Trees are a fascinating part of the natural world pretty much no matter where you live. What lives or grows in the trees in your part of the world will vary but to children they are almost always a source of fascination.
The birds, the fruit, the changing leaves, the chipmunks and squirrels or whatever else you find in your trees is the theme of this book list.
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20+ Children’s Books about Up in the Tree
To make this list as useful as possible I have divided it into categories – books about the trees themselves, books about birds, etc. My thought was that depending on what part of this theme was most interesting to you and your child you could skip to those books.
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Books about Trees
There are a million books, I doubt I’m exaggerating, written about trees for kids. Trees in the Fall are a particularly big subject. I don’t want to take this list over with Tree books, but I also felt odd talking about Up In The Tree without sharing a couple about the tree itself so here are my absolute favorites.
As An Oak Tree Grows
By G. Brian Karas
There is something about the books that Karas creates that just speaks to me. I adore them. This one shows the world changing over the course of two hundred years from the perspective of a tree. As a history fan, I love watching an area transform. I also love the gorgeous illustrations and the unique perspective.
Tap the Magic Tree
by Christie Matheson
This one is pretty much the complete opposite of the one above, but it is a favorite in our house as well. This fun book encourages kids to interact with the pages to help a tree change with the seasons. Perfect for toddlers and up. This series of books also inspired this Tap the Magic Tree Scavenger Hunt.
Up in the Tree
by Margaret Atwood
I coudn’t not include this one – given our theme and the title. This one was written decades ago and went out of print, but has since been recreated to capture all the original charm for a new generation.
Trees
by Tony Johnston
illustrated by Tiffany Bozic
The stunning artwork steals the show in this book. TREES clearly communicates a love of trees. Easy to read aloud and did I mention gorgeous?
One Million Trees
by Kristen Balouch
Based on the author’s experiences, ONE MILLION TREES is about a trip to British Columbia that her family took to help plant one million trees. It is full of French words, math happening in real life, the animals of British Columbia, and, of course, information about trees. If you focused on the large text on the page, this could be used as a read aloud. I think it works better one on one or with a smaller group of kids where you can really dive into all of the content. For homeschoolers, this is also a fun example of life without traditional school.
Pop-Up Forest
by Fleur Daugey, Bernard Duisit, Tom Vaillant
Obviously the pop-up illustrations are a huge draw. They are gorgeous. But, if you come for the pop-up illustrations, stay for the deeply informative text. These pages hold history, mythology, science and more. It is a fascinating look at trees around the world and how people interact with them. I’d recommend this one to have one your shelf for older elementary schoolers.
Green: The Story of Plant Life on Our Planet
by Nicola Davies
illustrated by Emily Sutton
GREEN is an incredibly detailed look at trees and plant life on Earth. It starts with a closer look at what is happening behind the scenes when a tree is standing tall and still. The creation of carbon dioxide, a magnified look at leaves and big words like chloroplasts are just the beginning. The author then walks us through a timeline of plant life on Earth starting 4 billion years ago. This might all sound daunting and it certainly is an ambitious book for kids, but with clear explanations and inviting illustrations I think this book meets its mark. Curious kids will appreciate having things well explained and look at trees and plants in a whole new way.
One Day This Tree Will Fall
by Leslie Barnard Booth
illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman
I absolutely love this story about the life cycle of a tree. It is brilliantly paced, managing to make a tree slowly growing and not dying into a dramatic and suspenseful story about survival. This picture book follows one resilient tree in the Pacific Northwest but much of the nonfiction information applies to any tree any where. It brings up many of the obstacles trees face to survival and the important roles they play in their ecosystems all through fast paced, read aloud worthy text. A well written gem.
Books about Things That Grow on Trees
Apples, coconuts, lemons, and more grow on trees around the world. I would LOVE to add to this part of the list so if you have a great book about things that grow on trees please comment at the bottom!
Apples and Robins
by Lucie Felix
With simple shapes and bold colors, Felix transforms one thing into another in this extraordinary book. It’s truly a work of art and yet completely appealing to kids.
