10 great children’s books about snow and winter

The following is a list of 10 great children’s books about playing in the snow and enjoying the winter season. My daughter Ally, 4, and I have read and enjoyed each of these books. They are not ranked in any special order.

1. The Snowman (By Raymond Briggs) – This is the sweet story of a little boy who makes a snowman that comes to life. What’s great about this book is the story is told entirely through the pictures. So little children can “read” the book and follow the story all by themselves. In this story, once the boy realizes the snowman has come to life, he invites him inside to play with his toys, have a snack and explore the house. Then the snowman takes the boy on an adventure in the snow-covered city. But the next morning, the boy races outside to see that his snowman has melted.

Buy it: The Snowman

2. Stranger in the Woods (By Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick) – Not only does this book have a sweet story, but it also features amazing photographs of real deer, birds and forest creatures who discover a stranger in the woods – a snowman. The animals alert each other about the stranger and they go to investigate. They find a snowman surrounded by treats like birdseed, carrots and corn. The animals eat everything and disappear back into the woods. Moments later, two children arrive and are delighted to see that the animals found their snowman and the treats they left for them.

Buy it: Stranger in the Woods

3. The Mitten (By Jan Brett) – A boy named Nikki asks his grandmother to make him mittens as white as the snow. His grandmother is worried that he won’t be able to find the mittens if he drops them in the snow, but she knits them anyway. Nikki goes out to play in his new mittens and soon he has lost one in the snow. Then some forest animals find the cozy mitten and one by one they squeeze inside. The mitten stretches to house all the animals but then the mitten pops off and flies through the air. Nikki catches the mitten and goes to show his grandmother that he didn’t lose them. His grandmother stares down at his mittens, noticing that one is now much larger than the other.

Buy it: The Mitten

4. Snowmen at Night (By Caralyn Buehner) – This is an adorable book for children who ever wonder why their snowmen sometimes look different in the morning. In this book, a boy builds a snowman and notices that the next day his hat had slipped and his arms had drooped. He begins to wonder what snowmen do at night. He imagines that they all meet in the park to play games, ice skate and go sledding. So of course, after all the fun and games, all the snowmen are crooked and falling apart the next day.

Buy it: Snowmen at Night

5. Owl Moon (By Jane Yolen) – This is the story of a little girl who goes out with her Pa one cold winter night looking for owls. As they walk through the snow, she realizes she needs to be quiet, brave and keep herself warm if she wants to find an owl. Her Pa stops now and then to give an owl call and finally they hear an owl hooting back to them. Then the owl lands on a branch right above their heads and stares down at them before spreading its wings and soaring away. The little girl is amazed at seeing the owl and as she walks home with her Pa, she realizes that all you need to find an owl is hope.

Buy it: Owl Moon

6. Where is Home, Little Pip? (By Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman) – A baby penguin named Pip is warned by her parents not to wander too far away. But one day Pip chases a floating feather over the ice and snow and when she catches it, she turns around and realizes she is lost. Pip asks a whale, a Kelp Gull and sled dogs “Where is home?,” but their homes are different from hers. Finally Pip stops wandering and begins to sing. Her parents hear her singing and find her. Pip has found out that she is “home” whenever she is with her family.

Buy it: Where is Home, Little Pip?

7. Mama, Will it Snow Tonight? (By Nancy White Carlson) – This is a very simple story of a little girl, rabbit and fox each asking their mothers if it will snow that night. All of their mothers look up at the sky and say that it will not snow. As days go by, the little girl and the animals continue to ask when it will snow. Then one night each of the mothers looks up at the sky and says that it will snow that night. And those mothers were right.

Buy it: Mama, Will it Snow Tonight?

8. Snow (By Roy Mc Kie and P.D. Eastman) – This is a simple rhyming story about the joy of a snowy day. Two children and their dog have a fun day in the snow, throwing snowballs, catching snowflakes on their tongue, sledding, skiing and making a snow fort. Then they make a huge snowman, but the sun comes out and their snowman begins to melt. They realize that all the snow will soon be gone. So they each scoop up some snow and run to put it in the freezer to save it for another day. The simple words used in the story would make it a great book for an early reader.

Buy it: Snow

9. The Snowy Day (By Ezra Jack Keats) – This is a classic book about the simple pleasures a child can find playing in the snow. Peter wakes up one winter morning and sees all the new snow that has fallen during the night. He puts on his snowsuit and heads outside. He enjoys seeing the footprints he makes in the snow and dragging a stick behind him to make a new track. He climbs of snowbank, makes a snowman and snow angels. Before going inside, he puts a snowball in his pocket. But before going to bed, he looks for the snowball and it’s gone. The next morning, Peter heads out into the snow again with his friend.

Buy it: The Snowy Day

10. Arthur and the Big Snow (By Marc Brown) – It’s a snow day from school and Arthur is excited to meet his friends at the sledding hill. But his parents point out that his little sister, D.W., can’t walk in deep snow and he’ll have to wait for the snowplow to clear the snow. Arthur plays with D.W. waiting hopefully for the snowplow to come by. But when it finally does, Arthur gets a phone call from his friends telling him that they already went sledding without him. Arthur is sad until his family decides to go sledding together. They have the whole hill to themselves. The family realizes that good things are worth waiting for.

Buy it: Arthur and the Big Snow