Children’s Books About Trees

In this beautiful picture book, siblings Anna and Benjamin live in the city but love to stay with their cousin Robin in the countryside. Robin introduces them to his favorite tree in the nearby forest: a 300-year-old giant oak. Each time the children visit, they are amazed at how the forest and the mighty oak changes with the seasons. In autumn, they build a cozy den in the tree’s roots to watch the squirrels. In winter, they learn to ski in the shelter of the forest. In spring, they search the forest for animals. This is a beautiful picture book about the wisdom of trees and the shelter they provide.

I am a huge fan of Jason Chin’s gorgeous illustrations, and his nonfiction picture books are so informative with captivating stories. In this one, an ordinary subway trip is transformed when a young boy happens upon a book about redwood forests. As he reads the information unfolds, and with each new bit of knowledge, he travels―all the way to California to climb into the Redwood canopy.

This picture book details the ancient and tremendous species that grow only on the western slopes of California’s Sierra Nevada. Each sequoia begins life as a seed no larger than an oatmeal flake—yet can grow as tall as three blue whales stacked chin to tale. The oldest sequoias have lived as long as forty human lifetimes. The largest are so enormous, 20 children holding hands can’t wrap their arms around the trunks! In evocative text and vibrant paintings, The Sequoia Lives On reveals all of this fascinating information and more. An extensive author’s note completes the portrait for young readers, inviting them to become the next generation of protectors for this amazing tree.

This sweet picture book follows two children as they leave the city and head out to the woods. They explore their campsite and the surrounding area, all while thinking about what a tree would taste and feel and smell and see and hear. The illustrations are lovely and evoke peacefulness and hope.

I love Corinna’s illustration style, which is beautifully on display in her new book, The Tree in Me. This book celebrates all the ways a young child finds connection with a tree, whether it’s the apples or the sun or the strength or the shelter. I love the fluorescent pops of pink and orange. My favorite spreads are the ones when a community of children gather, reveling in an impromptu dance party during a storm or the celebration when the sun returns.

This middle grade book is a lovely testament to every child’s dream: living in a treehouse! When Winnie’s parents get a divorce, they decide she should spend three days a week at each of her parent’s houses and one day by herself in the treehouse in between their places so her time will be split perfectly evenly. But a year into this arrangement, Winnie is fed up and decides to barricade herself in the treehouse until her parents come to their senses. Then her friends join her, and the list of demands grow…

This book won’t be out until August, but I wanted to share it because it took my breath away when I took a look at an advance copy. I worked in downtown New York City on September 11, 2001, about a mile from the World Trade Center, and I witnessed the moment the second tower was hit. My husband, who I was to meet a few years later, was working inside the second tower when the first tower was hit. Thankfully, he was safely evacuated by firefighters. As a result, this book is especially meaningful to me. It is about a tree that lived between the two towers and was covered by rubble after the buildings fell. The tree was brought somewhere to heal and was later replanted at the 9/11 Memorial, serving as a living testament to hope and revival.