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Critical Thinking Questions for Young Minds

1. After reading this story, what do you think makes a boundary healthy? Is it possible to have unhealthy boundaries?

2. If you do not like someone else’s boundaries, is it OK not to respect them? Why or why not?

3. As you may know, this story is based on Shel Silverstein’s book, The Giving Tree. Obama economic adviser Betsey Stevenson says she reads this book to her children, but that “if only she’d set limits, she wouldn’t be a stump today!” Which personified tree seems more like an actual tree: the one in this story, or in Shel Silverstein’s story? Why did you make your choice?

4. According to the FAO Resources Assessment 2005, each year we lose about 13 million hectares of forest- about the size of Greece. This is a major contributor to global warming, accounting for around 16% of CO2 emissions. Do you think we would lose less, or even gain forest, if trees were better at enforcing healthy boundaries? How can we teach them to do this? Do you think this is a silly question? Why or why not?

5. Do you think the relationship between the tree and the boy sounds like another kind of relationship where boundaries are important? What kind? How should we talk about those?

*finally, a note about acknowledging properly: please be aware, dear friends, that large swaths of this text are lifted directly from Shel Silverstein's original work. I did this because I felt it was important to join the conversation about this book during its 50th anniversary year, and didn't see any other way to go about it. It's done with reverence and respect for one of my favorite childhood authors.