Christmas Tree Books for Kids: 15 Picks (2026)
By Mike Sallese ·
The best Christmas tree books for kids are The Christmas Tree No One Wanted by Jon Lewis, Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry and Night Tree by Eve Bunting. Below are 9 picture books about Christmas trees and 6 more Christmas books for toddlers and preschoolers, with the age range, format and reader rating for each. Ratings are from Goodreads, checked in October 2026.
Quick picks by age
| Age | Start with |
|---|---|
| Babies and young toddlers (1 to 3) | Little Blue Truck’s Christmas |
| Toddlers (2 to 5) | Pick a Pine Tree, Bear Stays Up for Christmas, The Littlest Christmas Tree, Llama Llama Holiday Drama, Construction Site on Christmas Night |
| Preschool and up (3 to 7) | The Christmas Tree No One Wanted, Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree, Night Tree, Little Tree |
| A true story for older kids (6 to 9) | The Christmas Tree Ship |
| Classics for the whole family | How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, The Polar Express, The Jolly Christmas Postman |
Christmas tree picture books
1. The Christmas Tree No One Wanted by Jon Lewis
Ages: about 3 to 7 · Format: paperback picture book, 24 pages (2021), illustrated by Rachel Lewis and Mike Sallese · Amazon: 5.0 from 2 ratings
A tiny Christmas tree gets passed over and forgotten, then gets a second chance. It’s a light holiday story for reading aloud in the weeks before Christmas, and at 24 pages it’s short enough to finish in one sitting. The pick for a kid who roots for the little one nobody chose.
See The Christmas Tree No One Wanted on Amazon
2. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
Ages: 3 to 7 · Format: picture book (1963) · Goodreads: 4.42 from 5,450 ratings
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas tree is too tall for his parlor, so he cuts off the top. That treetop gets passed along again and again, bringing holiday cheer to the animals of the forest.
See Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree on Amazon
3. Night Tree by Eve Bunting
Ages: 3 to 7 · Format: picture book (1991), illustrated by Ted Rand · Goodreads: 4.32 from 1,657 ratings
By moonlight a boy and his family walk into the quiet forest and decorate their favorite tree with popcorn, apples, tangerines and sunflower-seed balls as a Christmas gift for the woodland animals.
4. Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht
Ages: 2 to 6 · Format: picture book (2017), illustrated by Jarvis · Goodreads: 4.17 from 1,470 ratings
A rhyming read-aloud that follows a family from picking out their Christmas tree to bringing it home, digging out the boxes of ornaments and tinsel, and at last turning on the twinkling lights.
See Pick a Pine Tree on Amazon
5. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas by Alice Schertle
Ages: 1 to 3 · Format: board book (2014), illustrated by Jill McElmurry · Goodreads: 4.45 from 3,753 ratings
Little Blue Truck spreads holiday cheer by delivering Christmas trees to his animal friends. It’s a counting book, and the last page has Christmas lights that really flash.
See Little Blue Truck’s Christmas on Amazon
6. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
Ages: 2 to 5 · Format: picture book (2004), illustrated by Jane Chapman · Goodreads: 4.32 from 10,488 ratings
Bear’s friends keep him awake on the day before Christmas by having him help find a tree, bake, hang stockings and sing. Bear stays up long enough to learn that giving is one of the best presents.
See Bear Stays Up for Christmas on Amazon
7. The Littlest Christmas Tree by R.A. Herman
Ages: 2 to 5 · Format: picture book (2007), illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers · Goodreads: 4.04 from 177 ratings
Five days before Christmas, the littlest tree at the tree stand is still waiting for a family to take it home. On Christmas Eve, the man who runs the stand takes it home to his own family.
See The Littlest Christmas Tree on Amazon
8. Little Tree by E.E. Cummings
Ages: 3 to 7 · Format: picture book (1987), illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray · Goodreads: 4.0 from 194 ratings
Set to e.e. cummings’s poem, a young brother and sister find a little tree on a city sidewalk, carry it home and dress it in Christmas finery.
