Winter Books for Kids

Winter is a wonderful time to share great books with your kids.  The cold weather lends itself perfectly to snuggling up under a blanket together to read!  Here are some of our favorite winter books.

Disclosure: I received complimentary copies of Max and Marla and The Thing about Yetis; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission.

Related Post: Diverse Winter Books for Kids

Winter Books for Children

Max and Marla are Olympians.  Real Olympians.  Seriously!  In this sweet book, two best friends show that they have the true spirit of Olympians as they overcome all challenges that come their way as they train in hill sledding and discover that together they can turn obstacles into victories. Max and Marla is a wonderful book to show children the power of both friendship and perseverance.

The Thing About Yetis is an adorable story about all the ways that yetis like to have fun in the wintertime – from drinking hot chocolate (with lots of marshmallows!) to building snow castles and knocking them down.  But…there is something surprising about yetis: they like summer, too!  Young readers will love this cuddly yeti and identify with him as he plays in a wintry wonderland.  But they’ll also recognize that when it’s really cold out, sometimes it’s nice to think about summer!

Related Post: Snowball Painting and Train Play: Winter Book Activities

Iguanas in the Snow: And Other Winter Poems / Iguanas en la Nieve: Y Otros Poemas de Invierno is the wonderful finale to the series of seasonal poetry from hometown favorites Francisco X Alarcón and Maya Christina Gonzalez.  (Some of you may remember how much we love Gonzalez’s I Know the River Loves Me / Yo se que el rio me ama, which I included in our collection of Earth Day Books).  This bilingual book is a wonderful way to introduce children to poetry in both languages, and I love that it celebrates the wonderful region we live in, with poems about San Francisco, redwood trees, and migrant life.  Keep an eye out for that iguana!  He shows up where you least expect him 😉

When siblings Pauline and John-John decide to set up a lemonade stand, they don’t let a little thing like a snowstorm stand in their way. Who cares if it is windy and snowy and icy outside? Surely people will still want to buy lemonade! But when no customers stop by their stand, the pair decide to get creative, with wonderful results. Children will love Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money because of the characters’ boundless enthusiasm and the efforts they make to sell their lemonade. Parents will love that the book sneakily teaches about counting money. It is also great for imaginative (or real!) play, as it is thanks to this book that we had a lemonade stand in our living room!

Pine and the Winter Sparrow is a truly lovely book that teaches children about generosity. Based on a Native American legend (and yes, I’m purposely vague, as it’s not certain where this tale comes from, though it is often attributed to the Cherokee), it is a tale of pride and humility.  When a sparrow is injured and cannot fly south for the winter, it is not the beautiful maple or stately oak that offers it shelter, but rather the prickly pine tree.  Yet as a result of this act of kindness, the Creator bestowed upon it a gift that made it the envy of other trees.

Another winter book that also teaches a lesson is The Biggest Snowman Ever.  This is a really cute story about mice trying to win a contest to make the biggest snowman.  (My son loved the snow martian that one mouse built!)  Readers follow along as Clayton and Desmond work on their rival snowmen, yet in the end neither is able to top the other, until they decide on a creative solution – joining forces!  Wonderful, simple way to show that working together really does give the best results.

Early readers will enjoy Mice on Ice, which has simple text they can read themselves. I love the bright, colorful illustrations! What happens when the mice go out to ice skate, and their ice skates carve a picture of a cat in the ice?

To cap the list off, here is one that’s just plain fun! Even though his mother warns him that he really should be hibernating, Frggy is determined to go out and play in the snow. Yet each time he does, his mother calls him back (“Frooooogggy!”) because he has forgotten to put on some piece of clothing – his jacket, his shirt, etc.  (My kids burst out laughing every time he gets called back inside because he forgot to put on his underwear!)  Each time Froggy goes back inside, he has to go through taking off then putting back on every article of clothing, until he is finally so worn out he decides maybe he should just go to sleep.  Froggy Gets Dressed is a fun book that kids will be able to relate to, about how much work going outside can be!

For more winter fun, check out this fun snowflake stamping craft!