Winter picture book recommendation are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. All of these titles can be found in my Amazon Storefront under winter picture books– https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/114UUUWST0AJ3?ref_=aipsflist )
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Snuggle Season
by Jaimie MacGibbon (Author)
Summary: Two siblings wake to a winter morning, cuddling their parents away to go downstairs and begin their day of playing in the snow, sitting by the fire, and reading together.
Comments: This is a wonderful winter read-aloud for the classroom or as a bedtime story. The rhyming text is gentle and cozy.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Winter Is Wonderful
by Emma Dodd (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: A mama fox and her two kits spend the day in the wintry forest playing in the snow, stopping to look at the landscape, and eating berries before heading home to their den for a sleep.
Comments: This is a lovely bedtime story, and the illustrations are beautifully highlighted with foil throughout.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Most Beautiful Winter
by Cristina Sitja Rubio (Author), Vineet Lal (Translator)
Brief summary: Winter is here, but Badger does not feel like sleeping. He goes to Mr. Bear’s place, but Mr. Bear is asleep. Marmot is also sleeping, and Nighthawk is snoozing. Badger goes back home and keeps himself busy with hobbies.
Later, he goes outside to find someone to play with, only to discover that many more creatures are hibernating. Will he find someone to play with?
Comments: The illustrations were created using Ink, gouache, and watercolor. (The Amazon description does say “crayon illustrated,” but the book says otherwise.)
The back sections are A Beautiful Winter for Everyone and How Can I Help Animals in Winter?
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.
Counting Winter
by Nancy White Carlstrom (Author), Claudia McGehee (Illustrator)
Summary: This beautifully illustrated concept picture book highlights winter animals in the Alaskan tundra. Young readers learn to count from 1 to 12 using lyrical verse.
Comments: The illustrations were created using scratchboard and watercolor.
This book could be incorporated into various educational units, such as counting 1-12, the winter season, or the tundra environment.
Additional sections at the back of the book include Animal Profiles, Author’s Note, and Illustrator’s Note.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.
Hiro, Winter, and Marshmallows
by Marine Schneider (Author), Vineet Lal (Translator)
Brief summary: The Ursidae family of brown bears are all hibernating except for Hiro. Hiro packs a bag and walks outside, where she experiences snow on her paws for the first time. She wonders what Winter could be and notices unfamiliar paw prints in the snow.
The bear follows them and the scent of toasting marshmallows. All run away when they see the bear. Hiro sits roasting a marshmallow over the fire, crying, having scared everyone away from the bonfire party, when a small boy named Émile comes out behind a tree. Too curious to run away from a talking bear, Émile stays asking, “What’s it like being a bear?”
Will they become friends, or will it all go horribly wrong?
Comments: The illustrations were created with colored pencils, watercolors, acrylic paint, and markers.
This is a sweet bedtime story.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.
Just Us
by Molly Beth Griffin (Author), Anait Semirdzhyan (Illustrator)
Summary: A young girl’s family usually celebrates the holidays by having extended family come from all over to share a meal and play games. However, the snow made it too dangerous for everyone to visit. Her mom, mama, and brother decided to improvise and prepare a meal together. They even called Grandma for advice on how to make a dessert.
Comments: The digitally created illustrations showed details of all of the relatives. Many young readers may wonder what to do if traditions cannot be kept. This story shares how we can still have a good holiday by making the best of what we have.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Jonny Lambert’s Bear and Bird Winter Wonderland Adventure: A Snowy Search and Find Story
by Jonny Lambert (Author)
Summary: In the forest, Bear and Bird search for berries and nuts to prepare for winter. The next morning, snow fell. As Bear and Bird walk through the forest, they encounter several other woodland creatures. Curious, these creatures follow Bear and Bird to the top of the hill, where they all share something beautiful.
Comments: The “Can You Spot?” panels on the sides of the pages encourage students to stop and observe the illustrations. Additionally, there are question panels that pose questions about the story as it progresses.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Duck, Duck, Goose!
by John Hare (author and illustrator)
Summary: Two ducks are flying south when they come across a goose flying in the sky too. To their surprise, they see a moose in a flying contraption. They decide to all travel together to head south for the winter, with a few hiccups along the way.
Comments: Young readers will enjoy the humorous adventures of these fowl and moose as they migrate to a warmer environment.
The art was created with hand-drawn pencil and with digital color and accents.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
It’s Winter!
by Renée Kurilla (Author)
Summary: The town is covered in snow. The children come outside dressed in warm clothing to slide down the hill, build snowmen, skate, and have snowball fights. Later, they create garlands and decorations before being released from school for winter break. They enjoy holiday foods and celebrate the winter holidays.
Comments: This is a book that highlights the winter weather, clothing, food, and holidays.
