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Julianne Douglas
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Post by Julianne Douglas » Wed April 21st, 2010, 8:08 pm

Re The Giving Tree: My older son LOVED this book; we must have read it a million times when he was a child. Remembering that, I just read it to my four year old a few weeks ago, and when I had finished, he told me he NEVER wanted to read it again--it was too sad. Funny how people can react so differently, depending on whether or not they identify with the tree, I suppose.
Julianne Douglas

Writing the Renaissance

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michellemoran
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Post by michellemoran » Wed April 21st, 2010, 8:11 pm

Scarred me for life. I feel your youngest son's pain.
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EC2
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Post by EC2 » Wed April 21st, 2010, 8:33 pm

I've not read The Giving Tree Michelle, but Raymond Briggs is a very talented British illustrator and author who deals with grim themes in his novels. There's not mucn with the HEA. Grandson loves and plays with his grandpa and there are lots of tender moments, but eventually grandpa's chair is empty - tears before bed-time. He's the guy behind The Snowman, but apparently the book is somewhat grimmer than the film in that Snowy melts and the boy doesn't get a scarf as a memento. Then There's When the Wind Blows - which is all about a couple struggling after a nuclear war.... Or Ethel and Ernest, a graphic novel about his parents. Quote from Amazon uk. 'The drawings are characteristically tender--the scene when his dead mother lies on a hospital trolley is particularly moving' Oh what fun as a bed-time story!
They are very powerful and moving books indeed. If you get a chance to read them, do, but they did strike me as falling into the category of children's books you might not actually want to read to your children at bed-time!
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

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michellemoran
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Post by michellemoran » Wed April 21st, 2010, 8:41 pm

Thanks, EC. Sniff. I can see those books would be another scar for life, but probably worth the read! Should I add that I hated Frosty as a kid as well? Too sad!
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Anna Elliott
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Post by Anna Elliott » Thu April 22nd, 2010, 1:31 am

Oh my gosh, Michelle, ditto on both Frosty and The Giving Tree! Totally scarred me for life. Funny, because my 3 year old seems to be trending exactly the same way, although I've not read her either. She got up from a nap crying awhile back because she'd been thinking about Humpty Dumpty falling off the wall: "Why did he fall?! His mommy should have been holding his hand!" Nursery rhymes are really rather brutal if you think about them too closely!

Author of the Twilight of Avalon trilogy
new book: Dark Moon of Avalon, coming Sept 14 from Simon &Schuster (Touchstone)

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