The Giving Tree - Kids story

Once upon a time, there was a big, beautiful tree that stood tall in the middle of a forest. This tree was known as "The Giving Tree" because it always gave something to everyone who came to it.

One day, a little boy came to the tree and said, "I'm so hungry. Can you give me an apple to eat?" The tree smiled and gave the boy one of its apples. The boy was very happy and ate the apple right away.

The next day, the boy came back to the tree and said, "I'm bored. Can you give me a branch to play with?" The tree smiled again and gave the boy a branch. The boy played with the branch for hours and had a great time.

The tree was always happy to give to the little boy because it loved seeing him happy. As the boy grew older, he came back to the tree less and less. But every time he did, the tree was still happy to give him whatever he needed.

One day, when the boy was all grown up, he came back to the tree and said, "I need a house to live in. Can you give me your trunk?" The tree was shocked but still wanted to make the boy happy, so it gave him its trunk.

The boy built a house with the trunk and was very happy. But soon, he wanted more. He came back to the tree and said, "I need a boat to sail away. Can you give me your branches?" The tree, feeling sad but still wanting to help the boy, gave him its branches.

The boy sailed away on his boat, leaving the tree with nothing but a stump. The tree was very lonely without its branches and trunk, but it still loved the boy and was happy that he was happy.

Years went by, and the boy became an old man. He came back to the tree and said, "I'm tired now. I just want to sit and rest. Can you give me a place to sit?" The tree, now just a stump, said, "I'm sorry, but I have nothing left to give. All I have is this stump."

The old man sat on the stump and rested. As he looked at the stump, he realized how much the tree had given him over the years. He felt very grateful and said, "Thank you, tree, for everything you've given me. I never realized how much you've done for me."

The tree smiled, feeling happy that the old man finally understood. The old man sat with the tree and they talked for a while. The tree was happy to have someone to talk to again, and the old man was happy to have a place to rest.

As time went on, the old man grew even older, and eventually he passed away. But even though he was gone, the tree still remembered him and missed him. It missed their talks and the sound of his laughter.

Years went by, and the tree continued to grow, but it was never the same without the boy or the old man. It still gave apples to the animals and shade to the other trees, but it didn't feel as happy as it used to.

One day, a group of children came to play in the forest. They ran around and laughed, and one of the children stopped in front of the tree. The tree smiled at the child and said, "Hello there. What can I do for you?"

The child looked up at the tree and said, "I don't know. I was just playing with my friends and saw you here. You look like a nice tree."

The tree chuckled and said, "Well, I try to be. Would you like an apple?"

The child's eyes lit up, and they eagerly took the apple from the tree. "Thank you," they said.

The tree felt a little bit happier, knowing that it was still able to make someone else happy. The children continued to play in the forest, and every time they came back, they visited the tree and talked to it.

The tree started to feel more and more like its old self. It was still a little bit sad that the boy and the old man were gone, but it was happy to have new friends to talk to.

Years went by, and the children grew up and moved away, but the tree still remembered them. It continued to give apples to the animals and shade to the other trees, and it was content.

One day, a man came to the forest with a saw. He looked around until he found the Giving Tree. The tree was frightened and asked, "What are you going to do with that saw?"

The man replied, "I'm going to cut you down and use your wood to make furniture. You're old and useless now, so you might as well be turned into something more practical."

The tree was shocked and scared. It didn't want to be cut down and turned into furniture. It wanted to stay in the forest where it belonged, giving to the animals and the other trees.

But then the tree remembered all the things it had given to the boy and the old man and the children. It had given so much, and it had made so many people happy. It realized that even if it was cut down, it would still have given something important to the world.

So the tree said to the man, "Go ahead and cut me down. I may not be useful to you, but I've given so much to others that I don't mind being turned into something else. Just promise me that you'll take care of whatever you make from my wood and that it will make someone happy."

The man was surprised by the tree's words, and he put down his saw. He looked up at the tree and said, "You're right. You've given so much, and you deserve to be remembered. I promise to take care of whatever I make from your wood, and I'll make sure it brings joy to whoever uses it."

And with that, the man left, and the tree continued to stand tall in the forest. It was happy knowing that even if it was cut down, it had given so much to the world that it would never truly be gone.