25 Winter Picture Books
Family favorites to be read by a fire, hot chocolate in hand
In my mind, January is a month to rest and cocoon a little after the holidays. It's cold outside, and all I really want to do is curl up with a stack of books for a few hours. Because we are a homeschool family, it’s a good bet that my stack of books will often be picture books, and I won’t be curling up on the couch alone but with my kids.
You know the thing I love about picture books? They are an easy win. We like reading chapter books too, but especially during busy months, it can be slow getting through them. But the kids and I can sit down with picture books over lunch, enjoy 4 or 5 stories all at once in the span of 20 minutes, and I am left feeling like we've accomplished something good together.
"The fire of literacy is created by the emotional sparks between a child, a book, and the person reading. It isn't achieved by the book alone, nor by the child alone, nor by the adult who's reading aloud-it's the relationship winding between all three, bringing them together in easy harmony.”
— Mem Fox
Christmas is a prime picture book season, but a few years ago I discovered that there is an abundance of non-Christmas picture books that are cozy and delightful for winter time. These are the winter picture books that have been among our favorites and that we request from the library year after year.
Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett - Another retelling of Little Red Riding Hood by Jan Brett, but all her retellings of this classic tail are on our favorites list!
The Snowy Nap by Jan Brett - Hedgie decides he wants to see the winter, so he stays awake instead of hibernating. A very cute and cozy winter story!
The Mitten by Jan Brett - A mitten becomes a home for multiple animals that we know from Brett's other winter books. My preschoolers really loved this one especially!
The Hat by Jan Brett - An adorable story about Hedgie accidentally starting a fashion trend when a sock gets stuck on his head. Really adorable illustrations!
Why The Evergreens Keep Their Leaves by Annmarie Riley Guertin - This is a cute myth/fable, about how evergreen trees got to keep their leaves because they were kind to an injured cardinal bird. We aren't huge into mythology, but I do like to read them an occasional myth or fable that doesn't get too much into pagan gods, etc, and this one doesn't. The Frost Queen and Jack Frost appear in this story, and decide not to make the evergreens lose their leaves because of their kindness.
In The Snow: Who's Been Here? by Lindsay Barrett George - This book follows two kids exploring the woods and noticing all the signs of different animals that have been left behind. It would be a great jumping-off point for some winter nature study!
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett - A girl starts knitting sweaters from a magic yarn box that never runs out - this story is so quirky! My kids love it every year, and we actually do see a "tree sweater" on the way to church in front of a particularly eclectic house, so that's makes this book extra fun.
Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss - A child goes with his granny to their hidden forest glade in the summer and the winter. But where did all the animals go? Lots of great info about how different animals hibernate in the back of the book!
Winter Trees by Carole Gerber - A cute picture book that highlights the different characteristics of winter trees. Great for nature study with little ones!
Katy And The Big Snow by Virginia Burton Lee - A great story about the perseverance of a snow plow named Katy.
Big Snow by Jonathan Bean - David helps his mom around the house while waiting for enough snow to cover the ground to play in. Bonus points for being written and illustrated by a homeschool alumni!
Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep by Maureen Wright - In this book, Big Bear keeps mishearing "Old Man Winter", and instead of going to sleep he drives a jeep, dives deep, etc.
Winter Story by Jill Barklem - The illustrations in this book really make it for me - the little forest creatures and their cozy underground homes are so fun to look at!
Wintercake by Lynne Rae Perkins - The animals are celebrating a holiday, and Thomas loses his ingredients. Along the way to finding them, they make a new friend. My kids enjoyed the subtle humor in this one, and I enjoyed the good vocabulary words worked into the text.
The Small Walt Books by Elizabeth Verdick- This is a little picture book series about a small snow plow named Walt. I didn't include them in my last winter picture book post because I find the text a little bit hard to read in that it sounds a choppy when reading aloud...but I'm adding them to this post, because my kids have all loved them. For some reason Small Walt really sticks out in their minds! I think the boys like the vehicle aspect, and the girls think Walt is a cute snow plow. The pictures in all the Small Walt books have a classic, charming vibe.
Small Walt - Walt is the smallest snow plow on the lot, and they think he's too small to be of much help - until he proves himself by plowing the the top of the big hill!
Small Walt And Mow The Tow - Walt realizes he can't help a car that has slid off a snowy road - he needs help from a new friend, Mo the Tow!
Small Walt Spots Dot - In this book, a pesky dog causes trouble while the plows are trying to clear the streets - but Walt likes the little dog and wishes they could keep him.
The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear - In this book, Charles sets off with his toboggan to find a wish tree, but doesn't think he'll ever succeed...but he does meet some animal friends on the way. The illustrations in this one are modern, but I love they way different parts of the pictures seem to glow!
Learning To Ski With Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen - This book is a classic in our house at this point - Mr. Magee decides to go skiing with his "little dog Dee", but ends up in hijinks with a moose! The rhyming in the Mr. Magee books is just wonderful - I love the rhythm of the poems.
Snow Globe Family by Jane O'Conner - This is a cute book about a family who lives in a snow globe, which is located in the living room of another family. The snow globe family longs for the day when one of the big family members will cause a really big snow storm - it's been so long since they could go sledding! My kids find this book amusing, and it's a cute story! There is one illustration of the snow globe dad in the bath tub which my younger kids found a bit scandalizing, but other than that it was a hit.
Brave Irene by William Steig - This book is a classic, but I have actually never read it until this year. In this story Irene's mom makes a fancy ball gown for a duchess, but a snowstorm swirls up and the mom gets sick, so it's up to Irene to deliver the dress. It's a really sweet story, and I like the interactions between Irene and her mom.
The Most Perfect Snowman by Chris Britt - Drift the snowman is a very plain snowman, with no hat, gloves, scarf, or nose, and he gets made fun of by the other snowmen because of it. One day, some kids give him everything he's dreamed of - all the snowman clothes, and a lovely carrot nose! But he becomes the most perfect snowman ever when he's willing to give all that up to help someone else. Really sweet story, with fun and dreamy illustrations.
Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella by Jan Brett - This story is exactly what it sounds like, with vibrant, imaginative illustrations of chicken Cinderella characters! We all thought it was really cute, and a fun reimagining of Cinderella.
Big Snow by Jonathan Bean - In this story, David helps his mom with chores while he waits for the snow to get deep enough to go out and explore. I think this one really captures the excitement of a snowy day for kids.
The Secret Staircase by Jill Barklem - Part of the Brambly Hedge series, this book follows Wilfred and Primrose as they head to the attic to prepare for the Midwinter concert - but they discover a secret staircase, leading to secrets rooms with all kinds of surprises! This might be my favorite Brambley Hedge book, and as always, the illustrations are so cute.
I hope you find some new favorites in this list, and make sweet memories reading stories together with your kids this winter - preferably by a roaring fire with hot chocolate in hand.