image of a young girl and her older brother lying on the floor together at Christmas time reading a picture book - the concept of winter picture books

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Spoiler Alert: When the winter wonderland outside is starting to feel a bit frightful and you’re done romanticizing ice skates, snow angels, and playing in the snow, it’s time to read! You won’t find a better list of picture books about winter any where else. I promise. I loved reading and curating this list of winter themed books to read with kids during the cold winter months. There are stories on this list that transcend what you might be thinking about picture books. These cozy stories are beautifully written and illustrated for all ages, from toddlers, to preschool, and elementary through high school!

a collage of book covers from winter themed picture books

During the first holiday season of the pandemic, local bookstores were struggling to stay in business. Luckily, our favorite local bookstore did something genius! They offered a book a day for Advent. We so enjoyed it that year, that I’ve tried to keep up the tradition!

If you want to try a book a day for Advent, read all about how we do it here. The books don’t have to be exclusively Christmas books – in fact, I think it’s great if they are a bit varied. Think books about different holidays during December; historical fiction that took place during the holidays; or even some non-fiction books!

Drinking Chocolate Recipes Galore!

I’ve collected 20 decadent drinking chocolate recipes for you. There’s something for every taste bud – Andes hot chocolate, pink hot chocolate, oreo cream filling, instapot, and on and on.

enjoy!

And, this list of winter picture books perfectly fits the bill as well! So pick one, some, or all and enjoy a snuggle by the fire. Oh! And don’t forget some hot chocolate!

  1. The Snow Globe Family

    Oh, when will it snow again? wonders the little family who lives in the snow globe. They long for a snowstorm? if only someone in the big family would pick up the snow globe and give it a shake. Baby would love to. She notices the little family, but the snow globe is too high for her to reach. But then Baby is alone during a snowstorm. Will the snow globe family get a chance to go sledding, too?

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  2. The Tea Party in the Woods

    When a young girl named Kikko realizes her father has forgotten the pie he was supposed to bring to Grandma's house, she offers to try and catch him as he makes his way through the woods. She hurriedly follows her father's footprints in the snow and happens upon a large house she has never seen before. Curious, Kikko peers through the window, when she is startled by a small lamb wearing a coat and carrying a purse. Even more surprising, the lamb speaks, asking her in a kind voice, “Are you here for the tea party?” Suddenly, Kikko realizes her trip through the woods has turned into something magical. 

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  3. Winter Is Coming

    Day after day, a girl goes to her favorite place in the woods and quietly watches from her tree house as the chipmunks, the doe, the rabbits prepare for the winter. As the temperature drops, sunset comes earlier and a new season begins. Silently she observes the world around her as it reveals its secrets.

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  4. Owl Moon

    Late one winter night a little girl and her father go owling. The trees stand still as statues and the world is silent as a dream. Whoo-whoo-whoo, the father calls to the mysterious nighttime bird.


    But there is no answer.


    Wordlessly the two companions walk along, for when you go owling you don't need words. You don't need anything but hope. Sometimes there isn't an owl, but sometimes there is.

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  5. Snow (Sunburst Books)

    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.

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  6. Snowflake Bentley

    Wilson Bentley was always fascinated by snow. In childhood and adulthood, he saw each tiny crystal of a snowflake as a little miracle and wanted to understand them.

    His parents supported his curiosity and saved until they could give him his own camera and microscope. At the time, his enthusiasm was misunderstood. But with patience and determination, Wilson catalogued hundreds of snowflake photographs, gave slideshows of his findings and, when he was 66, published a book of his photos. His work became the basis for all we know about beautiful, unique snowflakes today. 

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  7. Snowmen at Night

    Have you ever built a snowman and discovered the next day that his grin has gotten a little crooked, or his tree-branch arms have moved? And you've wondered . . . what do snowmen do at night? This delightful wintertime tale reveals all! 

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  8. The Illustrated Robert Frost: 15 Winter Poems for Children - Robert Frost for Kids, Poetry Books for Kids, Poetry Picture Books, Robert Frost Kids Book, Winter for Kids: Winter Poems for Kids

    Step into the magical world of snowy pastures, quaint cottages, singing birds, icicles, Christmas trees, and deep woods in the beautiful atmospheric poetry of Robert Frost.


    Fifteen of Frost's most famous poems, including, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, The Road Not Taken, Stars, Christmas Trees, An Old Man's Winter Night, and more!

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  9. Winter's Child

    When Tom wishes winter would never end, he meets another boy who shares his love of snow and ice. Playing together every day, Tom doesn’t care that spring hasn’t come—until he realizes the terrible effect the unending winter is having on his sick grandmother. When he realizes his friend is Winter’s child, he knows they must say good-bye if the seasons are ever to change.

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  10. Brave Irene: A Picture Book

    Brave Irene is Irene Bobbin, the dressmaker's daughter. Her mother, Mrs. Bobbin, isn't feeling so well and can't possibly deliver the beautiful ball gown she's made for the duchess to wear that very evening. So plucky Irene volunteers to get the gown to the palace on time, in spite of the fierce snowstorm that's brewing-- quite an errand for a little girl.

