*Updated March 2026*
Alright, we’ll be the first to admit that three 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 as living beings, many families are now choosing an alternative Christmas tree, but this practice is apparently not yet reflected in children’s literature.
Our goal is to find books where Christmas is 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 want to encourage either. As part of our “Holiday Books Where No One Gets Hurt” series, which we started with some Thanksgiving recommendations, we also want 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 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 and part of a larger ecosystem if people wouldn’t end their lives
- Borrow a digital copy for free from Open Library
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 its 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
Suzy Goose and the Christmas Star — Written and Illustrated by Petr Horáček
Suzy Goose and her friends (cow, donkey, pig, geese) are gathered on Christmas Eve around a decorated outdoor tree which is lovely but missing one thing–a star on top. Suzy decides to try and get the bright one she sees in the sky. To reach it she tries flying, climbing a fence, jumping off a pile of logs, but all her attempts end with a SPLAT! She decides to walk towards the star instead and travels so long in the snow that she becomes lost and tired. Suzy is relieved to hear her friends calling for her and retraces her steps past each of her failed plans until she finds them. By this point, almost like magic, the star is now perfectly aligned to be shining in just the right spot above the tree.
- Quick, simple story for very young readers
- Animals are living in a straw-covered enclosure (rather than the typical farmed animal red barn) and could be in a manger or at a farm sanctuary
- Borrow a digital copy for free from Open Library
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?
- Snow, Snow, Snow! A Christmastime Song — Written and Illustrated by Sandra Boynton
- This story is actually a very catchy song sung by an assortment of animals as they decorate a tree in the forest and go sledding together. Don’t miss the video (on YouTube) that accompanies the book for the full experience! This board book is great for a young audience, especially in areas where it snows at Christmas, BUT the penguin is holding a “Merry Christmas” balloon on the last page which makes it hard to argue that it would be an environmentally-friendly addition to your holiday collection.
- A Pinecone! — Written and Illustrated by Helen Yoon
- While her dad wrestles with an out-of-control family dog during a winter walk, a little girl excitedly picks up a lot of pinecones to bring inside. After discovering them in her room, the dad spends the day making all kinds of pinecone decorations for the house, including a Christmas tree, and the little girl is thrilled! This does not look like a holiday book until the surprise ending which could be used to get children talking about how to decorate more naturally or creatively. Yoon does not illustrate what happens to all of the insects in the story that were making their way down the hallway, so it could be assumed they were escorted back out, BUT the back flap does include not-so-kind instructions for how to prepare pinecones for in-home use by soaking them in diluted vinegar and then drying them in the oven or sun to remove dirt, sap, and critters.
- The Fir Tree — Written by Hans Christian Andersen and Adapted and Illustrated by Bernadette Watts
- In this tale, a little fir tree spends its time wishing it was taller, part of a ship, a beloved Christmas tree. When it finally is taken from the forest and eventually thrown aside after the holidays, it begins to realize how wonderful life was in all the moments it was feeling discontent. The story’s message of the danger of thinking happiness will come only with the next achievement or acquisition seems appropriate during a time of presents and wishing you were older, BUT the abrupt and depressing ending where the tree is burned to ashes will really put a damper on any holiday festivities. Maybe save this one for the kids who need a hard lesson or who just insist on getting a real tree. Yikes.
What’s missing from this list? Comment below!