Also Read: Book Inspired Apple Picking Read and Make
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Written by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Illustrated by Lois Ehlert
This is a classic book for toddlers and preschoolers. It is a fun alphabet book – and song – you can watch it on YouTube if you aren’t sure how to sing it. It also happens to be about coconuts and palm trees.
Lemons are Not Red
By Laura Vaccaro Seeger
I have this secret desire to have a lemon tree in my backyard. That’s not what this book is about, but it’s definitely what motivated me to add some lemon books to this list. This is a great book for preschoolers who are learning about colors.
The Red Lemon
by Bob Staake
Comical book about a farmer who finds a red lemon on his beloved lemon trees. Whimsical but bold illustrations.
Acorn Was a Little Wild
by Jen Arena
illustrated by Jessica Gibson
ACORN WAS A LITTLE WILD stars the cutest little acorn. Acorn has a wild side and zero fear, something many kids can relate to. His wild side gets him into a little trouble, but ultimately shows the life cycle of a tree as he transforms into an oak. A playful story that personalizes this natural process with fun animal characters and lots of action.
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Books about Birds
This is another well established category in the Up in the Tree children’s book category. Birds are what drew my kids into this topic. They are fascinated by birds, frequently shushing me when we’re in the backyard so we can quietly watch a bird until it flitters on it’s way. There are so many wonderful bird books, but these are the favorites we have purchased for our home library.
Every Day Birds
Written by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
Cut Paper Illustrations by Dylan Metrano
If you are looking for a simple guide to common birds for kids this is completely perfect. With a brief descriptive poem and paper cut illustrations, this book walks you through twenty North American birds. The poetic language moves the book along and makes this nonfiction an excellent read aloud choice.
Robins
By Eileen Christelow
Two birds share the story of their first five months. I enjoyed the way this story was told. There are bits that are honest but a bit alarming, primarily when one of the robin eggs gets eaten by a squirrel. These are necessary for a good nonfiction story about the early life of birds, but between that and the length I would recommend this for kindergarten and up. Otherwise, Christelow illustrates this book with her gentle style and shares a fascinating tale about the animals that most kids find in their own backyards.
Birds
Written by Kevin Henkes
Illustrated by Laura Dronzek
A simple book about birds from one of my favorite authors. Brief text and colorful illustrations that is perfect for the youngest toddlers. A great starting point for developing vocabulary about birds.
Mama Built a Little Nest
Written by Jennifer Ward
Illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Nests are as diverse as the birds who make them. Cacti and grass, holes and trees. This book takes a much deeper look at how birds protect their young in many creative and different ways. Illustrated with clear, colorful images by the amazing Steve Jenkins and filled with fascinating information, this is wonderful for anyone curious about birds and their babies.
You Nest Here With Me
Written by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Part non-fiction book about birds, part pure poetry, You Nest Here With Me is lovely. So many things went right with this story. Information? Check. Simple, factual information about the nesting habits of 14 different kinds of birds is included on these brief pages. Additional information is also included in the back. Beautiful words? Check. Jane Yolen and her daughter, Heidi, have woven interesting nesting facts into a bedtime story that soothes the mind and dances on the tongue. Nestled among the lines is the refrain “you nest here with me” as a mother calms her daughter down for bed. Amazing illustrations? Check! Every picture book needs the perfect pictures to match the words. Melissa Sweet graces the pages with her trademark watercolor, gouache, and mixed media artwork that encourages you to slow down and see the words. A book to love.
Red & Lulu
By Matt Tavares
This was my new favorite Christmas book last year and so yes, it’s technically a holiday book, but it’s also about a tree and two birds. It’s about seasons. It’s about love and miracles. It’s also about a tree – one of the most famous in the world.
George Flies South
by Simon James
This is my new favorite book about a bird learning to fly. Winter is coming and George, the bird, is being coaxed out of the nest by his mom. George, however, is not ready to fly. A gust of wind, a car, a barge, a crane and a furry creature create quite the suspenseful adventure that ultimately ends in the most satisfactory way. A pure, simple, and exciting delight.