It is illustrated using Adobe Photoshop.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Wonder & Awe
by Annie Herzig (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: A girl creates a snowwoman she calls Wonder. She and Wonder play throughout the forest with the snowwoman pointing out the beauty around them which leaves the girl in awe. Each day, they play and say goodbye at the end. One afternoon, they both realize that they do not have much time together as spring is coming soon.
The girl shares with her friends all of the wonderful things in Nature that she and Wonder noticed together during their winter discoveries. Will she ever see her friend again?
Comments: The illustrations were created using watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, graphite, and water-soluble crayon.
It is a beautiful story about a magical friendship who discovers together the beauty of Nature.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
It’s Winter (The Seasons in Mr. Green’s Garden)
by Ruth Owen (Author)
Summary: Mr. Green and Mo turned a city lot into a garden and share what happens to the garden in winter. They explain the changes to plants, insects, animals, and birds.
Comments: The illustrations are a collage of photos and drawings.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Winter Solstice Wish
by Kate Allen Fox (Author), Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator)
Summary: A family spends a day at the beach on the shortest day of the year. As the sun goes down, they share wishes around a bonfire. In opposition, on the other side of the earth, a family celebrates the longest day of the year at the beach.
Comments: This ode shares how the earth is located relative to the sun so that one can have both the shortest and the longest day. Community and family celebrations are emphasized.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Out Cold-A Little Bruce Book (Mother Bruce Series)
by Ryan T. Higgins (Author)
Brief summary: Winter has come to Soggy Hollow. Poor Bruce has a cold and is stuck inside with his mice friends, Nibbs, Thistle, and Rupert. After playing outside, the mice thought it would be nice to bring the snow activities inside for Bruce to enjoy. I wonder if Bruce will enjoy them…
Comments: What can I say? I love the humor of grumpy Bruce. He reminds me so much of myself.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
I’m Going to Build a Snowman
by Jashar Awan (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: A little boy wakes to see that it has snowed. After eating his breakfast and putting on all of his snow gear, he is determined to build the BEST SNOWMAN EVER.
Comments: The story explores how one’s expectations may not be realistic but still can be enjoyable in a positive mindset.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Snow Man: A True Story
by Jonah Winter (Author), Jeanette Winter (Illustrator)
Brief summary: billy barr (he prefers all small letters) lives ALONE in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, eight miles from the nearest town. He first moved there as a college student in 1972 for the summer. He lived in an abandoned shack with dirt floors and no electricity or running water. He began to take meticulous notes of all of the wildlife and weather of the mountains.
He stayed for fifty-one years and is still there.
The scientists at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory used his notes and observations, all written in notebooks, to chart how the mountains’ climate was changing. He still takes notes but enters them into a computer.
Comments: There is an Author’s Note in the back explaining billy barr in more detail.
I had so many questions while reading this biography. Why is he a hermit? What made him go there? Why did he stay so long? Would I want to live like that? What would that be like? Can I get my library up there? And could I bring all of my cats?
This biography picture book could spark some interesting classroom discussions.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Just SNOW Already!
by Howard McWilliam (Author, Illustrator)
Brief summary: A boy excitedly waits for the snow expected that evening in his neighborhood. He dreams of all the wonderful things he will do in the snow. He keeps checking out the window, not noticing all of the stupendous things taking place on his street, believing that nothing is happening because there is no snow yet.
He begins to wonder what it would mean if it never snowed again.
Comments: The details in these illustrations are action-packed and hilarious. I love the boy’s giant head and all of his facial expressions. This would be a fantastic read-aloud for kids, especially the day before the first snowfall of the year.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗 1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Winter: A Solstice Story (The Solstice Series)
by Kelsey E. Gross (Author), Renata Liwska (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Owl calls down from the top of a pine tree to the creatures of the forest asking who can help brighten the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Each forest animal contributes something to the pine tree as it shines with the full moon upon it.
Comments: This is a gentle and quiet book that could be read as a bedtime story.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter
by Kenard Pak (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: A boy and girl walk in nature noticing the late autumn around them, playing in the fallen leaves and seeing the birds flying south. They go home and wake to an urban winter landscape where they go outside and notice the snow as they walk back to the now wintery field.
Comments: The illustrations change with the seasons complementing the story.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
On a Flake-Flying Day: Watching Winter’s Wonders
by Buffy Silverman (Author)
Brief summary: When winter arrives, nature changes in many ways to prepare for snow.
Comments: There are large and brilliant Nature photos in this narrative nonfiction picture book.
The back section includes the question: What can you see on a white winter’s day? and then in-depth answers correlating to the pages before, Further Reading, and Glossary.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, retired elementary school librarian who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.