We live in northern California, and our experience of snow is going to Yosemite or Lake Tahoe. You may live in a part of the world where outside right now it’s a freezing cold landscape. Or, it may be palm trees waving in the breeze and not a snowflake in sight.

Children’s books, without having to put on jackets and snow boots, transport us to mythical journeys in winter landscapes, the poetry of snow, a true story of Antarctica, the beauty and wildlife of winter woods, joy and imagination of a city changed by snow overnight.

 

• When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin.
• Fabulous fantasy adventure, inspired by Chinese folktales, the Black Tortoise of Winter has turned the sea to silver, Pinmei, her grandmother, and other villagers who live on the mountain are freezing, spring is overdue. Pinmei and her companion Yishan set off on a journey in snow and ice to the City of Bright Moonlight. (Chapter book)
• The Lights That Dance in the Night by Yuval Zommer.
• Rhyming story of the aurora borealis – “We are the lights that dance in the night.”
• Our colors bring joy to polar bears, and arctic hares, puffins and seals, whales, arctic foxes, wolves and reindeer, illuminating darkness, a miracle of winter! (Picture book)
• Tip: Aurora borealis, are specks of dust from the sun appear in earth’s atmosphere, creating a dazzling display in the night skies.
• Also by the same author, A Thing Called Snow.
• Hare and Fox go off into the forest to search for snow. They meet and ask Bear, Caribou, Fish, Goose, “What is snow like?” and continue on. When the stars come out, they curl up, and wake to a bright white … cold … fluffy… sparkly … morning. “Hello, snow!” (Picture book)
• Little Owl’s Snow by Divya Srinivasan.
• Winter’s almost here, geese have flown away, dry leaves crackle,
  Bear is sleeping in, Hedgehog says “See you in spring,” but then … snow! The forest is very quiet, fish swim under a frozen pond, there’s animal tracks in the snow, Little Owl can hear an icicle dripping. And now it’s time to enjoy the snow! Delightfully illustrations capture snowy wonders. (Board book)
• Winter Dance by Marion Dane Bauer, Richard Jones.
• Snowflakes float through the air, what should a fox do in winter? Turtles go underwater, geese fly away, snowshoe hares turn white, bears go to sleep, but foxes … dance! (Picture book.)
• Shackleton’s Journey by William Gill.
• Feeling winter weather is too cold and snowy? In 1914, Ernest Shackleton and a crew of brave men set out to explore Antarctica. Stuck in the ice, their ship cracked to pieces and sank. The men survived on an ice floe, sailed in open boats through monstrous waves, hiked across a frozen mountainous island, and every man survived. Spectacularly illustrated, a true story of courage and endurance. (Picture book)
• The Snowy Day by Jack Ezra Keats.
• One winter morning, a boy wakes up in the city and looks out his window. Everything is covered in deep snow! He puts on his snowsuit and runs outside. Fabulous collages capture a child’s joy and imagination exploring his world – this classic is timeless. (Picture book)
• Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson.
• Step into a winter fantasy, the Moomin family normally sleeps from November to April, but young Moomintroll wakes up, to find their house snowed in, the valley pure white. Magical and humorous adventures with the delightful creatures of Moomin Valley in a world transformed, but spring will come. (Illustrated chapter book)
• Once Upon a Northern Night by Jean E. Pendziwol. Isabelle Arsenault.
• While a child is sleeping, there is one tiny flake, then two, three … the sky fills with white sparkles, pine trees hold out their hands to catch the puffs, a great gray owl flies overhead without a sound, two showshoe hares play tag, a deer and faun leave tracks on a white canvas. Then the snowy clouds creep away, stars appear, northern lights shimmer in the sky, and when the child wakes, frost dances on the window. Lyrical poem to winter in all its wonders. (Picture book)
• Chirri & Chirra, The Snowy Day by Kaya Doi, Yuki Kaneko.
• When the first snow falls, Chirri and Chirra explore a winter landscape. Stepping through a door made of ice, they sip warm drinks in a cafe, play games with the forest animals, hop into a bubbling hot spring, and go into sleep in big cozy bed in an igloo. A magical story, enchanting illustrations. (Picture book)