Winter is an exciting time for primary learners! As the seasonal changes begin in your area, consider adding some fun, winter books for kids to your learning activities. Not sure where to start? No worries, friend – I’ve got you covered! Come along to see my list of favorite winter books for kids!

The Best Winter Books for Your Classroom

Are you a fan of winter? I definitely am! There’s just something so magical about this time of year. If you don’t get snow in your area, you can still introduce students to everything this season brings with some great winter picture books in your classroom. There are so many great options to choose from and I’ve collected a go-to list of favorites to help you get started!

Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story by Sean Taylor

This book is one of the coziest winter books you’ll ever read! Follow along as a child and his grandmother explore a winter wonderland together. In this book, students will learn all about the different things that happen as the winter season approaches.

Hibernation of animals and plants are big themes in this book, making it a great companion to a winter study in your room. This is a great introduction to the concept of hibernation and how it affects the whole earth in winter. Inside, you’ll find tons of interesting facts about animal hibernation and what they will do when spring comes.

Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft 

Speaking of animal hibernation, this next winter book on my list takes an even deeper dive! Students will learn about concepts such as migration, hibernation, and how many different animals adapt and handle the colder weather. This is a great book to make available to the students after reading because it’s jam-packed with interesting facts and great illustrations to catch their eye.

The Snowy Nap by Jan Brett

Jan Brett’s books are among my favorites! The illustrations are just so cozy and perfect for winter learning. In this book, students will follow along with Hedgie the Hedgehog as all of his friends at the farm tell him about everything he misses while he hibernates all winter. They make snowmen, ice skate, and admire the icicle decorations all around. But as lovely as it sounds, Hedgie thinks his own cozy adventures at home are just as wonderful!

This book would be perfect to have students write about after reading. Ask them to consider which sounds more appealing to them – all of the winter festivities at the farm, or a cozy winter at home like Hedgie enjoys.

A Thing Called Snow by Yuval Zommer 

Follow along in this adorable story about Fox and Hare, who were born in the spring and don’t know what winter will bring. They ask their forest animal friends what winter and snow are like. This book beautifully describes what snow is and what to expect in the winter months. I like to use this book to build an anchor chart with descriptive words for winter and snow. The kids love adding to the chart and using it for inspiration during winter writing activities throughout the season.

Best in Snow by April Pulley Sayre

Looking for a fun Non-Fiction book to add to your winter books collection? This one will be an instant favorite! This one is especially nice for students who don’t live in a snowy climate as it’s filled with real, full-color pictures of snow and ice. Kids will get an inside look at what snow looks like when it’s covering a forest landscape or falling on an animal’s fur or feathers. You will even be able to learn about the winter water cycle in this book.

Blizzard by John Rocco

What is a blizzard? Students will learn the answer to this question in this fun storybook! Blizzard is all about the author’s childhood experience with a snowstorm in the infamous Blizzard of 1978. In his hometown, they received fifty-three inches of snow! Students will love following along in this story as the author describes what it was like to watch the snow fall from his classroom window and then watch the town transform with what seemed like endless snow!

The Snow Globe Family by Jane O’Connor

Looking for a whimsical winter storybook to add to your collection? I think you’ll love The Snow Gloe Family. In this book, students will enter the magical world inside a snow globe! The family that lives in the snow globe is wishing for more snow and they wish someone would pick it up and make the flakes fall.

After reading this book, ask your students to consider what it would be like to live in a snow globe… what kind of magical activities would they enjoy? This is a great writing prompt to use during the month of January!

Snow Globe Wishes by Erin Dealey 

Everyone loves a snow day! In this story, we follow the tale of a young girl who is home with her family about to prepare for the biggest storm of the year. She thinks about how fun it would be to spend the day playing in the snow with her family and wishes that this could be true! The next morning, as the whole town is home, expecting the storm, the sun comes out! Follow along to see what everyone does to enjoy the unexpected snow day.

Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light by Apryl Stott 

Looking for some winter books to help strengthen your classroom community? If so, you’ll love Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light. This touching story shows different ways to be kind and selfless during the winter. Honestly, it can be used any time of the year and is the perfect way to reinforce friendship. 

One of the activities I love to do after reading this story is to make kindness notes on snowflakes. I give my students a tutorial on how to cut snowflakes out of construction paper first. Then, they choose a friend to write a heartfelt note to. You can also do a random drawing for friends if you’d like to encourage students to write a note to someone they might not normally pick.

The Snowflake by Benji Davies 

I’ve got one more gem for you to check out in this list of winter books for kids. This story is told from two different perspectives. One from the eyes of a little girl watching a snowflake, and one from the view of the snowflake itself. This book is beautifully written and illustrated to tell a winter tale that everyone will love. This is the perfect read aloud to add to your winter lesson plan.

Using These Winter Books in Your Classroom

Aren’t these winter books fun?! There are so many great options to choose from and I know that your students will love listening to them read aloud and reading them on their own as well. If you’re looking for ways to take your winter books further, I’ve got you covered with two ideas to use them!

Create a Winter Books Bulletin Board

Consider checking out my Winter Books Bulletin Board resource. Inside you’ll find everything you need to create a fun reading display in your room! The words read, “Chill Out With a Good Book!” and the set also includes writing paper that students can use to write about their favorite winter book. There are also editable student tags and penguin craft toppers included to complete the adorable winter display.

If you’re looking for even more options for creating fun winter bulletin boards to showcase the books you’re reading, be sure to check out the Winter Bulletin Board Bundle. Inside you get 58 different bulletin board resources to use all winter long.

Start a Winter Books Reading Challenge

Another fun way to keep your students reading all winter long is with a book challenge. This Winter Reading Challenge is like a reading log, but way more fun! Students will choose from prompts such as, “Read under a cozy blanket fort” and “Read by the light of a flashlight”, with the idea of filling up their log before the month is over. There are both pre-filled logs and editable options to meet the needs of your classroom.

There are also reading response pages and seasonal craft toppers to extend this activity further and keep those kids reading! Have students use the pages to write about what they’re reading and rate the books. This will help deepen understanding and reading comprehension skills while connecting what they read to writing!

More Winter Books Reading Resources

I hope you enjoyed reading all about my favorite winter books for kids! While these are just a few of my favorite winter books, you can find my whole list of go-to’s here. Be sure to take a peek if you’re looking for more inspiration. And. . . if you’re looking for books specifically about snow – read this post next!

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