We’re kicking Winter Reading off with some recommendations we think small readers will really enjoy: Picture books all about the snowy season! All titles are in our collection, so you can check them out or reserve them right now.
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
This 1963 Caldecott Medal winner tells the story of a boy awakening to snow and exploring like any child does: Making footprints and snow angels, trying to keep a snowball for later, and more. Like all of Keats’s work, this book holds up over time thanks to its gentle portrayal of an adventure to which we can all relate. The title is also a milestone in children’s literature, being the first full-color picture book to feature a Black child as the protagonist.
Winter Is Here by Kevin Henkes & Laura Dronzek
Another Caldecott Medalist and Newbery Honor author, Kevin Henkes conveys the beauty and magic of winter through a tale of sights, sounds, and smells that are perfectly captured by Laura Dronzek’s celebratory paintings.
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak
Pak’s story follows a brother and sister on a humble adventure through town as they greet the approaching winter. Bidding farewell to autumn through encounters from tranquil deer to the setting sun, they share the unique joy of the coming season.
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman
A childhood classic, this book takes us to a cave in the woods, where bear sleeps through the winter even as a mob of forest neighbors find their own way out of the cold and into his home. What will happen when he finally wakes up to discover his uninvited guests having a party without him?
Snow by Uri Shulevitz
A Caldecott Honor title and recipient of the Charlotte Zolotow Award, this story makes use of incredible color to convey the wonder of winter as it changes the city. Follow along with a boy and his dog as they watch the town go from dull grays to the bright white of pure snow and the many other colors it reflects.
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
Cordell uses phenomenal art to share the saga of a girl lost in a snowstorm in this mostly wordless picture book. Along her way home from school, she encounters a wolf pup separated from its pack and carries it back to its family, who then help the heroine to find her own.
Bad Kitty Does Not Like Snow by Nick Bruel
If you’re not familiar with Bruel’s work, this title will make you a fan! Kitty has never seen snow, so she researches it on her computer only to find out it’s wet, cold, and slippery. It doesn’t sound like anything she’ll enjoy, but she demonstrates the importance of determination and an open mind by giving it a try anyway.
One Snowy Morning by Keven Tseng & Dana Wulfekotte
Of course you know what a snowman is, but the same can’t be said for the wilderness critters in this book. Their discovery of a mysterious pile of snow covered in unexplained objects leads to all kinds of fun, wild theories and, eventually, to brand new uses for the items when the characters borrow them.
Lost. Found. by Marsha Diane Arnold & Matthew Cordell
When the wind steals a bear’s favorite red scarf, it’s only the beginning of a winter adventure! More and more animals want the scarf as it finds its way from one to the next, each of them finding a different use for it. In the end, calamity is averted by patience and friendship—the perfect values for the coldest season!
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Based on a Ukrainian tradition, this tale of a boy’s lost mitten leads to a trail of laughs as a succession of ever larger woodland animals try the mitten on for size. Accompanied by Brett’s charming artwork, this story will have little readers eager to learn what happens next.