Alright, we’ll be the first to admit that two books really isn’t much of a list, but this one turned out to be tougher than we expected. Why do we teach kids throughout the year to plant and protect trees and then involve them in the tradition of cutting one down for a few short weeks of festivities? Whether for environmental reasons or because they view trees are living beings, many families are now choosing an alternative Christmas tree but this practice is apparently not yet reflected in children’s literature.
We were looking for books where Christmas was celebrated either without an evergreen or with characters who enjoy a tree in nature, not their living room. There are plenty of books where the illustrator includes a decorated, indoor tree that could be assumed to be plastic, but the forever waste generated by that trend is not something we wanted to encourage either. As part of our “Holiday Books Where No One Gets Hurt” series, which we started with some Thanksgiving recommendations, we also wanted these Christmas books to model being kind to animals. Tall order? We hope not. Please let us know if you have any family favorites to add because this list needs help!
⭐A star next to a title in this list indicates the book is part of our Inspiration In Print collection that we bring to public spaces for children to read and have community members gift to teachers upon request.
🌲 Picture Books
The Littlest Evergreen — Written and Illustrated by Henry Cole
A little evergreen tree is happily growing through the seasons on a Christmas tree farm. One autumn, men with chainsaws come and chop down all of the tree’s companions. Deemed too small, they dig up the little pine and bundle its roots instead. On the lot in the city, everything feels different and wrong. After being purchased by a family, the tree goes through the holiday routines in a pot in their home but is relieved when it is all over and the ornaments are removed. The family finally plants the tree outside in the yard where it continues to grow as the years pass and enjoys “a long and beautiful life.”
- Unusual perspective with a tree as the narrator allows readers to consider what human holiday traditions are like from an evergreen’s point of view
- Shows that Christmas pines are young living beings who have the potential to be tall trees part of a larger ecosystem if people wouldn’t end their lives
The Perfect Tree — Written by Corinne Demas and Illustrated by Penelope Dullaghan
Bunny is ready to find the perfect Christmas tree that is just her size. Squirrel advises her that it should be bushy. Mole says it should have a point for the star. Cardinal says to look for the greenest green. Skunk says it should smell like Christmas. After searching all day and only finding trees that have some of those characteristics, Deer cautions Bunny that maybe there is no such thing as the perfect tree. On her way home, Bunny comes across one that she missed before that has all the right traits and decides it is too perfect to cut down. Instead, she and the other animals decorate it where it is, and as they gather to sing carols around it’s trunk, the tree really does become the perfect tree because it is surrounded by friends!
- Possible activities: using art or written adjectives, have kids portray/describe a “perfect” Christmas tree BEFORE reading this story and then see how their descriptions compare to the one in the book; go looking for a “perfect” tree on a hike in the woods
The following books were so close to being on our list, BUT…
- Night Tree⭐ — Written by Eve Bunting; Illustrated by Ted Rand
- Every Christmas Eve, a family spends an evening in nature decorating a pine tree in the woods with treats for the woodland creatures, BUT as they are driving away from their home you can see a decorated tree in their living room window so they haven’t fully embraced the idea.
- One Wild Christmas — Written and Illustrated by Nicholas Oldland
- When they find the perfect tree for Christmas in the woods, Bear will not let Moose and Beaver chop it down and instead brings their entire holiday celebration to the evergreen, BUT their food table includes a roasted turkey dinner–why?
What’s missing from this list? Comment below!
