It’s hard to scratch the surface on the ferny forest of tree titles available to young readers that celebrate that most woody of Hobbit-land evoking entities.
But, as someone who leafed through her chapter book pages in a dogwood tree during aboreal child days, I’ve liked planting this list. Climb a favorite branch, if you’re in a temperate climate, & take a peek.
NUTS TO YOU text & art by Lois Ehlert
THE BUSY TREE text by Jennifer Ward, artwork by Lisa Falkenstern
CHERRY TREE text by Ruskin Bond & artwork from Allan Eitzen
PLANTING THE TREES OF KENYA – text & artwork by Claire A. Nivola
POETREES poems & artwork by Douglas Florian
THE GREAT KAPOK TREE text & artwork by Lynne Cherry
THE CURIOUS GARDEN text & artwork by Peter Brown
THE MONEY TREE text by Sarah Stewart & artwork by David Small
STUCK text & artwork by Oliver Jeffers
TREE-RING CIRCUS, text & artwork by Adam Rex
WE PLANTED a TREE text by Diane Muldrow & artwork by Bob Staake
WELCOME TO THE GREEN HOUSE text by Jane Yolen & artwork by Laura Reagan
CELEBRITREES text & by Margi Preus & artwork by Rebecca Gibbon
THIS IS THE TREE text by Miriam Moss & artwork by Adrienne Kennaway
THE OAK INSIDE THE ACORN text by Max Lucado & artwork by George Angelini
THE KISSING HAND text by Audrey Penn & artwork by Ruth Harper/Nancy Leak (because of where Chester ends up….)
LINNEA IN MONET’S GARDEN – text by Christina Bjork, artwork by Lena Anderson
The Giving Tree (Shel Silverstein) & The Lorax (Dr. Seuss) are two famous books for young readers about trees.
After experiencing the good fortune of spending time under and around the ethereal Lichgate Oak at this event, I visited trees in lesser-known books where trees are central to the story, or are characters, for young readers.
Some picture books listed are favorites I returned to & others are new to me & perhaps to you. I hope you’ve enjoyed this no -particular -order offering.
Imaginary acorns to those who add a title/comment.
This article is part of Bookseedstudio’s Tuesday Trees, where Jan roots for the proliferation and longevity of our saplings and also for their mature elders, even if they aren’t alders. It is inspired by our community-wide project to celebrate arbors.
For more on the lovely fishing net tree at the top of this column, please see this previous Bookseedstudio column.
Bookseedstudio 
I, too, love trees, Jan 🙂 (Not a fan of The Giving Tree though.) I love books that incorporate trees into them and one came to mind, specifically, though I couldn’t remember its title! So, of course, I went to my reading history on my library site. In hunting for the title, I came across a few others worth mentioning, too :)…
Maple and Maple & Willow by Lori Nichols
From Seed to Maple Tree: Following the LIfe Cycle by Laura Purdie Salas
This Tree Counts by Alison Formento
And this is the one I was thinking of:
Someday a Tree by Eve Bunting
I’ve also written a book in which a tree is a central character. It’s my favorite of anything I’ve written and I DO hope it’s published by SOMEone someday 🙂 Love your list!
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Donna Marie,
Someone with your passion about trees will totally publish a tree-character story – I feel it in my roots.
Appreciations for growing my collection of great tree titles. Four acorns to you & 1 to write on!
Happy Holidaze,
j a n
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Oh, I DO hope you’re right, Jan 🙂 And enjoy the season!
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