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  11. Ten Ways to Hear Snow

    One winter morning, Lina wakes up to silence. It's the sound of snow -- the kind that looks soft and glows bright in the winter sun. But as she walks to her grandmother's house to help make the family recipe for warak enab, she continues to listen.


    As Lina walks past snowmen and across icy sidewalks, she discovers ten ways to pay attention to what might have otherwise gone unnoticed.

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  12. Before Morning

    There are planes to fly and buses to catch, but a child uses the power of words, in the form of an invocation, to persuade fate to bring her family a snow day — a day slow and unhurried enough to spend at home together.

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  13. Blizzard

    Blizzard is based on John Rocco's childhood experience during the now infamous Blizzard of 1978, which brought fifty-three inches of snow to his town in Rhode Island. Told with a brief text and dynamic illustrations, the bookopens with a boy's excitement upon seeing the first snowflake fall outside his classroom window. It ends with the neighborhood's immense relief upon seeing the first snowplow break through on their street. In between the boy watches his familiar landscape transform into something alien, and readers watch him transform into a hero who puts the needs of others first.

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  14. Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story

    In the frosty, quiet forest, the snow blankets the ground and the trees have shed their leaves. Where have all the animals gone? Are they asleep too?


    In each cutaway scene, see what the child cannot—that underground below his feet are dens with sleeping creatures, and within the hollow trunks of trees, animals are nesting. After the story, annotated illustrations explain the hibernation facts for each animal and what they will do when they wake up for spring.

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  15. Hortense and the Shadow

    Hortense is a kind and brave girl, but she is sad--even angry--that her shadow follows her everywhere she goes. She hates her shadow, and thinks her shadow must hate her too. But one cold, dark night, when bandits surprise her in the woods, Hortense discovers that her shadow is the very thing she needs most.


    This stunningly illustrated story stirs the soul with its compelling, subtle exploration of self-esteem, self-identity, and finding inner strength.

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  16. Black Dog

    When a huge black dog appears outside the Hope family home, each member of the household sees it and hides. Only Small, the youngest Hope, has the courage to face the black dog, who might not be as frightening as everyone else thinks.

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  17. My Footprints

    Every child feels different in some way, but Thuy feels "double different." She is Vietnamese American and she has two moms. Thuy walks home one winter afternoon, angry and lonely after a bully's taunts. Then a bird catches her attention and sets Thuy on an imaginary exploration. What if she could fly away like a bird? What if she could sprint like a deer, or roar like a bear? Mimicking the footprints of each creature in the snow, she makes her way home to the arms of her moms. Together, the three of them imagine beautiful and powerful creatures who always have courage - just like Thuy.

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  18. Storm Whale In Winter

    When Noi's dad sails out on one last fishing trip before winter, Noi waits for him at home. But as the storm worsens and his dad does not return, Noi decides to go looking for his dad. But the storm is powerful and dangerous, and soon Noi, too, is stuck in the icy sea. When it seems that all hope is lost, a friend comes to help Noi and his father. 

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  19. Winter Candle

    A "lumpy stick of wax" lights the way in this story of diverse celebrations held at an apartment house on Juniper Court. While it is neither tall, twisted, or the right color, the unassuming candle manages to save the day for Nana's Thanksgiving meal, the Danzigers's Sabbath two weeks later, one family's St. Lucia observance, and another's Kwanzaa, before finally guiding a new tenant home during a raging snowstorm. The friendly neighbors help one another without hesitation and come together at the end for a combined celebration lit by the same gnarled but brightly shining candle.

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  20. Night Tree

    By moonlight in the quiet forest, a young boy and his family decorate their favorite tree with popcorn, apples, tangerines, and sunflower-seed balls as a gift for the animals of the woods

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  21. The Lights that Dance in the Night

    In this wonderfully festive picture book, Yuval Zommer imagines the Northern Lights' fleeting journey from space to Earth and how they weave a special magic for the animals and people living in the frozen lands below.

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  22. Shelter

    As a big storm approaches, two strangers arrive in the forest. All the animal families, safe in their homes, are worried. They wonder, “What are they doing there? What do they want?” So, as the pair knocks at the door of one home after another asking for shelter, all the animals turn them away, leaving them to fend for themselves. But then an accident suddenly forces the fox family out into the snow and the wind, and the foxes find they must ask these outsiders for help. Will they find it in their hearts to give it?Céline Claire's heartwarming picture book story delivers a timeless and timely message about the importance of kindness and generosity. With simple and evocative language, it explores how even small gestures can make a big difference to the strangers or outsiders in a community. 

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Enjoy this delightful list – many of which I hope are new to you. You’ll notice that I omitted some of the more obvious choices, such as The Polar Express, The Snowy Day, or Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter. I wanted to give you a list of books for you to hopefully find some new traditions to cherish.

pin this so you can come back each time you need a new book!

one image of a young girl and her older brother lying on the floor together at Christmas time reading a picture book and a second image of an open book of Christmas stories - the concept of winter picture books