The Giving Tree
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a 2.6 on the Accelerated Reading leveling system. This story is about a tree who gives everything to a young boy anytime he asks. As a child, the boy loves to play with the tree. When the boy grows older he asks for fruit, leaves and wood as he needs to eat and build a house. In the end the tree gives everything and is just a stump. The story circles back around with the boy as an old man simply sitting with whats left of the tree once again. This story is perfect for a unit on sharing and helping other people when they ask. It could also be expanded upon to teach students not to take advantage of other's kindness.
