December brings with it the first day of winter and a change to the season of cold, snow, and ice. For kids this means snowmen, ice skating, and hopefully, snow days! Celebrate the wonder of winter by sharing some of these frosty reads with the children in your life. There’s no better way to welcome in the season than by reading about the cold and snow outside while snuggled up warm indoors. For more books on winter weather try searching “Snow,” “Winter,” and “Blizzards” as subject terms, adding “Juvenile Fiction” for fiction works and “Juvenile Literature” for non-fiction books.
Picture Books
Berger, Carin.
A Perfect Day. 2012.
Young friends enjoy a day of sledding, snowball fights, and ice skating one snowy day in their hillside village.
[SSHEL S-Collection Q. SE. B4533p]
Briggs, Raymond.
The Snowman. 1978.
When his snowman comes to life, a little boy invites him home and in return is taken on a flight high above the countryside.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books SE. B76s]
Ehlert, Lois.
Snowballs. 1995.
Some children create a family out of snow. Includes labeled pictures of all the items they use, as well as information about how snow is formed.
[SSHEL S-Collection Q. SE. Eh56s]
Keats, Ezra Jack.
The Snowy Day. 1962.
No book has captured the magic and sense of possibility of the first snowfall better thanThe Snowy Day. Universal in its appeal, the story has become a favorite of millions, as it reveals a child’s wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books SE. K22s]
McGhee, Alison.
Making a Friend. 2011.
When the snow falls, a young boy makes a snowman that becomes his friend until the seasons change.
[SSHEL S-Collection SE. M459ma]
Messner, Kate.
Over and Under the Snow. 2011.
Over the snow, the world is hushed and white, but under the snow is a secret world of squirrels and snowshoe hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many others who live outside in the woods during the winter.
[SSHEL S-Collection Q. SE. M5641o]
Sabuda, Robert.
Winter’s Tale: An Original Pop-Up Journey. 2005.
Winter’s Tale is Robert Sabuda’s most spectacular original pop-up story yet. The simple, elegant text is illustrated with breathtaking artwork and extraordinary paper engineering. Stunning visual effects of foil, glitter, and a twinkling surprise further capture the magic of winter.
[Rare Books & Manuscript Library SE. Sa139w]
Shulevitz, Uri.
Snow. 1998.
As snowflakes slowly come down, one by one, people in the city ignore them, and only a boy and his dog think that the snowfall will amount to anything.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books SE. Sh9s]
Intermediate Fiction
Kirby, Matthew J.
Icefall. 2011.
Princess Solveig and her siblings are trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen fjord, along with her best friend and an army of restless soldiers, all awaiting news of the king’s victory in battle, but as they wait for winter’s end and the all-encompassing ice to break, acts of treachery make it clear that a traitor lurks in their midst.
[Center for Children’s Books S. K6316i]
Paulsen, Gary.
Brian’s Winter. 1996.
Instead of being rescued from a plane crash, as in the author’s book Hatchet, this story portrays what would have happened to Brian had he been forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his survival pack and hatchet.
[SSHEL Oak Street and Center for Children’s Books S. P285b]
Ursu, Anne.
Breadcrumbs. 2011.
Hazel and Jack are best friends until an accident with a magical mirror and a run-in with a villainous queen find Hazel on her own, entering an enchanted wood in the hopes of saving Jack’s life.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books S. Ur7b]
Wilder, Laura Ingalls.
The Long Winter. 1994.
After an October blizzard, Laura’s family moves from the claim shanty into town for the winter, a winter that an Indian has predicted will be seven months of bad weather.
[SSHEL S Collection S. W645LO 1994]
Young Adult
Crockett, S. D.
After the Snow. 2012.
Fifteen-year-old Willo Blake, born after the 2059 snows that ushered in a new ice age, encounters outlaws, halfmen, and an abandoned girl as he journeys in search of his family, who mysteriously disappeared from the freezing mountain that was their home.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books S. C8726a and Uni High Fiction C872a]
Fisher, Catherine.
Snow-Walker. 2004.
The snow-walker Gudrun came from the swirling mists and icy depths beyond the edge of the world to rule the Jarl’s people with fear and sorcery, but a small band of outlaws will fight to the death to restore the land to its rightful leader.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books S. F531sn]
Northrop, Michael.
Trapped. 2011.
Seven high school students are stranded at their New England high school during a week-long blizzard that shuts down the power and heat, freezes the pipes, and leaves them wondering if they will survive.
[Center for Children’s Books S. N818t]
Pratchett, Terry.
Wintersmith. 2006.
When witch-in-training Tiffany Aching accidentally interrupts the Dance of the Seasons and awakens the interest of the elemental spirit of Winter, she requires the help of the six-inch-high, sword-wielding, sheep-stealing Wee Free Men to put the seasons right.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books S. P887wi and Uni High Fiction P887wi2006]
Nonfiction
Berner, Rotraut Susanne.
The Winter Book. 2008.
Here is a celebration of winter in all its glory. From the late days of fall and Halloween to the earliest days of spring and Groundhog and Valentine’s days, this varied collection is sure to bring joy to the year’s coldest months.
[SSHEL S-Collection S. 808.8033 W7341]
Gibbons, Gail.
It’s Snowing! 2011.
Introduces readers to snow and discusses topics such as different types of snowstorms, regions where snow falls, and how to prepare when a snowstorm approaches.
[SSHEL S-Collection S. 551.5784 G352i]
Hirschi, Ron.
Winter. 1990.
Text and photographs introduce the natural world in winter.
[SSHEL Oak Street S. 574.543 H616W]
Martin, Jacqueline Briggs.
Snowflake Bentley. 1998.
A biography of a self-taught scientist who photographed thousands of individual snowflakes in order to study their unique formations.
[SSHEL S-Collection and Center for Children’s Books Q. SB. B477m]
Miles, Elizabeth.
Snow. 2005.
What is snow? How does snow form? What causes an avalanche? Read this book to find out all about snow.
[SSHEL S-Collection S. 551.5784 M594s]