We are supposed to get SNOW today!! This may not seem like a big deal to some, but we haven’t had snow at home in two years. Right now the neighborhood text chain is all a flutter with excitement and the girls did all the funny superstitions before bed to aid in the arrival of snow: ice cubes in the toilets, white crayons in the windowsills, inside out pajamas, and walking backwards to bed, among others. We are all hoping for a cozy afternoon of watching the white stuff fall, playing in it of course, sipping hot chocolate, and cozying up to read and watch movies.
Winter can be cold and gray, yes, but it can also be a magical time, especially when you’re a kid. It’s full of snow forts (or blanket forts), hot chocolate, and sledding. There’s ice skating, winter hikes, and cozy days spent inside cuddled up with the family. While at ages 10 and 13, we are enjoying more advanced, yet still cozy, readalouds (currently Little Women), there is still a place in our hearts for our favorite picture books and we still revisit them each season. I’ve found one of the best ways to enrich my relationship with my kids, especially in winter, is by reading books. I’ve updated this list of the best winter-themed books for kids that you can read aloud together and hope it’s helpful to you to find some cozy options for cold days.
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Funny winter-themed books for kids
Sneezy the Snowman–Maureen Wright and Stephen Gilpin
This book is full of silliness that’s sure to get your kids giggling. It follows the journey of a chilly snowman who just wants to get warm. Unfortunately, every time he succeeds, he melts, and he needs to be rebuilt again. What’s a snowman to do?
The Mitten–Jane Brett
A young boy desperately wants a pair of white mittens, so he convinces his Grandmother to knit them for him (even though she’s sure he’ll lose them in the white snow). Of course, as Grandma predicted, he loses a mitten. The story focuses not on the boy’s search for the mitten but on the creatures that find it and try to claim it as their own. This funny, heartwarming story is great to read aloud with your kids.
A Loud Winter’s Nap–Kate Hudson
Every year Tortoise sleeps through winter. He assumes he isn’t missing much. However, his friends are determined to prove otherwise! Will Tortoise sleep through another winter, or will his friends convince him to stay awake and experience the frosty fun of winter?
There Was an Old Lady that Swallowed Some Snow–Lucille Colandro
The old lady is swallowing everything from snow to a pipe, some coal, a hat, and more! With rollicking, rhyming text and funny illustrations, this lively version will appeal to young readers with every turn of the page. And this time, there’s a surprise at the end!
Best winter-themed books that capture the feeling of winter
Ten Ways to Hear Snow–Cathy Camper and Kenard Pak
This story follows a young girl and her Grandmother on the day following a massive blizzard. The young girl focuses on the sound of the snow as she travels through a winter wonderland to her Grandmother’s home. This book will encourage you and your kids to slow down and see winter in a new and magical light.
Owl Moon–Jane Yolen
A father takes his young daughter out into the winter woods to go “Owling.” Eager, the young girl quietly follows her father in hopes of catching a glimpse of a Great Horned owl. Your kids can hoot along with the book as they experience what it feels like to be in the woods on a cold winter night.
Katy and the Big Snow–Virginia Lee Burton
This classic winter tale shows the magic of winter from the eyes of a female tractor. When a blizzard blankets the town in snow, only Katy can dig the townspeople out. It’s a unique and heartwarming story your kids are bound to love.
The Snowy Day–Ezra Jack Keats
Peter, the young boy in this story, wakes up one day to find that the world has been turned white with snow! You and your kids can follow along with Peter as he gets into his red snowsuit and goes out to explore. As an added bonus, Amazon recently put out a short movie adaptation of this book that does an excellent job bringing this classic story to life.
The Story of Holly and Ivy– Rumer Godden
Ivy, Holly, and Mr. and Mrs. Jones all have one Christmas wish. Ivy, an orphan, wishes for a real home and sets out in search of the grandmother she’s sure she can find. Holly, a doll, wishes for a child to bring her to life. And the Joneses wish more than anything for a son or daughter to share their holiday. Can all three wishes come true?
A Day So Gray–by Marie Lamba
Once you start to notice, colors and reasons for gratitude are everywhere, and that changes everything! Celebrate the hues and comforts of a cozy winter day as a discontented girl at first notices only dull grays and browns in a snowy landscape but is coaxed by her friend to look more closely. Soon she finds orange berries, blue water, purple shadows, and more. Warm friendship and a fresh way of seeing things transform a snow-covered landscape from bleak to beautiful!
