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I love seasonal reading for picture books and early chapter books! There’s something about getting out our favorite winter books for toddlers or preschoolers that just adds to the festive holiday season!
Our girls love to read about the magic of winter! From winter weather (we are in North Carolina, so snow is hard to come by) to the joy of Christmastime!
If you’re also looking for Christmas books for preschoolers or winter books for toddlers (and even for kindergarten!) to get your family in the holiday spirit, you will fall in love with these winter picture books.
Joyful Winter Books for Toddlers and Babies
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas is a favorite in our house!
Christmas tree shopping is a favorite tradition for us, and my girls love to see all the trees the different animals pick out.
At the end of the book is a special surprise: Christmas lights (batteries not included)!
Jingle, Jingle, Little Reindeer by Cottage Door Press
This finger puppet Christmas book is perfect for babies! I think Jingle, Jingle, Little Reindeer would make a great stocking stuffer for a little one.
Any interactive book that encourages hand-eye coordination is great for babies and toddlers.
This winter-themed book is a rhyming, silly, sweet book to help babies learn language patterns.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Winter by Eric Carle
We love The Very Hungry Caterpillar! We especially love this winter book for toddlers because we don’t live in a very cold place.
It’s fun to watch the Very Hungry Caterpillar explore all aspects of winter!
From snowmen to the smell of cookies on a chilly winter day, The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Winter is a classic book to add to your toddler winter reading list.
I Got the Christmas Spirit by Connie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by Frank Morrison
I Got the Christmas Spirit is a feel-good picture book that is sure to put you and your family in a festive mood!
I love the loosely painted illustrations and rhythm. And the message of the importance of giving is a sweet one during the holidays!
If you live in a city, this sweet book is a fun look at how a city prepares for Christmas.
The Mitten by Jan Brett
This modern classic board book (and picture book!) is perfect for the winter season. The Mitten is a charming snowy adventure.
We love reading about woodland animals in our family, and this one is funny and engaging!
If you want to add to your delightful winter books for toddlers list, this one needs to be at the forefront!
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Snowy Day is another classic, and it’s the perfect winter book for toddlers!
If you don’t have this delightful, gorgeous book on your child’s bookshelf for those winter months, you’re missing out!
This Caldecott Medal–winning picture book perfectly captures what that magical feeling is like when a child wakes up to a world covered in snow.
Merry Christmas, Corduroy! by Don Freeman, illustrated by Jody Wheeler
Merry Christmas, Corduroy! is a festive board book for toddlers to read this winter!
Corduroy decorates the tree, bakes cookies, wraps Christmas presents, and leaves a note for Santa.
This is a sweet classic to get you in the Christmas spirit!
Biscuit’s Snowy Day by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illustrated by Pat Schories and Mary O’Keefe Young
Biscuit’s Snowy Day is an adorable holiday board book about all of Biscuit’s adventures in the snow—snow angels, sledding, snuggling, you name it!
There are so many Biscuit books, and they’re always a hit!
I love that you can introduce your baby and toddler to Biscuit and have your emergent reader get started with Biscuit early readers.
Merry Christmas, Daniel Tiger! by Angela C. Santomero, illustrated by Jason Fruchter
Calling all Daniel Tiger fans! If your toddler loves this Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood series, they will love this lift-the-flap book.
Christmastime in the Neighborhood is magical! All the traditions—picking out the Christmas tree, unwrapping presents, sharing Christmas with your little sister—it’s all here.
If you’re looking for Christmas books for preschoolers and toddlers that teach an emphasis on loving one another over the importance of gifts, Merry Christmas, Daniel Tiger! is for you.
Winter Walk in the City by Cathy Goldberg Fishman, illustrated by Melanie Hall
Winter Walk in the City is an endearing board book to help you celebrate inclusion.
If you want to chat with your kids about exploring many holidays during the winter season, this is a great board book to pick up.
Plus, those illustrations? Perfection.
Enchanting Winter Books for Preschoolers
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr
Owl Moon is a beloved book in our house, mainly because we have an owl-obsessed four-year-old.
This is another Caldecott Medal–winning picture book, and the watercolor illustrations are gorgeous.
The poetic story follows a young child and her father who go “owling” one winter night. It’s mysterious and dreamlike, and I love it so much.
When Santa Learned the Gospel by Simon Camilleri, illustrated by Matt Boutros
This is obviously a Christmas book, i.e., a Christian book for kids.
When Santa Learned the Gospel is a beautiful, unique story about how Santa learns about Jesus’s message of grace and what it means for his naughty and nice list.
If you’ve struggled to figure out how to share the narrative of Santa around Christmastime and want to place a greater emphasis on the gospel, this book is great.
Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
We loooove Llama Llama books over here! And Llama Llama Holiday Drama doesn’t disappoint.
If you have a preschooler who has a hard time waiting (isn’t it so hard to wait?), especially during the holiday season, this is a book for you.
Mama Llama ultimately reminds her baby that gifts are nice, but love for one another is the real gift.
Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda
Claudia Rueda’s interactive picture books are so fun, and this winter book doesn’t disappoint.
Bunny Slopes invites toddlers into the twists and turns of the ski slopes. Oh, it’s just a lot of fun.
This winter picture book is great for toddlers and preschoolers. It will engage your two-year-old and allow for the imagination of a six-year-old.
A World of Cookies for Santa by M. E. Furman, illustrated by Susan Gal
Follow Santa’s tasty trip around the world! This Christmas holiday book for preschoolers and toddlers is such a fun, cute premise.
A World of Cookies for Santa explores global traditions for the holiday season. Readers get to see what kind of tasty treats children leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve.
Bonus, there’s recipes for children to bake some of those tasty cookies after reading the book!
