Winter Books - Celebrating the Season • Capturing Parenthood

“Snow! Snow! Just look at the snow! Come out! Come out! Come out in the snow.”

– Snow by Roy McKie & P.D. Eastman

During all of the holiday hubbub, winter officially graced us with its presence. We were a little busy then, celebrating Christmas and New Year’s with our families, so we didn’t give old man winter a whole lot of thought. We did, however, appreciate the fact that we got a white Christmas this year! We enjoyed playing in all of the snow…sledding, making snow angels, and getting our little nugget on her very first pair of skis! And while we have not seen much snow since, we are officially ready to celebrate the season!

So…we grabbed a bunch of snow-filled stories from our local library, and snuggled up to read all about the magic of winter. Of course, we wanted to share our favorites with all of you, so we’ve compiled the below list, for your reading pleasure.

Winter Books (2018)

Snow by Roy McKie & P.D. Eastman
- This playful tale invites you to join two friends (and their dog) on various winter adventures…from sledding and skiing to building igloos and a snowman. This story truly captures all the excitement of winter!
Bedtime for Yeti by Vin Vogel
- While this adorable story is not exactly winter-themed, it’s all about a yeti (and his sidekick) at bedtime…and yetis are winter creatures, right? Our little nugget loves this book! She requests it every single night. She loves looking at all of the different faces that the yeti makes (after he’s forced to go to bed alone, because he can’t find his friend). Yetis are scared of the dark, you see. But her favorite part is when the yeti decides to be brave, by swooping down to save his trusty sidekick from the dangers lurking in the room. I mean, how could you go wrong with a cute and cuddly yeti, who turns into a brave superhero? 🙂
Singing Away the Dark by Caroline Woodward
- This charming tale follows a young girl on her long (and chilly) trek to the school bus, on a windy winter’s day. Her path takes her across snowy fields, and through a dark and noisy forest. She’s nervous walking through the woods, and across the farmland dotted with grazing cattle, but she’s found that singing helps her forget about all of the things that make her uncomfortable. She sings until the darkness disappears, sings to stay calm, sings for strength, sings for warmth…and before she knows it, the headlights of the school bus blaze into view, and she’s off for another school day.
Winter Dance by Marion Dane Bauer
- We follow a beautiful red fox through this cute winter story. His mission? To find out what he’s supposed to do when the snowflakes start flying and winter finally arrives. We learn that turtles burrow down in the mud during the winter, birds fly south, snowshoe hares turn as white as the snow, and bears sleep. But what does a red fox do during the winter? You’ll have to read the story to find out!
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak
- The author of the fan-favorite Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn weaves us through another delightful tale, showing us all of the different signs that tell us winter is coming. Winds blow the leaves from the trees, birds set their sights on warmer weather in the south, days become shorter and nights longer, and we all watch as snowflakes, frost and icicles begin to adorn the world around us.
Mingo the Flamingo by Pete Oswald & Justin K. Thompson
- It was on Mingo’s very first flight south for the winter, that the flock of flamingos flew directly into a storm. Mingo became separated from his parents and crash-landed on a snow-covered farm. The crash resulted in a few injuries, as well as memory loss. Mingo had no idea what (or who) he was anymore. Will the farm animals take him in? Will Mingo ever remember who he is, or where he belongs? Our little nugget reads this heart-warming story on a daily basis…usually alongside the flamingo that she received for Christmas (who she ironically named Flamingo Mingo). 🙂
Ten on the Sled by Kim Norman
- This musical story provides loads of fun, as well as lots of counting practice. Follow along as ten animals make their way down the snow-covered mountain, on their large toboggan. But watch out! At every turn, another animal slips off the sled. The majority of this story can be sung to the tune of the “Ten in the Bed” children’s song and nursery rhyme.
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
- We always enjoy reading about Bear and his group of friends, and in this installment we learn what Bear likes to do during cold, snowy winters. We follow along as Bear snuggles up and hibernates in his cave in the woods…and we marvel at how he can continue sleeping, even after all of his friends arrive to feast and play. Bear snores on. That is…until a small fleck of pepper causes a great big sneeze, and a very grumpy bear awakens!
Walking in a Winter Wonderland by Richard B. Smith, Felix Bernard & Tim Hopgood
- This snow-filled saga is my absolute favorite! As I’ve mentioned before, books based on songs are a huge hit in our household. And while I enjoy singing along with this winter classic, what I truly love, is how all of the beautiful illustrations invite you right into the magical winter wonderland that unfolds throughout the pages! Tim Hopgood did a magnificent job with every single image in this story, and I highly recommend snagging a copy, if you haven’t already!

We’ve loved celebrating the snowiest of seasons with these charming winter books! In fact, they’ve even provided inspiration for a few winter-themed arts + crafts! Check out our Instagram account (@capturingparent2016) tomorrow, to catch a glimpse of the craft we made of our good friend, Bear! And more wintry arts + crafts will be up on the blog on Thursday!