Wintry Picture Books: A Book List

Whether you live in a place with snow or not, January is the perfect month for a cozy snow story (or three). Look for some of these at your local library and enjoy a long winter’s evening story time.

The Wintry Picture Books book list below includes books both old and new. Enjoy!

WINTRY PICTURE BOOKS: A BOOK LIST

Winter Poems selected by Barbara Rogasky and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Scholastic, 1994. 40 pages. All Ages.

• A marvelously well-illustrated anthology of poems all about winter: snow, bird migrations, sleigh bells, even sickness! Read our review.

Snow by Uri Shulevitz. Sunburst Books, 2004.

• In spite of the doubtful predictions in the media and the skepticism of the adults that one or two flakes will amount to anything, a boy and his dog are confident in hope that “It’s snowing!” Marvelous illustrations and a simple story that children can relate to.   

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers. Dutton Juvenile, 2001 (re-print from 1978).

• Frost’s famous poem set against inventive and informative illustrations.   

Blizzard by John Rocco. Disney-Hyperion, 2014. 

• Based on the real life blizzard of 1978, Blizzard shows a town receiving a whopping 50+ inches of snow, a young boy’s delight in the wintry beauty, and his efforts to serve those around him while they wait for a snow plow.   

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert. HMH Books for Young Readers, 1999. 

• Ehlert’s charming collage illustrations of a snowman family made with found objects will delight young children (and inspire their own creativity!).

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton. HMH Books for Young Readers, 1943. 40 pages.

• Only Virginia Lee Burton could craft as lovable a tractor-pushing-snowplow as Katy. Read our review.

*Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle. Chronicle Books, 2014. 32 pages.

• Wordlessly, the pictures show Flora and the penguin’s introduction, their initial friendship, a difference of opinion, and a glorious resolution. Read our review.

Penguin Sets Sail by Jessica Linn Evans. Rainstorm Publishing, 2020.

• Penguin does indeed set sail, but the story is also about his dreams, his friends, and their communication with one another. Read our review.

Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser. Kane Miller, 2009. 56 pages.

• A humorous title worth seeking out! (It’s out of print.) Three animals do not know what snow looks like and wait patiently for their first snowfall.

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder by Mark Cassino with Jon Nelson, Ph.D. Chronicle, 2017. 36 pages.

• A fantastic and comprehensible explanation of how snow is made, with amazing photos of snowflakes.

Look at the Weather by Britta Techentrup, translated and adapted by Shelly Tanaka.  Owl Kids Books (Canada), 2018. 141 pages.

• This picture book for all ages encourages readers to “look at the weather” while learning the basic causes of it. Read our review.

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Clarion, 2009.

• Caldecott-winning picture book biography of a snowflake photographer. (See Bentley’s actual collection of photos here!)

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Viking, 2011 (50th anniversary edition).

• Caldecott-winning picture book of a young boy’s delight in the snow. Read our review.

The Mitten by Jan Brett. Putnam’s, 1996.

• Where did the boy leave his mitten? (If you’ve not seen this modern classic, don’t miss the side illustrations!).

Supertruck by Stephen Savage. Roaring Brook, 2015. 32 pages.

• A humble garbage truck has a secret identity which saves the day and all the snowbound city trucks in this Caldecott honor winning title. If you have a child who loves trucks or superheroes, this is indispensable. Read our review.

Chia and the Fox Man: An Alaskan Dena’ina Fableretold by Barbara J. Atwater and Ethan J. Atwater and illustrated by Mindy Dwyer. Alaska Northwest Books, 2020.

• One night, Chia ventures forth from his home in response to a strange noise and meets the Fox Man…. Read our review. 

*The Snow Queen, by Hans Christian Anderson, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline.  Harpers, 2013, 34 pages. 

• The Bagram Ibatoulline illustrations make this version of Anderson’s The Snow Queen a family read-aloud treasure. Read our review.

Don’t miss our Wintry Stories Book List for Middle Grades and Teens !