Picture Books about Snow
It’s winter in the northern hemisphere. Although my neighborhood hasn’t gotten much snow yet, my parents enjoy sending me photos of the heaps of snow in their backyard. Whether you are wishing for more snow or reveling in sledding, snowmen, and shoveling, here are a variety of picture books about snow that will provide indoor entertainment for winter days.
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)
I love to give this classic to families with new babies because of its peaceful and joyful tone. (In fact, I gave it to a friend twice by accident!) Peter explores his city in the snow, making footprints, a snowman, and snow angels. He tries to save a snowball for later in his pocket with predictable results. Never fear, there will be more snow to play in tomorrow.
Snow by Uri Shulevitz (1998)
In this book, whose illustrations remind me of Maurice Sendak, only the children are excited about the idea of snow coming. I loved the characters of the town the Shulevitz draws in detail (but describes in few words, e.g., “man with hat”). Readers get to see the buildings and streets transformed as they are covered in snow.
Stella, Queen of the Snow by Marie-Louise Gay (2000)
Stella enjoys her role as big sister and explains everything about snow to her younger sibling. Some of her answers are unexpected, which will provide opportunity for giggling or explanation. The brightly colored clothes of the children stand out against the piles of snow in the vivid illustrations.
Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee (2003)
The explorer in this book seeks to solve the mystery of who left tracks in the snow. The sweet illustrations give plenty of surprises for an attentive reader (like squirrels and foxes hiding in the background). The mystery is solved in a surprising twist: the explorer made the footprints themselves when they went out in the snow yesterday!
The Snow Globe Family by Jane O’Connor and S.D. Schindler (2006)
Two families are contrasted in this book: the human one and the miniature one who lives within a snow globe. Only the baby in the human family pays attention to the snow globe. The family inside the globe hope to be shaken up soon so that they will have heaps of snow to play on. The ink and gouache drawings give all the characters lots of life and humor.
Footprints in the Snow by Mei Matsuoka (2007)
Another detective — this time a wolf — imagines a mystery around tracks in the snow. The wolf’s goal is to write a story in which the wolf is not the villain. His hunger for a luscious looking duck almost foils his plan. Luckily, the delicious duck was only a figment of his imagination.
Blizzard by John Rocco (2014)
Rocco tells the true story of the blizzard of 1978, which dumped four feet of snow on Rhode Island. The kid becomes the hero for the neighborhood by strapping on tennis rackets as snow shoes and going to the grocery store to keep neighbors’ pantries full until the plows can get through. I loved the watercolor drawings and especially the gatefold map of the route taken from the house to the store.
Cozy by Jan Brett (2020)
Cozy has a plot similar to Jan Brett’s The Mitten: lots of animals crowd in one space. In this case, the space is the dry and warm area under a musk ox. As in all Brett’s books, the watercolor and gouache illustrations go far beyond that basic story. I love the vignettes on the sides that foreshadow which animal is coming next.
A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris (2020)
A visual delight of cut paper and ink, this book plays with positive and negative space and color to show us the world of a polar bear. Using cut paper allows for white animals on a white background not to get lost. The blue undersea pages are dreamy and calming. Can’t wait to read this to a kid.