25 Winter Books For Preschool

There are three main ingredients to lesson planning for me. Number one is my students specifically their development, ability, and interests. Number two is what theme or curriculum my school is expecting me to follow. Finally, number three is finding literature that fits numbers one and two. After I have a book I can begin to really lesson plan, to decide how everything will come together. As I looked through my own library of winter-themed books, I knew I needed to compile a big list of winter books for preschool for you, too!

 

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Winter Books for Preschool

Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! By Bob Barner is a cute rhyming book filled with simple facts about penguins. My toddler loved the bold illustrations, and my son liked the facts. It sparked a desire to learn more about the animal. That is one of my favorite things about nonfiction books like this that look like stories. They plant seeds of interest that launch into a deeper inquiry. Great book for preschool through Kindergarten.

The Mitten by Jan Brett is such a sweet book about a mitten that somehow keeps stretching as more and more animals crawl inside. That is until the bear sneezes! The illustrations are busy in a beautiful way that will have your children finding new things every time you read this book. The amazing thing about this book is how it appeals to such a range of ages. My classroom of 2 and 3-year-olds read this book the same week my son told me he had. He was 8! It’s a lovely book and one of my very favorite winter books to read.

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn and Mark Buehner I love this book and actually looked for 2 hours in our playroom and storage room convinced I owned it but misplaced it. I don’t. I finally sat down to read it to my daughter at her school last week. She liked the snowmen but wasn’t as into it as I suspect she will be next winter. The story is adorable but a little sophisticated for a 19-month-old. My son has read it and loved it because it taps into a child’s imagination perfectly.

The author imagines the world where snowmen come to life and party at night when we are sleeping. That is why they always look a little different in the morning. I remember my son looking at me and asking ”not really right?” when we read it a few years ago. I love the whimsical illustrations with fun points of view that make the reader feel like they are in on a real secret. Great book for preschoolers, I was a little over-eager reading it with my daughter, but it’s so good I couldn’t wait to. { Edited for 2013: My daughter did appreciate this and the Christmas themed book in the same series much more this year than last!}

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs is a beautiful wordless picture book that I could not find anywhere! I have read it before to classes full of kids and love the illustrations but was so sad that I couldn’t find the book to read to my own kids. I actually thought we’d read it before and searched to see if I’d previously reviewed it but we never had.  Luckily I remembered there was a video made, and YouTube provided a nice backup.

The story is about a little boy who makes a snowman and after he is called in for the night keeps checking to make sure it’s still out in his yard. After going to bed, he tosses and turns and can’t sleep and then the magic happens and the snowman comes to life. The little boy and the snowman explore the little boy’s house then the snowman takes the little boy to explore his magical world. My children loved the video. The music that accompanied the beautiful illustrations brought the whole magical story to life.  Knowing how the story ends with the snowman melted in the front yard, I was anxious to see how my kids would react. My son said, “That’s what snowmen do, they melt. Just the way it is.” I can’t wait to track down a copy and read it to them.

The Lonesome Polar Bear by Jane Cabrera is a lovely book about a little polar bear who’s only friends are a snow cloud and snow animals, and they all keep melting away. The book has an important message about not giving up hope and to keep trying to make friends, a lesson that is worthwhile for everyone. The illustrations are very cute, and my son (who was a toddler when we read it )loved it!

Holly’s Red Boots by Francesca Chessa was a delight to read. Holly wants to go outside in the snow but can’t find her boots, and we follow along as she looks for them. It’s a cute story, and the pictures are scrumptious. My son loved that the dinosaur was wearing her boots and wanted to read that page over and over. I also loved that when she does go outside her mom has her baby sibling in a baby carrier. Fun book!

Penguin by Polly Dunbar was an unexpected delight! The book started with Ben, who got a penguin as a gift, but no matter what he did he got no reaction from his penguin. Finally, as happens with young kids Ben lost it, has a temper tantrum and a lion eats him. Yes, I said a lion eats him. My son loved it. He howled with laughter and don’t worry in the end it’s happy, so nightmares are unlikely if you read this before bed. I loved the rhythm of this book, and the simple illustrations were a perfect fit. Big thumbs up from kid and parent on this one!

Un-Brella by Scott Franson is such a cool book. There is not a single line of text in the book, and it’s not missing a thing! The illustrations are so vivid, so layered and tell the story perfectly. A little girl has a magical umbrella that brings the sun on a snowy day and snow when her yard is green and sunny. My two-year-old was beside himself laughing and saying “No no” to the little girl wearing her swimsuit in the snow. Grab this book and enjoy it!

Stella, Queen of the Snow by Marie-Louise Gay is my kind of book. If I were to quote all my favorite bits of this book, I would write out most of it. I just love the writing, it’s simple but doesn’t talk down to the reader. The characters are sweet but not saccharine, and I love how inquisitive Sam is. Stella is a know it all but not bratty about it at all! Sam has never seen snow before, and Stella tells him all about it as they explore the first snowfall of the year.

Snow Snow Snow!by Lee Harper captures the excitement of a snow day spent sledding and defying gravity for those precious few moments as you zoom down the hill. My son gave the book a thumbs up, but my daughter wasn’t as into it although when the three dogs in the book landed with a thump, both kids were giggling. Edited to add:  This morning my daughter ran to this book and smiled the whole way through loving it! Funny how 8 am reading gets a different response than 5 pm after a long day.

Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara is another fantastic book that will have you aching for snow. A little boy is lonely after his friends have all gone into hibernation for the winter when Jack Frost shows up. They frolic and play, exploring all the fun that winter has to offer friends. But when the first signs of spring arrive Jack disappears. The illustrations are perfectly simple and will suck you into a wintery world that you won’t want to leave. My kids love this book and after one reading at the library, we bought our own copy.

