I love winter books because it’s sometimes the only glimpse of winter we get. I grew up in the upper Midwest, so it often seems a bit weird to be raising a family in the Mojave Desert where it doesn’t snow. Our kids don’t really understand how cold and snowy it can get up north! So, we get to pretend to be in snowy weather and learn about a true winter through these beautiful winter books. These are perfect for snuggling up under warm blankets during Morning Basket time or in the evenings with a fire and hot chocolate.
Fun Winter Picture Books
Some kids want (or need!) to have their hands busy during read aloud time. Snow Queen Magic Painting Book and Winter Wonderland Stick Book are fun activity books they can do while you read aloud.
Over and Under the Snow – We love these Over and Under books by Kate Messner. Take a peek at animals’ cozy homes under the snow. You’ll be wondering what’s below you next time you’re out on a winter nature adventure!
The Biggest Snowman Ever is a charming story of what can happen when two people work together on a project instead of working alone. Who will build the biggest snowman ever?
Secrets of Winter: A Shine-a-Light Book – My kids LOVE these Shine-a-Light books! Hidden pictures in the pages are revealed with flashlight.
Sneezy the Snowman is an adorable snowman who doesn’t like being too cold. It takes him a few unfortunate tries to find just the right temperature to be comfortable.
That’s Not My Snowman is a great touch sensory book for babies and toddlers!
Snow is a cute picture book perfect for younger kids. It’s the story of a little boy who is so excited to see snow starting to fall, but no one else believes it is snowing. Slowly but surely the whole town is covered in a blanket of snow.
The Snowy Nap, The Three Snow Bears, Trouble with Trolls, and The Mitten are our favorite winter books from Jan Brett. If you haven’t read her books yet, hurry on over to your library. Seriously, her books are some of our favorite pictures books. We also love her Christmas Treasury collection.
Take a late night walk through the magical snow covered woods in search of an owl with Owl Moon.
Lift the Flap Very First Questions: What is Snow? and Peek Inside Snowy Places are fun interactive books for your younger learners!
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Explore the Science of Winter
Frozen Wild is a beautifully illustrated picture book with fold out pages detailing how animals survive winter in the coldest place on earth.
Snowflake Bentley is a fascinating story of what can happen with a kid follows his curiosity and learns how to photograph snowflakes. Bentley’s work is how we first learned that no two snowflakes are the same.
Take an in depth look at the science of snow with The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder.
Survival at 40 Below will take your kids on a tour of the tundra of Alaska to learn how the animals survive the brutal cold winter weather.
Related post – How to Plan a Morning Basket
Enchanting Winter Chapter Books
Winter Frost was our homeschool group’s book club selection for January. Adding books to our reading list is tough when we’re already reading so many with our BookShark curriculum. But I’m so glad we didn’t pass this one up! We got the audio book version through our library. I have a hard time paying attention to children’s audio books, but this story is beautifully charming. We all really enjoyed it. It’s the story of a Nisse who looks after a family’s farm animals, but ends up causing a bit of trouble when curiosity gets the best of him.
The Snow Queen is the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale of a young girl who goes on a quest to save a little boy from the Snow Queen.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a classic children’s book that’s a favorite for many children and adults. What happens when a man who longs to see the poles receives the gift of a penguin? The family of penguins grows and eventually becomes a part of a traveling show – causing all sorts of trouble along the way!
The Long Winter is the 6th book in the Little House series. It’s the story of a how a tiny town in the Dakota territory fights to survive a brutal winter. It’s funny to think that my kids have never been in a blizzard. I remember them as a kid, and it’s amazing to think about what pioneer families had to go through during these fierce storms.
Experience the excitement of a dogsled race with Stone Fox – a story of a young boy who is determined to win the race to save his grandfather’s farm. We really enjoyed this story, but the ending is very sad. Sensitive kids may have a hard time with that part.
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I LOVE sharing winter books with my kids since we don’t really experience a true winter down here. It’s fun to see their expressions when they try to imagine the snow and cold! These books really do bring it to life for them. What’s your favorite winter read aloud book?
Do you have just a list of the books to print off and bring to the library?
Unfortunately, I don’t at this time. I always request specific books that I’m looking for through my library’s website, and they let me know when I have books waiting to be picked up. Seasonal books especially get picked over quickly, so requesting them is the easiest way for me to get them. Perhaps your library has a similar service? It’s very handy!