Are You My Mother
By P. D. Eastman
This is one of the sweetest bird books around and it’s perfect for toddlers. A little bird hatches while it’s mother is out getting food so it heads off in search of his mom. That maybe sounds like it could be sad or scary but I promise it’s not at all and everyone is happily reunited at the end. It has a great repetitive format that toddlers love to predict as you go and the bird is one of the cutest illustrated characters ever.
Owl Moon
Written by Jane Yolen
Illustrated by John Schoenherr
This book still takes my breath away sometimes. It is poetry and painting paired perfectly. This is a classic so likely not new to you, but in the Winter and at night – owls are the birds who rule our trees so it seemed like an important one to include here.
About Woodpeckers: A Guide for Children
by Cathryn Sill
illustrated by John Sill
Clear, interesting, and beautiful. Each page has an informational sentence and a painting of a woodpecker. This is basic enough to read with a preschooler or for a new reader to read to themselves, but explores solid, intriguing information about these wonderful words. At the back you can find more information about each plate or illustration. If you want to a great introduction to Woodpeckers then this is the book for you.
Who is it, Whoodini?
by Roman Yasiejko
illustrated by Gustavo Ramos
This playful mystery is quite unique from the other books on this list. It features two curious owls who attempt to figure out what they heard crash into a tree. You follow the clues in this well paced story to the nearby farm and back. It is fun for kids to guess along with who or what is stuck in the tree. Illustrated with glowing warm paintings, the whole book feels cozy and perfect for snuggling and reading together.
The Big Book of Birds
by Yuval Zommer
I adore this series of books and THE BIG BOOK OF BIRDS is a welcome addition. It covers birds from owls and robins to secretary birds and hoopoes. The book is built around a question and answer format that I think is perfect for the audience. Each page offers interesting information about a bird or group of birds. For example, the hummingbird page asks and answers “Does a hummingbird hum?” but it also offers other interesting information. Did you know that hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly backwards? Beyond the breath of information covered and the appealing format, the illustrations are lovely icing on a delicious cake. They are graceful and eye catching like all of Yuval Zommer’s books.
Bird Count
by Susan Edwards Richmond
illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman
Have you ever heard of the Christmas Bird Count? This was new to me and I found it fascinating. I love that this story is told from the perspective of a young girl who joins her mom as a citizen scientist for the annual bird count. There is so much rich content here – being a scientist, how to count with tally marks, all about different kinds of birds – but it is all told in an engaging narrative and illustrated with calm, snowy pictures. A wonderful nonfiction book to inspire your little scientist.
Browse All 40+ Booklist for Kids
Books about Squirrels
Birds are not the only animals who live or play or hunt in trees. In our part of the world squirrels are the other most common critters in trees. My son’s personal favorite are chipmunks – that’s his absolute favorite animal in the whole world.
This is another category I would love to expand into other animals that live in trees – so tell me, what lives in the trees by you? And have you found any great books about them?
Scaredy Squirrel
Written by Melanie Watt
Illustrated by
In Kindergarten this was my son’s favorite series. He loved scarredy squirrel. He loved his antics. He thought the illustrations were fall out of his chair funny. He read every single one of these books and loved them all.
Those Darn Squirrels
Written by Adam Rubin
Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Old Man Fookwire – who just cracked my twins up – puts out yummy snacks to entice the birds to stick around for the winter. Instead other creatures have different plans. I love the illustrations in this one. There are a couple more in the series if your kids think this is as funny as mine do.
Nuts to You!
by Lois Ehlert
This book is great for learning more about squirrels in a playful format. The story follows a busy squirrel who gets inside an apartment, but Lois Ehlert also weaves in nonfiction information throughout the book and in the back of the book.
The Secret Life of Squirrels
by Nancy Rose
This is illustrated with photographs of squirrels in various homemade miniature settings – the bathtub, doing laundry, etc. It is just silliness but a definitely hit with my giggly squirrel lovers.
The Busy Little Squirrel
by Nancy Tafuri
This is a great squirrel book for toddlers. The text is brief and repetitive, but also playful and full of animals. This is also a great book for Fall because it is about a squirrel getting ready for Winter.