Best winter-themed books about animals
Over and Under the Snow–Kate Messner
This nonfiction story is incredibly informative, but it’s still a lot of fun. Throughout the book, you learn how different plants and animals cope with and survive the winter.
In the Snow: Who’s Been Here?–Lindsay Barrett George
This story follows a pair of young children as they walk through the quiet woods. Even though it seems empty, their sharp eyes pick up on signs of wildlife such as missing bark, tracks in the snow and owl pellets. You and your kids can help them discover clues and find the answer to the question, “Who’s been here?”
Bear Snores On–Karma Wilson
A big bear lays slumbering in his den in the middle of a winter storm on a day so gray, and little animals slowly creep in to get out of the cold. As the number of animals increases and their party grows louder, you wonder, what will happen when the bear wakes up? This is a fun story, and its rhythmic flow makes it a fantastic read-aloud book.
Blizzard-John Rocco
Blizzard is based on John Rocco’s childhood experience during the now infamous Blizzard of 1978, which brought fifty-three inches of snow to his town in Rhode Island. Told with a brief text and dynamic illustrations, the book opens with a boy’s excitement upon seeing the first snowflake fall outside his classroom window. It ends with the neighborhood’s immense relief upon seeing the first snowplow break through on their street. In between the boy watches his familiar landscape transform into something alien, and readers watch him transform into a hero who puts the needs of others first. John uses an increasing amount of white space in his playful images, which include a gatefold spread of the boy’s expedition to the store.
Educational winter-themed books
Snowflake Bentley–Jacqueline Briggs Martin
This biography tells the tale of Wilson Bentley, the first meteorologist to discover that each snowflake is unique and all have gorgeous patterns. Snowflake Bentley brings magic to the science of snowflakes as it teaches about passion and perseverance.
The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder–Jon Nelson and Mark Cassino
This book is an excellent accompaniment to Snowflake Bentley! The authors showcase gorgeous photos of snowflake crystals as they explain the science behind their unique shapes. The section on setting up a snowflake station and how to best capture your own flakes will have you and your kids jumping into your winter gear at the first sign of snow.
Best winter-themed chapter books for kids
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow–Jessica Day George
The young protagonist in this story, Lass, must journey with a polar bear and survive for a year and a day. She goes on this journey to save her family as she’s been promised that they will receive great wealth if she succeeds. However, not all is as it seems, and the polar bear she accompanies is holding onto a big secret.
Winterfrost–Michelle Houts
Christmas has come, and with it a sparkling white winterfrost. When Bettina’s parents are called away unexpectedly, leaving her in charge of the house, the farm, and baby Pia, Bettina neglects to set out the traditional bowl of Christmas rice pudding for the tiny nisse. No one besides her grandfather ever believed the nisse were real, so what harm could there be in forgetting this silly custom? But when baby Pia disappears, the magic of the nisse makes itself known. To find her sister and set things right, Bettina must venture into the miniature world of these usually helpful, but sometimes mischievous, folk.
Odd and the Frost Giants–Neil Gaiman
Odd is a young boy living in ancient Norway who has the worst luck. As he journeys through the woods, he meets three animals who tell him the story of the Frost Giants. After hearing their tale, he travels to the land of the Gods to save them from the evil Frost Giants.
The Family Under the Bridge– Natalie Savage Carlson
Armand, an old man living on the streets of Paris, relishes his solitary life in the beautiful city. He is happy with his carefree existence, begging and doing odd jobs to keep himself warm and fed. With simple pleasures and no cares, what more could he need?
Then one day just before Christmas, Armand returns to his favorite spot beneath the bridge to find three cold and hungry children. Although he has no interest in children, Armand soon finds himself caring for the small family. It does not take Armand very long to realize that he must do whatever it takes to get them a real home.
Nancy and Plum–Betty MacDonald
Written in 1952, this story follows two young orphaned sisters who deal with their challenging boarding school mistress, interact with their wealthy uncle and celebrate Christmas. It’s a comforting, classic read in which you know bad people will be punished and good will prevail.
So many more winter books could make it on this list of the best winter-themed books for kids. However, this is a great start, and I have no doubt that you and your family will love each and every one of them as much as we do.
