s book, made the experience deeper. 'The Amida Tree' stands on its own as an important and captivating children’s book. I had never read 'The Giving Tree' so I bought a copy. When I retired, I wrote an alternate story called 'The Amida Tree.' (Amida is the symbol of Infinite Compassion and Eternal Wisdom.) To live a happy, fulfilled life, both wisdom and compassion are needed in balance.

Love doesn’t enable the other person to remain emotionally stunted and environmentally destructive. Ferrante explains it best in a comment she wrote about the famous and beloved book by Shel Silverstein: “As a teacher, seeing other teachers espouse The Giving Tree as a story of love, I was appalled. 'The Amida Tree' written and illustrated by Bonnie Ferrante is the author’s answer to 'The Giving Tree.' Ms.

Note: I strongly recommend reading 'The Amida Tree' after reading the 'Giving Tree' by Shel Silverstein.

The Amida Tree by Bonnie Ferrante