It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and that means it’s time to start decking the halls with festive cheer! If you’re looking for some Christmas tree books for kids to get your little one into the holiday spirit, look no further.
Here are 18 of my favorite Christmas tree books. So read on and discover some new Christmas classics to add to your classroom reading list this year!
This is probably my most favorite Christmas tree book of them all!
Night Tree follows a family’s own Christmas tradition of decorating a Christmas tree out in the forest. Christmas ornaments made of popcorn and fruit are for the animals.
This book sparked a family tradition in my own home that is still part of our Christmas celebration today.
We love this book so much that we included some reading comprehension activities to go along with it. You will find those towards the end of this blog post.
The Great Spruce is also about decorating a tree in the forest.
Every year the main character, Alec, and his grandfather decorate the great spruce in the forest. Alec’s grandpa planted it as a sapling years and years before Alec was born.
Alec’s favorite tree is threatened and he must come up with a way to save the spruce tree.
This is the story of a too tall Christmas Tree. It won’t fit into the parlor. They have to cut the top of the tree off.
The top continues to get trimmed, and it is passed on as it brings joy to other characters during the holiday season.
This is a true story that was written by the daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
This holiday tale is about how families can be different and still have so many things in common.
This holiday book is about the work Wilma and Parker do to nurture their young trees that may, one day, become Christmas trees.
If visiting the Christmas tree farm is part of your holiday traditions, this book is just what you need.
This is a story that takes place in the Appalachian mountains. It is the story about courage and the power of family.
This beautiful tale is illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Barbara Cooney.
These sweet sisters find the perfect Christmas tree. Unfortunately, it turns out that Maple is allergic to Christmas trees.
It looks bleak until Willow finds a solution.
This picture book is gorgeous with rich illustrations reminded me of old books from my childhood.
It chronicles the sequence of events that lead up to the lighting of the Christmas tree!
Tomie dePaola had always been a favorite of mine. Here is a description of this informational text:
Tomie dePaola’s Christmas Tree Book is full of facts, history, and legends.
Instructions on making your own Christmas tree ornament are included!
Red and Lulu are cardinals that live in a stunning evergreen tree. It is their shared home until one day, it is cut down, and the birds get separated.
The two birds are reunited at Rockefeller Center, where their big Christmas tree home is the center of attention.
Speaking of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City, this a beautiful story written by David Rubel in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity.
This is a tale about neighbors helping neighbors. Love IT!
I’ve always loved books by Allen Say. This is a story of a young boy who is recovering from a cold. His mother folds origami paper into delicate silver cranes for the boy’s first Christmas.
This poetic book is about Charles and Boggan on a search for a wish tree. They encounter forest animals along the way.
This book is a Latin version of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Soon you will be singing along! [Just typing the 12 Days of Christmas makes me start to hum the tune!!!]
Counting and pronunciation guides are perfect! Your little learners will LOVE IT!
It is Hanukkah, and Trisha loves her family’s reactions of potato latkes and her family’s celebration of the festival of lights.
When Trisha goes to visit her closest neighbors, she expects to find them decorating their Christmas tree. Instead, they are ill with scarlet fever.
This is another story about neighbor helping neighbor.
This crooked little fir tree is the last Christmas tree. It is left alone in while other trees are brought home for Christmas. Soon the forest animals gather around the lonely tree to celebrate the season. This book is told in the first person from the tree’s perspective.
This is a great story about accepting our differences.
Bunny is looking for the perfect Christmas tree.
However, the perfect tree turns out to be the one that is surrounded by friends.
This overgrown pine tree keeps getting overlooked at Christmas time.
The stunning illustrations make this sweet story special. With the help of his forest friends this giant pine feels special after all.
As I have shared, Night Tree by Eve Buntings is one of my absolute favorites!
As you probably know, each week in our Engaging Readers, we take one picture book and spend the week diving deep into the text to strengthen our reading comprehension skills. The teacher does the decoding work (reads the book), and the students do the thinking work (discuss the text).
Here are the comprehension strategies we focus on for Night Tree by Eve Bunting:
Here are a few images from the week.
This is such a fun book to have students make predictions. This prediction anchor chart helps up track our thinking
Sequencing the story is something we do with students almost every week. Together our little learners use these cards to put the story in sequential order.
Then students complete their own retelling version.
Students also practice retelling the story with their partners. This is essential AND such a great way to strengthen their oral language skills.
We also looked at the main characters and the author’s purpose.
Here are few more of the response pages from those activities.
Students also worked on making animal-friendly Christmas tree ornaments! Here are a few photos I have collected from the last few years. These ornaments are made from bird seed!
You can find detailed lesson plans that are backed by research by clicking:
You can download this free editable lesson plan template by clicking on the picture below. You will find a zipped folder with a PDf and PowerPoint file that can be edited to match your own classroom needs.
Featured in the book is the moment when they all celebrate their Christmas tree and drink hot chocolate!
So I hope your class enjoys this free hot cocoa free file!
Here are a few more Christmas related blog posts you may be interested in:
If you are interested in more blog posts like this one, you can find them by clicking:
You can also learn more about the interactive read aloud practices we use by clicking:
Have a Merry Christmas!
My teaching career allowed me to experience teaching in different classroom environments and grades. My heart belongs to early childhood education. My job is to make teaching FUN, ENGAGING, and EASIER. Welcome!
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