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Winter is the perfect time of year for books—it’s an ideal opportunity to cozy up with a warm blanket to read with your kids. Reading creates lasting memories and helps develop their love of books. So, whether you read aloud to your kids, they read to you, or you read side-by-side, we have a great book list for you! Read on to discover some of the best winter books for kids.
Related: The Best Nature Gifts for Kids of All Ages and Stages
Top Winter Books for Kids
Winter board books
This book has been a favorite among kids and parents for over 30 years! Go on an adventure through the grass, mud, river, forest, and snowstorm and into a cave to catch a big bear – or not!
This little book is great for noticing the joys each season brings. In it, Little Owl and his raccoon friend watch what happens all around them as winter approaches – and they learn to enjoy the magic of snow!
Like the classic Itsy Bitsy Spider, this nursery rhyme is a memorable one the kids will love for winter. “The itsy bitsy snowman climbed up the snowy hill…”
Here’s another great winter rhyming book from Dr. Seuss. Follow Thing One and Thing Two as they take part in lots of winter fun – from snow angels and sledding to forts and hot cocoa!
Here’s a popular board book where Biscuit has a great adventure in the snow – Woof, woof! It features fun winter objects, like mittens & boots, sledding, and hot cocoa.
This award-winning board book is bound to become a favorite! It tells of Peter’s winter adventures as he explores his city in the snow. He even takes a snowball home to (try to) keep!
Picture Books
As an adult, I enjoyed this wonderful book as much as my kids! Author Jan Brett tells a sweet story of Nicki’s missing white mitten and the forest animals that find it. The illustrations are as beautiful as the story.
This bestselling children’s Christmas book tells the tale of a little red sleigh that dreamed of being Santa’s sleigh. Of course, everyone told her she couldn’t do it. But she started toward the North Pole anyway and had many adventures along the way.
This fun story is about Sneezy, a very cold snowman who tries to warm up – in all the wrong ways for a snowman! But eventually, the children help him until he feels “just right.”
Here’s a winter-themed book of the well-loved “Over and Under” children’s nature books. This is the tale of a cross-country ski adventure with a child and Dad as they spot signs of life, even when the forest is blanketed in snow.
This is a beautiful tale of a girl and her dad looking for owls on a quiet winter night. The author’s vivid descriptions perfectly capture a heartwarming winter experience between a child and a parent.
This classic, award-winning Christmas book tells the story of a boy who boards a magic train headed for the North Pole. Reading this book at Christmastime has become a favorite tradition for many families.
Jan Brett’s winter-themed stories with gorgeous illustrations are always a favorite! Here, she tells the story of Hedgie, the hedgehog, as he tries to avoid hibernation to experience winter fun.
What did earlier humans do as the winter solstice approached? Susan Cooper’s poem “The Shortest Day” describes how humans have always had wintertime rituals. The book also explains the different winter celebrations of people around the world.
This beautifully illustrated book follows the children on a journey to say goodbye to fall and hello to winter. It’s the perfect book for the changing of the seasons.
This nicely illustrated book satisfies kids’ curiosity with the fascinating science behind snow! It will keep them engaged while they learn all about snow.
Here’s yet another wonderful winter tale by Jan Brett about an Inuit child, Aloo-ki, and a polar bear family. Kids will love this beautifully illustrated winter Goldilocks story!
Chapter Books
This classic book by Laura Ingalls Wilder is one of nine books in the Little House series. It tells of the remarkable experiences of the Ingalls family facing a harsh winter in the Dakota Territory.
Brian’s Winter picks up in the middle of author Gary Paulsen’s previous book, Hatchet, but with a different ending. This one is Brian’s intriguing tale of survival in the winter among wolves and harsh elements.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
As part of the classic, well-loved Narnia fantasy series by CS Lewis, this book can be read separately from the others. It’s a story of four siblings that appear in Narnia during an eternal winter ruled by the White Witch. They have countless adventures exemplifying courage, kindness, and hope!
This book is an absorbing work of historical fiction, taking place in Nazi-occupied Norway in the winter of 1940. It’s a heroic tale of Peter and his young friends hiding gold on their sleds to get it to the American port.
This book is about Milo, who was spending winter break with his family at The Greenglass House when mysterious visitors began arriving. As Milo investigates these visitors, it turns into quite a surprising adventure.
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