The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll is a cute winter book that holds a fantastic message inside. The book tells the story of a snowman making contest in Mouseville. Two little mice work so hard by themselves, but it’s just not enough until they join forces. Competition is not a bad thing but sometimes cooperation is even better, I really like this book.

The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins is a good nonfiction book written as a story about penguins and more specifically about how the father penguin cares for the egg. The illustrations in the book are wonderful and will likely appeal to younger children as well as the target 4-6-year-olds audience that the text is geared towards. I have used this in a Pre-K class and by the end of the year the children were ready and able to sit and pay attention to the whole book.

Snow Sounds: An Onomatopoeic Story by David A. Johnson is a wonderful book about onomatopoeia. I did not tell my son that was the point of the book. When we were done reading, I asked for his thoughts. He said “I liked all the words that are sounds”. The teachable moment was not lost. I loved the illustrations that made me want to put the kettle on and grab some fuzzy slippers.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is a classic. Some classics are the type of books that lose their relevance and leave readers wondering what the hype is about. This book is timeless. A little boy goes exploring in the snow and discovers his world in a new way. The illustrations are magical and the way that they convey the emotions this little boy experiences throughout the day are nothing short of perfect.

Birthday Snow by Kim Messinger and Michael LaLumiere is such a sweet book about believing in something even when all the facts say maybe you should give up. Daniel doesn’t give up hope waiting for the snow to come on his birthday, but who really steals the show is his mom and her continued support of her little guy and his determination. A very cute book and a new addition to my must-buy list!

Snowbaby Could Not Sleep by Kara LaReau is a sweet winter-themed story about a little Snowbaby that simply can not get to sleep. He counts snowflakes, his Snowmama gets him extra snow because he was too hot and still he can’t sleep. What finally gives him enough comfort is when his parents make him his very own Snowpuppy to snuggle all night long.  I like gentle books like this because as a child I experienced terrible nighttime anxiety. As a mom, I am very gentle at bedtime until my kids felt secure enough to handle each new stage of nighttime independence. My daughter who is 2 loved this book.

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester is such a cute and funny story, your kids will love it! Tacky is an odd bird but when hunters come to get some pretty penguins is funny odd ways of doing things turn off the hunters and saves Tacky and his perfectly not odd companions. This is a sweet look at being different and being happy as pie about being different.  My son loves this book and points out that Tacky is proud to sing just how he wants. I love that it can preach to kids without preaching at all.

 

A Really Good Snowman by Daniel J. Mahoney plucked my heartstrings and then some. This is a story of an annoying little sister who always finds ways to ruin her older brother’s fun, and his avoidance of her. He’s just an average big brother, and when she tags along to a snowman building competition he ditches her for his friends. When some bullies tease his little sister, he does what every mother hopes their older child does and stands up for her. Then seeing he needs her he leaves his friends and joins her snowman building efforts.  It’s a sweet story but not so sweet it’s unrealistic. Also, the illustrations of all the different snowmen will make you laugh. My favorite is the Elvis snowman!

Snowbots by Aaron Reynolds is funky, fun, and full of really awesome rhymes. The robot reality is a sweet one and my kids totally dug this book. We were picking favorite robots in the first few pages and loving the book more and more as we read it. The story is a familiar one but with the substitution of robots, basic snow day things get more interesting. My son loved the snowball fight and my daughter was all over the pink robot. I loved how they had cereal with gasoline and an oil bath. A huge hit with all of us.

Snowman in Paradise by Michael Roberts is genius. There, I said it and I very rarely think that of books. I like the majority of books I read and think there are so many good ones to share. I don’t want to return this one to the library, I want to keep it! The book is about a snowman from Manhattan who is glum after Christmas and wants to go on a vacation too. A magical bluebird grants his wish and he flies first class to a tropical island. The only rule is he needs to come back in time for Christmas next year. This book reads like the traditional “Night Before Christmas” and although I thought the copy seemed too long for my son at first, he loved it. The rhymes are unique, my favorite being :

In May after splashing with buckets of paint, He threw down his brush, saying, “Gauguin I ain’t.”

Even if some references are more for the adults reading it than the children listening, both parties will close the book smiling and wanting to start all over again. Grab it and see why I love it so much!

 

White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt is a total throwback to another time and it’s awesome. I love books that haven’t been updated because they offer readers a chance to go back in time and get a glimpse of the past. The story is about a town expecting a snowstorm and how its different residents prepare and deal with it. The animals, adults, and kids all go about it very differently. The character that stood out for me was the policeman’s wife who doted on her husband and cared for his cold with a mustard plaster. I told you it was a total throwback! I didn’t know they still used mustard plasters in the 40s but that’s why these books are such treasures for kids and parents alike.

Penguin Dreams by Vivian Walsh is a crazy trip of a book. However, both my son and I loved it. I am not sure what I expected, but I’ll summarize it. The story is simply one penguin’s dream.  He dreams he can fly,  and readers follow along as he flies through his clever and offbeat dream.  I loved thinking about whether or not penguins even dream. That thought had my son and I talking for quite some time before he himself drifted off to sleep. It’s fun, it’s weird, and it’s perfect for creative imagination-driven kids!

Little Penguin’s Tale Audrey Wood is a funny cautionary tale about a curious and wild penguin. When the tale almost ends in doom and gloom the narrator changes the end a little bit, so the readers and other little penguins aren’t too sad. Still, the message is clear that you can’t ignore the rules without some consequences!

Snow Party by Harriet Ziefert is a magical book that celebrates the biggest holiday for snow people, the winter solstice. I wish I had had access to this book when I was teaching. It’s a perfect way to read a story about celebrations without focusing on one tradition, or leaving out another. The illustrations are beautiful! Plus, the idea of snow people eating and dancing in the middle of the night is delicious!