Winter Reading is Here, So Register Today!
From December 2 to February 2, you can earn a chance to win free books and our grand prize. All you need to do…is read!
Everyone of every age is invited! After you register in person, by phone, or online, you can pick up a Winter Reading bag with a reading log to track your progress. Turn it in at the end of the program to be eligible for our prize drawings, and challenge yourself to complete the included bingo sheet for a chance to snag our grand prize!
Read on for details, and if you need some inspiration to get you started reading, take a look at our recommendations below.
How to Participate
Sign up in person, by phone, or online by clicking one of the big green buttons on this page to visit our calendar event. (Did we mention it's free?)
We want you to read—it doesn’t matter what! Physical books, graphic novels, ebooks, even listening to audiobooks counts. Check out some of our recommendations in the book river below! When you register, we’ll give you the appropriate bag for your age category:
- Babies (0-35 months)
- Children (3-5 years)
- Children (6-8)
- Children (9-12)
- Teens (13-17)
- Adults (18 and older)
Then, all you have to do is read age-appropriate books for your category, track them on the log that comes in your bag, and turn that log in at the end of our Winter Reading program!
If you prefer digital reading for any reason, give our apps a try! Visit our digital resources to get started with Libby, Hoopla, Freading, or Tumblebooks; all you need is your library card, and we’re happy to help you out in person or over the phone. There’s never been a better time to try them out (especially since they have separate borrowing limits)!
Prizes
Want to win free books? All you have to do is read! Check the list below to see how many age-appropriate books you should read:
- Babies (0-25 months); 10 books (don't worry, you can read these books to your little ones!)
- Children (3-5 years): 5
- Children (6-8): 3
- Children (9-12): 3
- Teens (13-17): 3
- Adults (18 and older): 4
You'll also find a Winter Reading bingo sheet in your bag when you sign up. You don't have to finish the sheet for a chance at free books, but if you read your minimum number of books and also complete our bingo challenge, you'll become eligible for our grand prize, too: A $50 gift card to our favorite independent local bookstore, Coffee Tree Books!
We’ll announce our winners during the week after Winter Reading ends, and prize pickup will be February 8. (Don't worry, we'll let you know if you won!)
Winter Kids' Reads
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The Mitten
In this bestselling modern classic, a young boy’s lost mitten leads to a charming snowy adventure. Jan Brett’s beautiful retelling makes a perfect holiday gift.
When Nicki drops his white mitten in the snow, he goes on without realizing that it is missing.
One by one, woodland animals find it and crawl in; first, a curious mole, then a rabbit, a badger and others, each one larger than the last. Finally, a big brown bear is followed in by a tiny brown mouse and what happens next makes for a wonderfully funny climax.
As the story of the animals in the mitten unfolds, the reader can see Nicki in the borders of each page, walking through the woods unaware of what is going on.
In her distinctive style, Jan Brett brings the animals to life with warmth and humor, and her illustrations are full of visual delights and details faithful to the Ukrainian tradition from which the story comes.
Jan Brett is also the creator of such wintery classics as The Hat, The Snowy Nap, Three Snowy Bears, The Animal’s Santa, and The Night Before Christmas.
This book is also available in Spanish, as El mitón. -
Lost. Found.
On a wintry day, a bear loses his soft red scarf. The wind carries it *whoosh* to a pair of raccoons who use it to play tug-o-war. When they run off, a beaver dons the scarf as the perfect winter hat...until it gets tangled on a tree branch. The scarf is lost and found by a series of animals, including a fox and a couple of rascally squirrels, who use it as everything from a swing to a trampoline.
When all the animals lay claim to the scarf at once, calamity ensues that can only be fixed by a bear, a little patience, and friendship, in this nearly wordless, clever picture book. -
One Snowy Morning
Two woodland friends spot a mysterious pile of snow decked out with funny objects which they put to use in unintended and highly original ways, proving that things are what you make of them
One morning, a squirrel and a chipmunk find the oddest things stuck in a giant pile of snow. Readers will recognize a snowman, but the two friends have their own ideas about what they've found. The top hat is a tall rowboat; the carrot nose is a rare dragon's tooth; and the mittens, of course, are fish puppets. The squirrel and the chipmunk wonder what all of these items are doing in a giant pile of snow, but when they take them home they figure out just what to do with them. The tall rowboat makes a perfect table; the rare dragon's tooth makes a delicious soup; and the fish puppets make amazing hats! They throw a dragon tooth soup party for all their friends, and the next morning they put (almost) everything back, nearly where they found. Readers will still see a snowman, but they'll also see how the snowman can be so much more. -
Bad Kitty Does Not Like Snow
It's snowing. Kitty has never seen snow. So Kitty looks it up on the computer.
Snow is wet.
Snow is cold.
Snow is slippery.
Okay. Bad Kitty can handle this. She'll just put on her snow gear and try. . . in Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty Does Not Like Snow. -
Wolf in the Snow
Winner of the 2018 Caldecott Medal
A girl is lost in a snowstorm. A wolf cub is lost, too. How will they find their way home?
Paintings rich with feeling tell this satisfying story of friendship and trust. Wolf in the Snow is a book set on a wintry night that will spark imaginations and warm hearts, from Matthew Cordell, author of Trouble Gum and Another Brother. -
Snow
A Caldecott Honor Book
"It's snowing, said boy with dog.
"It's only a snowflake," said grandfather with beard.
No one thinks one or two snowflakes will amount to anything. Not the man with the hat or the lady with the umbrella. Not even the television or the radio forecasters. But one boy and his dog have faith that the snow will amount to something spectacular, and when flakes start to swirl down on the city, they are also the only ones who know how to truly enjoy it.
Uri Shulevitz' playful depiction of a snowy day and the transformation of a city is perfectly captured in simple, poetic text and lively watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations. -
Bear Snores on
On a cold winter night many animals gather to party in the cave of a sleeping bear, who then awakes and protests that he has missed the food and the fun.
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Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter
As leaves fall from their trees, animals huddle against the cold, and frost creeps across windows, everyone knows—winter is on its way!
Join a brother and sister as they explore nature and take a stroll through their twinkling town, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with everything from the setting sun to curious deer, they say goodbye to autumn and welcome the glorious first snow of winter in Kenar Pak's Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter. -
Winter Is Here
From Caldecott Medalist and Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes and acclaimed painter Laura Dronzek, the bestselling and award-winning creators of When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall, this picture book about winter celebrates the sights, sounds, and smells of the season.
Snow falls, animals burrow, and children prepare for the wonders winter brings. Caldecott Medalist and award-winning author Kevin Henkes’s striking text introduces basic concepts of language and the unique beauty of the winter season. Laura Dronzek’s expressive paintings beautifully capture the joyful wonders of winter.
This is an engaging companion to the best-selling When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall. Winter Is Here is an ideal choice for story time, seasonal curriculums, and bedtime reading.
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The Snowy Day
The magic and wonder of winter’s first snowfall is perfectly captured in Ezra Jack Keat’s Caldecott Medal-winning picture book. Young readers can enjoy this celebrated classic as a full-sized board book, perfect for read-alouds of all kinds and a great gift for the holiday season.
In 1962, a little boy named Peter put on his snowsuit and stepped out of his house and into the hearts of millions of readers. Universal in its appeal, this story beautifully depicts a child's wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever. This big, sturdy edition will bring even more young readers to the story of Peter and his adventures in the snow.
Ezra Jack Keats was also the creator of such classics as Goggles, A Letter to Amy, Pet Show!, Peter’s Chair, and A Whistle for Willie.
(This book is also available in Spanish, as Un dia de nieve.)
Praise for The Snowy Day:
“Keats made Peter’s world so inviting that it beckons us. Perhaps the busyness of daily life in the 21st century makes us appreciate Peter even more—a kid who has the luxury of a whole day to just be outside, surrounded by snow that’s begging to be enjoyed.” —The Atlantic
"Ezra Jack Keats's classic The Snowy Day, winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal, pays homage to the wonder and pure pleasure a child experiences when the world is blanketed in snow."—Publisher's Weekly