Millions of Snowflakes by Mary McKenna Siddals, illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles
This is such a tender, delightful winter book for children.
Millions of Snowflakes has the simple rhyming text and basic counting skills, which is great for this age.
This book is about a girl savoring the beauty of snow on a cold winter day, one snowflake at a time.
The Nutcracker in Harlem by T. E. McMorrow, illustrated by James Ransome
Billed as a “jazz-inspired reinvention of The Nutcracker, this dreamlike book is one to add to your shelf this season.
The Nutcracker in Harlem captures the beauty of the Christmas season in the big city.
In this musical retelling, a little girl finds her voice in the middle of the Harlem Renaissance.
The author’s note at the end offers additional history, which is great for inquisitive four- to eight-year-olds.
Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas by Julia Rawlinson, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
I adore the Fletcher books—the illustrations are just so beautiful.
Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas is a cozy, lovely book for winter that takes place on Christmas Eve.
Get ready for some Christmas morning surprises!
Rupert’s Snowman by Phillipa Warden, illustrated by Grace Ward
This Christmas picture book for preschoolers is a lovely pick for that perfect snow day.
Set on Christmas Eve, Rupert’s Snowman is about a boy who goes sledding, builds a snowman, makes snow angels, and has snowball fights.
But it’s not just a book about snow fun. Rupert has to embark on a Snowy Adventure Rescue, and it’s a charming, feel-good story.
Bonus, this book is written in a dyslexia-friendly font so all kids can enjoy it!
White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
White Snow, Bright Snow is another Caldecott Medal–winning classic!
This is a gorgeous winter picture book about a neighborhood blanketed in snow . . . the mystery and magic of snowflakes transforming everything as far as the eye can see.
The text is poetry and delightful, and the pictures are beautiful, too.
Stella, Queen of the Snow by Marie-Louise Gay
Stella and her little brother, Sam, spend the day playing in the snow!
Stella, Queen of the Snow is a fun winter book!
The watercolor illustrations are just delightful, and I love the way Stella and her brother discover all the joys of winter together.
This book is quite funny and heartfelt. Definitely worth adding to your winter reading list for toddlers.
Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
Over and Under the Snow is a wonderful winter book for preschoolers—and this author is a favorite of mine.
We adore Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, too. It’s on my top 10 board and picture books list!
And like that book, this one is full of wonder.
Readers will discover the secret world of life under the snow.
Enchanting and educational, Over and Under the Snow is perfect for curious children who love to learn about wintry forest creatures.
Do I Have to Wear a Coat? by Rachel Isadora
We love Rachel Isadora’s My Dog Laughs and I Hear a Pickle, and this one is wonderful too!
Do I have to Wear a Coat is a charming book about the changing seasons and how to dress for them.
If you have a stubborn young child who doesn’t want to wear a coat, add this book to your winter reading list!
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter is a beautifully illustrated book about the changing seasons.
I love this book because it’s siblings exploring nature together, including that first snow of winter.
Also, I just love Kenard Pak’s watercolor-and-pencil illustration style. It just works so perfectly with the lyrical text.
The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert, illustrated by Per Breiehagen
This wintry book for preschoolers is enchanting and mysterious in the same way as The Polar Express.
The Christmas Wish will definitely bring out the holiday spirit in your little ones.
In this book, a brave little girl wants to be one of Santa’s elves. It’s just one of the sweetest wintry reads!
Frequently Asked Questions about Winter Books for Toddlers
What kind of books are suitable for two-year-olds?
Most two-year-olds are still reading more sturdy board books or picture books with fewer words and captivating illustrations.
However, some two-year-olds have the attention span for lengthier text on a page!
The best-written children’s books that are suitable for two-year-olds are those with colorful, bright illustrations, few words with rhyming and/or rhythm, and simple, concrete concepts about the world around them.
What books are set in winter?
Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas, The Snow Day, Owl Moon, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Winter are all picture books for toddlers set in winter.
If you’re looking for adult books set in winter, make sure to check out my winter reading list.
How many books should a two-year-old read?
It’s not so much about how many books, but how long an adult reads to a child a day. Reading experts tend to agree that 15 minutes of reading aloud in a day should be the minimum for young children.
For us, that usually ends up being about four books a day as a minimum.
Some days we read a lot more than that, but it depends on our day and environment! Sometimes I read four different books. Other times I read the same book four times.
What are some winter songs for toddlers?
We love these winter songs for toddlers and preschoolers. Here are some of our favorites.
- “Cup of Cocoa” by Emily Arrow
- “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” from Frozen
- “Winter Song” by Bindi’s Music & Kids Rhymes
- “It’s Winter Song” from Sesame Street Studios
- “Five Little Songs” from Super Simple Songs
What are some winter books for toddlers, printable activities included?
The free winter activity printables from Homemade Heather are perfect to accompany a lot of the winter books on this list!
What are some famous winter stories for kids?
Chronicles of Narnia series are famous winter stories for kids! Other classics include The Snowy Day, The Polar Express, The Mitten, and Miracles on Maple Hill.
Winter Reading Challenge for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Here’s the winter reading challenge we’re focusing on in 2023 and early 2024!
- Read a book with snow on the cover
- Read a book with a tree on the cover.
- Read a book about the changing seasons.
- Read a book that makes everyone feel cozy.
- Read a book about a joyful holiday.
- Read a book about starting something new.
- Read a book about giving a special gift.
If you join our winter reading challenge, make sure to let me know! And if you have any delightful winter songs for toddlers that we’re included on the list above, please send them my way! We love to listen to all the festive jams over here.
That’s my list of the best winter books for toddlers and preschoolers. I hope they bring you all the joy this holiday season!
If you’re looking for cozy winter books for yourself, make sure to check out my winter reading list for adults!
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