9. The Christmas Tree Ship by Carol Crane
Ages: 6 to 9 · Format: picture book (2011), illustrated by Chris Ellison · Goodreads: 4.15 from 190 ratings
A grandfather tells the true story of Captain Herman Schuenemann, whose schooner carried Christmas trees across Lake Michigan to Chicago until it went down in a November 1912 storm, and of his wife, who carried on the tradition.
See The Christmas Tree Ship on Amazon
More Christmas books for preschoolers
10. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
Ages: 2 and up · Format: picture book (1957) · Goodreads: 4.39 from 456,779 ratings
The Grinch, who has hated Christmas from his mountain cave above Whoville for 53 years, dresses up as Santa, straps antlers on his dog Max and slips down the Whos’ chimneys to steal their Christmas. The most-rated book on this list by far.
See How the Grinch Stole Christmas! on Amazon
11. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Ages: 2 and up · Format: picture book (1985) · Goodreads: 4.32 from 250,683 ratings
Late on Christmas Eve a boy boards a mysterious train bound for the North Pole, where Santa gives him a bell from a reindeer’s harness that only those who believe can hear.
See The Polar Express on Amazon
12. Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
Ages: 2 to 4 · Format: picture book (2010) · Goodreads: 4.14 from 6,225 ratings
Llama Llama cannot stand the waiting as he and Mama Llama shop, bake and decorate for the holiday. When he wants his presents now, Mama reminds him that the real gift is having each other. Good for a preschooler who is counting down the days.
See Llama Llama Holiday Drama on Amazon
13. Construction Site on Christmas Night by Sherri Duskey Rinker
Ages: 2 to 4 · Format: picture book (2018), illustrated by A.G. Ford · Goodreads: 4.32 from 1,506 ratings
On Christmas Eve the construction site trucks work together to build a special gift, and each one finds a surprise present waiting before rolling off to sleep. The Christmas book for a kid who loves trucks.
See Construction Site on Christmas Night on Amazon
14. Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell
Ages: 2 to 4 · Format: picture book (2004), illustrated by Jason Cockcroft · Goodreads: 4.32 from 3,047 ratings
On a cold night Kind Ox makes room in his stable for one animal after another. When Tired Donkey arrives carrying Mary and Joseph, Jesus is born there among the animals. A simple first telling of the Christmas story.
See Room for a Little One on Amazon
15. The Jolly Christmas Postman by Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg
Ages: 4 to 7 · Format: picture book (1991), illustrated by Janet Ahlberg · Goodreads: 4.5 from 4,427 ratings
The Jolly Postman makes his Christmas rounds delivering letters and cards to fairy-tale characters, including notes from the Big Bad Wolf and all the King’s men.
See The Jolly Christmas Postman on Amazon
Questions parents ask
What is the best Christmas tree book for preschoolers? The Christmas Tree No One Wanted, Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree and Night Tree, all for about ages 3 to 7. For younger preschoolers, Pick a Pine Tree rhymes and follows a family’s tree from the lot to the lights.
What are good Christmas books for toddlers? Little Blue Truck’s Christmas is a sturdy board book with counting and flashing lights on the last page. Llama Llama Holiday Drama, Room for a Little One and Construction Site on Christmas Night are short picture books for ages 2 to 4.
Are there books about a Christmas tree nobody picked? Yes. The Christmas Tree No One Wanted is about a tiny, forgotten tree that gets a second chance, and The Littlest Christmas Tree is about the last tree left at the tree stand.
Is there a true story about Christmas trees for kids? The Christmas Tree Ship tells the true story of the schooner that carried Christmas trees across Lake Michigan to Chicago until it sank in a 1912 storm. It’s best for ages 6 to 9.
About the author
Mike Sallese. I build Scribbl, an AI note taker with no bot in the call, and a few other pieces of software. Off the computer I am building a straw bale workshop.
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