These beautiful picture books, both fiction and non-fiction, are perfect winter time reads.  Full of snow and hibernating animals, these books all have gorgeous illustrations and are not at all annoying to read aloud over and over and over again. And your kids will definitely want to read these multiple times.

Each month I like to restock our living room bookshelves with seasonally appropriate picture books.  Our shelves are currently bursting with awesome winter books.  Keep reading to find my list of picture books, both fiction and non-fiction, that are great to read aloud to all ages.

Now that Christmas and Valentine’s Day are over, we find ourselves facing the hardest part of winter (at least for me). The last few weeks before spring are often slushy and dreary and super cold.  There is no better way to brighten my days than with a great big pile of books.

As I was taking photos for this post, I had the books all scattered out on our living room rug and my two year old kept swooping in to steal a book or two.  She kept asking me to read her a “stack of books”, which is one of my all time favorite ways to spend time with my kiddos.

You’ll find that these books included a good mix of fiction and non-fiction titles.  We read a LOT of picture books around here.  And I especially love using a beautiful picture books as an introduction to a scientific topic or a noteworthy person or event from history. 

I find that picture books usually give us a great overview of the topic and often all of our questions are answered in that one book.  But sometimes we want to learn more about a person or an event and so we delve deeper, either with other picture books or more in-depth chapter books.

Fiction Picture Books for Winter:

The Snow Tree by Caroline Repchuk

This is unfortunately out of print, but if you can find it at your library, it’s a sweet little board book.  Ours has delightfully embossed pages and beautiful illustrations.

The Snowy Nap by Jan Brett

The Hat by Jan Brett

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Basically anything by Jan Brett is my favorite.  The illustrations are intricate and absolutely beautiful.  My kids and I all want to pore over the books, taking in all the details. The stories are sweet and fun and they all involve animals, which my kids adore.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

This is a lovely book about a father/daughter adventure through the snowy nighttime woods.  The words are poetic, the illustrations gorgeous.

Terrible Storm by Carol Otis Hurst

A cute story about an introvert and an extrovert and their worst storm ever. The introvert is trapped in a house with lots of people, the extrovert takes cover in a barn and they have to stay their for multiple days.  Fun illustrations, too!

Snow by Uri Shulevitz

I could read this book with my eyes closed, it’s been requested so often by our littles.  But I don’t mind. 🙂

Big Snow by Jonathan Bean

A cute imaginative book that reminded me a little of my life.  There’s a certain someone around here who is always making messes and leaving them so he/she can start another mess.

Brave Irene by William Steig

We love books about brave women and girls around here.  Brave Irene does not disappoint!

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

One of our all-time favorites. This book is a modern classic for a reason.  My son Elijah even had a red hat like Peter’s, made by a sweet friend of ours.  He was obsessed with the book as a two year old and she made the hat as a gift.  He still wears it.

Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda

This delightful book has a similar feel to Press Here.  Both my 2.5 year old and my 5 year old LOVE it.

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

This one is a classic for a reason. My kids love to look at the intricate maps and find each new building around the town. Edith begs for it over and over.

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

Love this illustrations in this wordless picture book. If your child is sensitive, you may want to glance through this one first before sharing it with them.  I was a little bit worried about how my little ones would take it, but they were totally fine with it.

Once There Was a Tree by Natalia Romanova

Beautifully illustrated and fun to read.  We read this book most in Autumn and Winter. It seems to be out of print, so it might be a good one to find at your library.

Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barabara M. Joosse

A sweet and beautifully illustrated book about unconditional love.

Non-Fiction Books for Winter: