31 Best Winter Books for Kindergarten and Preschool

Looking for some great winter-themed children’s books for kindergarten and preschool? You’ve come to the right place! As an early childhood teacher, I’ve read hundreds of winter books for this age group and rounded-up my favorites.

For the long winter where I live, we go through a lot of winter themed books. There’s tons of great options for young children that range from silly and fun to informative to sentimental. Here’s out list of our favorite winter-themed children’s books!

1. The Mitten by Jan Brett

This is a winter classic that we consistently pull out every year to read. The main character looses his mitten that becomes the home to multiple winter animals. Not only is it a beautiful story, the illustrations are great, too.

2. It’s Winter! by Renée Kurilla

Read all about the joys of winter in this fun book about everything from activities to holidays that happen this time of year. Grab some hot chocolate and cuddle up with this book together!

3. Penguins Don’t Wear Sweaters by Marikka Tamura

Here’s a funny book about one of our favorite arctic animals. These penguins are given sweaters to help after an oil spill, but do penguins really need the sweaters? These penguins always get a laugh from my granddaughter.

4. Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

This is a long time winter classic with beautiful watercolor illustrations that’s also a Caldecott Medal winner. This is a sweet story of a little boy’s wonder at the new snow around him.

5. The Missing Mitten Mystery by Steven Kellogg

There seems to be a few books on our winter book list about mittens, but what kid hasn’t lost a mitten? My grandkids love this one, maybe because they loose their own mittens often. What better time to pull this book out?

6. Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

This is a classic winter book about the secret life of snowmen during the snowy night. Young kids get pulled into the fun story and love to hear about snowmen, especially if they’ve ever made one before.

7. Go to Sleep, Groundhog! by Judy Cox

One of the smaller holidays in wintertime is Groundhog’s Day! Here’s a fun story about a groundhog as he gets ready for the long days of winter and eventually wakes up on that special day.

8. One Snowy Day by Tammi Salzano

The cold winter can seem long, so we usually go through a lot of these books in one winter, including this one! We love to read this book after the first snowfall to really get into the winter mood with the kids.

9. The Little Snowflake by Steve Metzger

Follow this cute little snowflake as he makes his way around a snowy day. There’s so much to do and see when you’re a little snowflake!

10. The Twelve Days of Winter by Deborah Lee Rose

Try out this fun winter counting book! This is the perfect book for this age to practice their counting while staying on theme for winter.

11. Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett

This is the classic story of goldilocks and the three bears, but winter themed! This cute story follows three polar bears as someone has been inside their igloo.

12. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro

Here’s one of our absolute favorite winter books about the old lady who keeps swallowing things. This silly story is always a hit with little kids, no matter which one you choose in the series.

13. The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll

Try out this funny book about one of our favorite winter activities- building a snowman! But in an even grander way that really holds the attention of little learners.

14. Little Critter: Just a Snowman by Mercer Mayer

Young children love the Little Critter series, and this one is a great read about a fun winter day! Follow along as the little critter does a lot of the things that your own kids do on a snowy day.

15. Snow by Roy Mckée and P.D. Eastman

This is one of the older winter children’s books that’s still a hit today! It’s easy to read yet still entertaining for little kids. This is also a great winter book for the emergent reader to try to read themselves.

16. Curious About Snow by Gina Shaw

Here’s a great nonfiction book about the story of snow! If you’re looking for an easy to understand book about the science of winter, this is a great option. Even as an adult, I found it interesting.

17. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Winner of the Caldecott Medal, this fascinating book tells the real story of Wilson Bentley, and his quest to take a picture of a snowflake! It’s a delightful story with great pictures at the end of the book!

18. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Another award winning winter book, this is the sweet story of a little girl who goes looking for owls with her dad. Follow along their journey through the snow.

19. Winter Sleep by Sean Taylor

Learn all about hibernating animals in this sweet book about a little kid and their grandma. And have fun spotting all the sleeping animals in the deep snow throughout the book.

20. My Teacher for President by Kay Winters

Coming up in winter is President’s Day! This is our favorite book to read for President’s Day in kindergarten. It’s a great addition to wintertime books that’s not about snow.

21. Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

While this classic book is not necessarily about winter, this is the perfect time to pull it out! Little kids love the beautiful illustrations of Eric Carle, and the polar bear is a hit this time of year.

22. Snowmen at Work by Caralyn Buehner

This is the popular sequel to Snowmen at Night that a lot of kids love just as much. My grandson especially loves it because of all the construction trucks in it.

23. First Snow by Nancy Viau

Here’s a fun rhyming book about the first snow fall of the season. It’s the simple story of all the fun winter activities that kids love to do once there’s enough snow on the ground.

24. Big Snow by Jonathan Bean

This is a great book about a little boy waiting for the snow to come! Lots of little kids can relate. We found this sweet story at the local library this year, and my grandson loves it!

25. Harold Hates to Hibernate by Vern Kousky

During winter season, bears are supposed to hibernate, but Harold just doesn’t want to miss out on the fun! This is a humorous read for kids about a bear who tries not to fall asleep.

26. Snow Friends by M. Christina Butler

Follow along with the cute Arctic animals as they play together in the snow and try to build a snowman. This one is a pretty simple read, but little kids still have a great time reading it.

27. Snowflakes Fall by Patricia MacLachlan

Here’s a great option about the wonder of winter that will turn into spring! Follow the life of snow through winter, and then as it melts and helps the flowers grow in spring.

28. Froggy Builds a Snowman by Jonathon London

The froggy series are some of our favorite books in kindergarten. The little frog gets into all kinds predicaments that young readers find funny! Follow along as froggy tries to have fun on this snow day.

29. Sleep Tight Farm by Eugenie Doyle

If your children are interested in farm animals or really any stories about farms like my grandson, try this cute book. It’s a great way to talk about what happens and changes as the winter weather comes.

30. Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak

As the cold season begins, grab this fun story about the changing of seasons with tons of winter themes. It’s great for the first day of winter or the early winter months.

31. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

The bear series is one of our favorites, and this is a good one about the bear during winter. Then, what happens when all the different animals comes into bear’s den while he’s sleeping?

Winter Picture Books

There’s tons more winter books out there, but these are ones I keep going back to for preschoolers and kindergarteners. This list doesn’t include many holiday books because we have whole other lists for that! Check them out: