Children's Books about Forts and Tree Houses

A child’s imagination can take them to the most amazing places! Build magical memories with these enchanting books about forts and tree houses! Whether it’s building a fort in the backyard or dreaming up a magical treehouse kingdom, these stories will inspire young minds to embark on their own journeys into the world of imagination and creativity.

Dive into a world of creativity and imagination with these books about forts and tree houses. From secret hideouts to magical escapes, these stories are sure to take your child on an adventure!

You can click on any of the titles below to learn more about each book or find all of these children’s books about forts and tree houses on my Amazon page.

we are a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS ABOUT FORTS AND TREE HOUSES

THE LITTLE RED FORT

By Brenda Maier and Sonia Sánchez

Ruby’s mind is always full of ideas. One day, she finds some old boards and decides to build something. She invites her brothers to help, but they just laugh and tell her she doesn’t know how to build. “Then I’ll learn,” she says. And she does! When she creates a dazzling fort that they all want to play in, it is Ruby who has the last laugh.

THE PERFECT PLAN

By Leah Gilbert

Maya dreams of building a fort-a special, comfy, cozy place to hide out and read, to dream and play. So she goes to work drafting plans and gathering all her supplies. But when she gets to the forest, she realizes she needs help. Thankfully, some new friends have just the right skills to make a perfect fort-building team. Will Maya’s fort be everything she hopes? Or could it turn into something she never even imagined?

FORT-BUILDING TIME

By Megan Wagner Lloyd

Winter, spring, summer, fall. Each season brings new materials to make the perfect fort. From leaves to snow, from mud to sand, there is a different fort throughout the year. As a group of friends explore and build through the seasons, they find that every fort they make is a perfect fort.

THE FORT

By Laura Perdew and Adelina Lirius

Can a pirate and a prince learn to share?

In the fort in the woods, a prince is preparing his castle for a lively feast for the royal kingdom. Unbeknownst to him, a pirate uses the same fort as her ship, planning to venture out to the open seas in search of treasure. But when a treasure map appears on the prince’s party invitations, and the pirate finds that her sword has turned into a scepter, they realize there is an intruder in the castle―no, ship! Soon, a battle over the fort between the adversaries ensues, leading to a humorous showdown. When they make amends, their amazing imaginations come up with a new adventure…together.

JASPER AND OLLIE BUILD A FORT

By Alex Willan

Best friends Jasper, a quick and feisty fox, and Ollie, a slow and deliberate sloth, decide to build forts in the yard. While Jasper’s enormous fort goes up in minutes (complete with a rock climbing wall, bouncy, castle, and moat), it’s Ollie’s humble fort that has what the pair need most . . . a place that they can share.

SECRET TREE FORT

By Brianne Farley

When two sisters are ushered outside to play, one sits under a tree with a book while the other regales her with descriptions of a cool fort in a tree that grows ever more fantastical in the telling. What will it take to get the older sister to look up? The promise of a water-balloon launcher in case of attack? A trapdoor to stargaze through? A crow’s nest from which to see how many whales pass by or to watch for pirates? Or the best part of all, which can’t be revealed, because it’s a secret?

THIS IS MY FORT

By Drew Daywalt

Monkey and Cake love building forts! When Cake decides to build his own fort, Monkey feels left out. Monkey builds his own fort that’s even bigger than Cake’s fort. But before long, they both discover that being alone in a fort is no fun!

MAGIC TREE HOUSE SERIES

By Mary Pope Osborne and Sal Murdocca

When Jack and Annie discover a mysterious tree house filled with books, they never dream that it will take them on exciting adventures around the world and throughout history!

If you’re planning to use these books with your book clubs or small groups, here are some companions to guide kids through the books:

Magic Tree House Book Companions (original series)
Magic Tree House Merlin Missions Companions
Magic Tree House Fact Trackers (nonfiction companions)

THE TALLEST TREE HOUSE

By Elly MacKay

Mip and Pip are two fairies who live in a beautiful forest near a waterfall. One day, Mip has a brilliant idea to build a tree house and decides to make it into a contest: whoever can build the tallest tree house the fastest wins! Pip, who is much more thoughtful and a planner, reads about architecture and sketches out blueprints while Mip, the speedster, is already halfway done constructing her house. But when a powerful gust of wind threatens Mip’s tree house and Pip’s safety, the two friends must learn to appreciate each other’s talents to save the day-and to build the tallest tree house in the forest.

THE FORT THAT JACK BUILT

By Boni Ashburn and Brett Helquist

Young Jack builds an amazing fort in the middle of the living room, using the chairs, blankets, and other objects on hand. Unfortunately, those objects belong to his family members, so when they want their things back―there goes the walls and roof! Jack struggles to keep his fortress going as it crumbles piece by piece. Finally, Grandma saves the day with her quilts for a sweet, satisfying ending filled with family fun.

THE TREE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

By Bonnie Verburg and Mark Teague

Here is the boy
up in the tree
where he built a house overlooking the sea.
Yes! This is the tree house that Jack built!
With ladders, swings, turrets,
and elaborate pulley systems everywhere–
animals chase one another
over, under, around, and through.
And then–the bell rings.
Where are all the animals going?