Books about Treehouses
When we moved back into a house with a backyard a tree house was the first thing my kids requested. Unfortunately our backyard trees aren’t the best suited for a tree house, but that doesn’t stop them from daydreaming about treehouses like the ones found in these books.
Up in the Leaves: The True Story of the Central Park Treehouse
Written by Shira Boss
Illustrated by Jamey Christoph
I really wish I had read this book while I was living in New York City but I think it’s fun regardless. It is a seemingly impossible true story about a little boy trying to escape the hubbub of NYC. I love these illustrations and the setting because Central Park is one of my all time favorite places on earth.
Treehouse Series
Wrriten by Andy Griffiths
Illustrated by Terry Denton
This is a quirky, goofy series about an insane tree house. It is a graphic novel series that I’d recommend for at least 6 year olds and up. The adventures these two friends get up to in their ridiculous tree house are often over the top. I love the creativity it inspires though – it’s kind of impossible not to dream up your own treehouse after reading these.
Pete the Cat and the Tip-Top Tree House
by James Dean
Pete the Cat is always a fun choice in our house. It doesn’t seem to matter what his current antics are, my kids love these books. This is a pretty good early-ish reader and would also be a fun one to read aloud with younger kids.
Everything You Need for a Treehouse
Written by Carter Higgins
Illustrations by Emily Hughes
This is written with a lyrical sense of adventure, but it is the soft illustrations that I love most. A timeless story.
Author Study Idea: Jane Yolen
Those of you that have been reading my blog for a while know that I love a good author study. I love diving in deeply to an author’s work with kids. I love the ideas and comparisons and thoughts about writing and books that come out of it. For this particular theme I recommend Jane Yolen for an author study.
Jane Yolen is an American author that has written of 300 books. My mind honestly can’t even fathom writing and publishing over 300 books. It’s truly incredible. Given that she’s written so very many it’s hard to really peg her into a whole when you start talking about theme or style. However, I find her books to be lyrical and beautiful and often involving nature.
To Learn more about Jane Yolen:
- Visit her website
- Don’t miss the frequently asked questions From Kids section
- Or this brief biography – my kids always love seeing pictures of the author when they were a kid and Yolen includes a ton here.
And then read a stack of books by Jane Yolen. Truly she has too many wonderful titles to list, however, to get you started here are the ones I think best fit this theme:
- Owl Moon
- You Nest Here with Me
- Fly With Me
- On Duck Pond
- Crow Not Crow
- Thunder Underground
- Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young Children
- Off We Go
- Elsie’s Bird
- Birds of a Feather
15+ Up in the Tree Activity Ideas
I truly believe that reading aloud and talking to kids about books is ENOUGH to raise kids who want to read. Who love to read. Who can read. However, if you enjoy doing extension activities with your kids – here are some super fun ones for this month’s Up in the Tree theme!
- Loose Parts Nest Building from My Storytime Corner
- DIY Reversible Felt Tree from Preschool Toolkit
- Nest and Baby Bird Craft from Buggy and Buddy
- Montessori Inspired Backyard Birds 3-part Cards from In Our Pond
- Birds and Nests Sensory Bin from Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes
- Owl Bird Feeders from Red Ted Art
- How to Make a Hummingbird Feeder from Growing Up Gabel
- Even More Homemade Bird Feeder and Birdseed Ornaments from Natural Beach Living
- Bird Nest Math Activities – Counting, Addition and Subtraction from Rainy Day Mum
- Bird Game and Craft from Mosswood Connections
- Bird’s Nest Craft from Preschool Toolkit
- Paperclip Birds Craft from Sunhats and Wellie Boots
- Simple Bird Pre-Writing Printable from Mama Smiles
- Best Squirrel Activities – including a Squirrel song and printables from Natural Beach Living
- Squirrel Craft inspired by Nuts to You! from Buggy and Buddy
- Salt Dough Bird Ornaments from Messy Little Monster
- Bird Nest Playdough Invitation from Fantastic Fun and Learning
- Colorful Paper Plate Birds from Pink Stripey Socks
- Apple Picking Read and Make from My Storytime Corner
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