In this case it may help to evaluate the book as a whole througha poetic lens. Shel Silverstein was a poet and ultimately I believe the book serves are a warning sign or a cautionary tale of the dangers of giving too much. The boy comes to regret his decisions terribly in the end but it is too late. And yes, the tree still gave freely of itself to it's own detriment, but I think we'd be hard pressed to find a realisticly "good parent" who wouldn't go above and beyond for their children, even if that technically means doing too much. Are there flaws in the story? Yes. But they serve to confront us the flaws in real life before we repeat them. I actually think it's a great book to share with children as they age and to use in facilitating conversations about creating helathy boundaries. Maybe I wouldn't read it to a three year old, but a seven or eight year old and above, absolutely.