Winter Books for Children

These winter books for children are a great read to introduce snow, cold weather, and the magic of wintertime. Winter is such a magical season! Whether you live in a cold-weather area or in a tropical place, there is something so mesmerizing about snow. For even more amazing books for any time of year, see our list of the best preschool books.

cartoon image of an open book with an igloo and pine tree rising out of it with the text winter books for kids

It doesn’t snow in Florida, where we live… so I bank on these books to help my preschoolers learn about the winter season, get excited to play in the faux snow we create, and use sand instead of snow for our “snowmen”!

These winter books for children are a great tie-in to wintertime themes such as arctic animals, snowflakes, winter clothing, hibernation, and snuggling up for a long winter’s nap.

Get our free book guide to always have a wonderful book to read next!

Grab these brrrr-illiant wintery books for a fun read aloud during circle time or as tie-in to your wintertime themes! Don’t miss our winter songs for circle time, too!

Check out our winter lesson plans for toddlers or preschoolers in our store. They are full of great activity ideas!

collage of six winter learning activities with the text winter 24 preschool learning ideas

One of our favorite ways to read stories is with Vooks. I consider it guilt-free screen time! They have some of the best stories. Children can listen to them and see the words as they are read. It’s simple and fun and a perfect way to include more in your home or classroom library! Get 30 days for free here with this free trial.

Winter Books For Children

There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro

This classic rhyming tale is a funny and catchy story of an old lady who swallows some unusual things. Once you reach the end, you realize that she has swallowed all the items to make a snowman! Preschoolers love how silly it is and will be begging to head outside to build a snowman!

Pete the Cat: Snow Daze by James Dean

What do you do when school is canceled due to snow? You have a snow day with all your friends! But what happens when it snows day after day? Pete learns an important lesson about how much he loves school, his teacher, and his friends in this adorable story. Young children absolutely adore Pete the Cat and this book is sure to be a winner!

How Big is a Million? by Anna Milbourne

Pipkin, the baby penguin, is trying to figure out how many a million is. We follow him as he searches for a million in the things around him: fish, penguins, snowflakes. Finally, he finds a million with the help of his mother! I love how this book introduces quantity to children and helps them wrap their minds around such a huge number.

The Mitten by Jan Brett

This is one of the most popular, and most wonderful, winter books for children! It’s about animals who crawl into a mitten because it is cold outside. I love the anticipation of seeing how many animals will fit! Jan Brett is the author and illustrator, and you may know her for the book The Gingerbread Baby. Her illustrations are absolutely captivating and young children adore this book!

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert

This clever book shows a snowball family made of common items. Leaves, buttons, popcorn, yarn, a bell, and so much more. It’s a fantastic way to spotlight using the things you have to create art and it’s such a unique representation of all things snow. Children love having the chance to recreate their own snow family with the things they find too!

First Snow by Peter McCarty

In this book, a little boy named Pedro experiences snow for the very first time. He is staying with his cousins who are excited to play in the snow. Pedro is apprehensive about this new experience and he accurately describes the emotions and feelings someone has when they are not sure about trying something new. A perfect read-aloud for when your littles are first experiencing snow or when they are nervous about trying something new.

The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll

This book puts a big smile on little faces as the two mice make the biggest snowman ever! The town competition to make the largest snowman turns out to be a great way to work together and make a new friend. The perfect winter story for encouraging cooperation and thinking outside of the box!

Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright

Poor Sneezy! He is so very cold and can’t.stop.sneezing! So the children try to help by giving him hot chocolate and a warm bath…but you can imagine what happens to poor old Sneezy… he melts! He begs for the children to make him brand new and soon finds the perfect thing to make him feel just right! A tale that will have your littles laughing along to all of Sneezy’s antics.

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

A whole secret world lies under the snow in the wintertime! This book is dedicated to helping little ones find the magic and the mystery in animal habits during the cold. The perfect nonfiction book to introduce this new season of white.

Snowman’s Story by Will Hillenbrand

The beautiful illustrations in this wordless book tell the story of a snowman and forest creatures who go on adventures. The best part of this book is that young children can “invent” the story each time they read. Wordless picture books have so many benefits for young readers and this special book will be a seasonal favorite.

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

This is another one of the classic winter books for children! Bear in his den snoozing through a long winter will have your littles begging you to read the whole Bear series! While Bear sleeps, a whole slew of animals pop into his cave to get reprieve from the cold…but be careful not to wake the bear! What will Bear do when he wakes up from his long winter’s nap to find a party in his den? Karma Wilson knocks it out of the park with this funny and bright tale of silly animals and one big Bear!

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

This book is such a wintertime classic, and you’ve probably heard of it! We love it so much that I even have The Snowy Day & More Ezra Jack Keats Stories (Scholastic Video Collection)

Peter takes us through the excitement and joy of going out in the snow. The story makes me think of what it is like to wake up to the first snow of the season! That is always a wonderful moment in our own household. My children are usually out the door by 7 a.m. on those days, no matter how cold it is. Peter crunches in the snow, knocks snow on himself, makes snow angels, and my favorite part – puts a snowball in his pocket. This is a book to read over and over again.

I hope you and your kids loved these winter books! I’ve also got a whole library of book lists to covering all different themes and seasons. Find your favorites below.

Seasonal Books

Best of Books

Books for Social/Emotional Growth

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Katie T. Christiansen

Creator at Preschool Inspirations

Katie has spent 17 combined years in the Early Childhood field as a teacher, preschool owner, and educational writer. She has worked in profit and non-profit programs, high-risk schools, and started an in-home preschool and outdoor collaborative preschool program. She adores being a mom to three children, and her youngest is currently in preschool.

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