A great time to share snow books with your elementary students is during those cold winter months. They are great winter read alouds! I keep my snow picture book collection with my January books. I do this because I find that December is jam packed with gingerbread man read alouds and my holidays around the world unit. February is a short month and has Valentine’s Day, Groundhog Day, Presidents Day, and sometimes Leap Year. As a result, January is the perfect month for sharing books about snow and winter.
There are tons of quality winter books for kids out there, which can make it overwhelming to pick out a snow picture book or two to share with your elementary students. I created this list of snow books for kids to make it easier for you!
This post highlights the following books:
5 Snow Books
Below are a list of some of my favorite snow books to share with elementary students!
1. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
In The Snowy Day, Peter wakes up and notices that snow has fallen overnight, so he puts on a snowsuit and goes outside. He enjoys the snowy weather as he makes tracks, knocks snow out of a tree, watches a snowball fight, makes a snowman, makes snow angels, and plays on a huge mountain of snow. Before heading back inside, Peter puts a big snowball in his pocket for tomorrow. Later, he finds that the snowball has melted and he is sad until he realizes that the snow outside is still there the next day!
Students will enjoy reading about a young boy doing many of the same activities that they might enjoy on a snowy day. If you need resources to go with this read aloud book, then check out these The Snowy Day activities!
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2. Snow Day by Lester Laminack
In Snow Day, a father and his two kids hear the weather reporter say it’s going to snow. The family gets excited about the possibility of a snow day and begin planning. They can’t wait to build a snow fort, drink hot chocolate, and go sledding. Everyone heads off to bed in anticipation of the big snow storm and a day at home.
However, when they wake up they are surprised to see no snow outside and children walking down the street with their backpacks on! It didn’t snow after all, and now they are going to be late for school. The family rushes to get ready and into the car. The dad mentions that he cannot be late for school and surprises readers by saying he is the teacher! Students will love this book about a snow day and learn that teachers like them, too!
If you need resources to go with this read aloud book, then check out these Snow Day activities!
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3. Snow Globe Family by Jane O’Connor
The book Snow Globe Family tells the story of two families. The big family lives inside a real house and they have a snow globe on their mantle. Inside the globe lives a little family, very similar to the big family. Long ago, there used to be many snow storms inside the snow globe but now it hardly ever snows. However, the baby in the big family is very interested in the snow globe. One day, while some members of the big family are out sledding, the baby makes his way over to the snow globe. He gives it several big shakes, creating a huge snow storm inside the snow globe. In the end, both families get to go outside and have fun sledding in the snow. Students will love this imaginative story about the little family living inside a snow globe.
If you need resources to go with this read aloud book, then check out these Snow Globe Family activities!
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4. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Snowflake Bentley tells the story of a real person, Willie Bentley. Ever since he was a young boy, snowflakes fascinated Willie Bentley. He spent his winters catching snowflakes and studying them. When he got older, his parents bought him a microscope camera so he could photograph the snowflakes. Willie wanted to share the beauty and uniqueness of snowflakes with others. It was not easy to photograph the snowflakes and people in Willie’s town thought he was silly.
Willie Bentley dedicated his life to studying and learning about snowflakes. Eventually, he published a book with all of his photographs and scientists around the world were interested in his work. When he passed away, the children in his community dedicated a monument and museum to his work.
If you need resources to go with this read aloud book, then check out these Snowflake Bentley activities!
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5. The Snow Dancer by Addie Boswell
This rhythmic tale describes a little girl’s adventure on a snow day. Sofia enjoys the peace and quiet of the silent snow in an empty park. That is, until others come and make a mess with sliding, screaming, and skating. With the help of a new friend, Sofia shows how you can show beauty in the snow. If you need resources to go with this read aloud book, then check our these The Snow Dancer activities!
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These snow books are great read alouds for the cold wintery months like December, January, and February. Your elementary students will love listening to these and participating in thoughtful conversations around this high-interest topic! If you need activities or worksheets to help bring the read aloud lessons to life, then check out the Starts With a Story resources below!
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