![]() ![]() After four years of searching for a publisher, Silverstein finally found a home for the book at Harper Children’s, when editor Ursula Nordstrom recognized its potential. One editor at Simon & Schuster described it as “too sad” for kids and “too simple” for adults, while another editor called the titular tree “sick” and “neurotic.” Other publishers were moved by the story, which follows the relationship between a boy and a tree over the course of his lifetime, but ultimately felt it was too risky for the genre. ![]() The book’s somber themes made it a hard sell. Shel Silverstein had only sold one children’s book- Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back-when he went about finding a publisher for The Giving Tree. Multiple publishers rejected The Giving Tree. No matter your interpretation of the story, The Giving Tree is a children’s classic that helped make Shel Silverstein a household name-even if it took him a while to get there. To others, it was a heartbreaking tale that messed them up during story time. Some readers remember The Giving Tree as a sweet picture book about the strength of unconditional love. ![]()
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