UP IN THE LEAVES: THE TRUE STORY OF THE CENTRAL PARK TREEHOUSES

By Shira Boss and Jamey Christoph

This charming picture book tells the true story of Bob Redman, a child growing up in New York City. Tired of the noise, the people, and the rushing around, Bob took shelter in the natural beauty of Central Park—where he covertly built a series of amazing treehouses, starting with a simple platform and growing more and more elaborate over time. He played cat-and-mouse with the park workers, who kept tearing down his houses, until he was finally caught. But his story ends with a happy surprise . . .

THE BETTER TREE FORT

By Jessica Scott Kerrin and Qin Leng

“Let’s build a tree fort,” Russell says to his dad when they move into a house with a big maple tree in the backyard. His dad doesn’t know much about building, but he gamely follows Russell’s plan. Several trips to the lumber store later, the tree fort is done. There is no slide, balcony or skylight like Russell imagined, but it is perfect ― right up until he notices another tree fort going up three houses over.

When Russell goes over to investigate, he meets Warren, whose bigger tree fort has castle turrets and working lights. Russell is in awe until it dawns on him that it’s not worth worrying about who has the better tree fort when he has a loving dad there to build one with him.

ANDREW HENRY’S MEADOW

By Doris Burn

Andrew Henry has two younger brothers, who are always together, and two older sisters, who are always together. But Andrew Henry is in the middle–and he’s always with himself. He doesn’t mind this very much, because he’s an inventor. But when Andrew Henry’s family doesn’t appreciate him or his inventions, he decides it’s time to run away. Many children in the neighborhood feel the same way and follow him to his meadow, where he builds each of his friends a unique house of their very own. But in town the families miss their children and do everything they can to find them. And the kids realize that it feels a little lonely out in the meadow without their parents.

WHAT ABOUT MOOSE?

By Corey Rosen Schwartz, Rebecca J. Gomez, and Keika Yamaguchi

When Fox, Toad, Bear, Porcupine, and Skunk set out to build a tree house, they know just what to do: they’ll follow a plan and they’ll work as a team. But when bossy Moose barges in and upends their plans with some of his own, his friends become more and more frustrated…until things go hilariously awry!

AUDREY’S TREE HOUSE

By Jenny Hughes and Jonathan Bentley

Audrey is bigger than she was yesterday. Now she needs a bigger house. So she tells her dad to build her one. Audrey is bigger than she was yesterday. Now she needs a bigger house. So she tells her dad to build her one. At the top of a tree. It is an ideal house. It has a bathtub for snorkeling, a place to drink tea, and somewhere to hide the dirty cups. The house is perfect in every way. Except for one thing…

TREEHOUSE TOWN

By Gideon Sterer and Charlie Mylie

Hidden high above the ground, we welcome you to Treehouse Town!

Wander through the Birch Bazaar, hitch a ride on the Tulip Train, explore the library in the hemlocks, or play birdball high in the sky. There’s something for everyone in Treehouse Town, a world built by children that’s as endless as their imaginations.

RED KNIT CAP GIRL AND THE READING TREE

By Naoko Stoop

One day Red Knit Cap Girl and her friends discover a hollow tree in the middle of the forest. What can be done with one ordinary tree? “I will keep my book in this nook so everyone can read it,” Red Knit Cap Girl says.

But the tree isn’t only for books. Little by little, one by one, the animals share their unique gifts and turn the ordinary tree into a special spot for everyone to enjoy!

FROGGY BUILDS A TREE HOUSE

By Jonathan London

Froggy and his friends are building a treehouse-with a lot of help from Dad. Their plans don’t include Frogilina though, “Boys Only!” says Froggy. But in the end, it’s Frogilina who saves the day and joins the treehouse gang.

THE MONSTER NEXT DOOR

By David Soman

In a big field, a boy has a tree house, and one day, he has a neighbor—a monster with a talent for silly dances and funny faces. The two become fast friends, even setting up a pulley line to pass notes between their tree houses. The boy knows just how to celebrate this invention—with music! But the monster’s tuba music is loud. Really loud. WAY. TOO. LOUD. Before the boy can think, he hurls a water balloon at his neighbor to get him to stop. An epic water-balloon fight ensues, until the boy—fed up, spent, done—cuts the pulley line. No more note-passing. No more monster. Can the boy and monster ever be friends again? Does the boy even want to? Maybe he just needs to see things from a new, unexpected perspective.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR A TREEHOUSE

By Carter Higgins and Emily Hughes

Treehouses are for wonder.
They are for snacks.
They are for whispers and snickers and echoes.
Treehouses are for everyone.

This book celebrates the universal wonder of treehouses and all the adventure that live among branches.

HOW TO BUILD TREEHOUSES, HUTS, AND FORTS

By David Stiles

A treehouse is a wonderful idea, but how in the name of creation do you actually build one? In this delightfully illustrated handbook, David Stiles, the unofficial world grandmaster of the treehouse, shows how.

Not assuming anything about the treehouse builder, Stiles starts with the basics: how to nail, how to buy wood, what kind of screws and nails to use.

Then it’s on to an A-frame design so simple that it can be built in a weekend out of four sheets of plywood, followed by lean-tos, a tree hut, and a Tarzan-style jungle hideaway. There are also forts of every description, including a 21-foot-tall lookout tower modeled on one George Washington built to keep an eye on the redcoats.