Celebrate the changing of the seasons with picture books that feature winter.
WINTER IS WONDERFUL (Emma Dodd’s Love You Books), by Emma Dodd, Templar, Sept. 30, 2025, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 2-5)
A sweet, snowy celebration of the festive season from the beloved creator Emma Dodd.
We snuggle together
under the stars,
and we are reminded
how lucky we are.
An adorable fox family embraces the joy of being together during the most magical time of the year. —Synopsis provided by Templar
This gentle rhymical tale is a celebration of winter. The charming illustrations are highlighted by a pop of orangey-red and foil embellishments that sparkle in the light. The simple text and warm concept make this one an easy choice for wintertime fun.
WEIWEI’S WINTER SOLSTICE: A DONGZHÌ STORY, by Michelle Jing Chan, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, Oct. 7, 2025, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 3-6)
It’s Dongzhì, the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Weiwei’s family has moved to a new place, where instead of hummingbirds, palm trees, and chrysanthemum bushes, all she sees is a blanket of snow. This frozen place feels nothing like home.
But Dongzhì is all about finding warmth through togetherness, even in the depths of winter. With her family by her side, maybe Weiwei can do more than just endure the cold.
Like the chickadees that sing and the méihua that bloom, can she open her heart and embrace the season?
Informational back matter provides further context about the holiday and its history, along with a recipe for tang yuan, a traditional Dongzhì treat. —Synopsis provided by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Weiwei’s Winter Solstice is a love letter from author Michelle Jin Chan’s to her family and Chinese culture. Dongzhì marks the winter solstice, the longest night and shortest day in the northern hemisphere. This tender picture book celebrates nature and traditions. Chan’s story is compelling, and her illustrations bring the many feelings expressed in the text to life.
THE HOUSE WITH THE LITTLE RED DOOR, by Grace Easton, Thames & Hudson, Sept. 30, 2025, Hardcover, $19.95 (ages 3-7)
Olivia lives in a house with a little red door. Mouse lives in an oak tree behind the house. When a storm blows the oak tree down, Olivia tries to help her neighbor find a new house. However, house after house, none are quite right―that is, until Olivia makes a surprising decision. —Synopsis provided by Thames & Hudson
Though not specifically a story about winter, The House with the Little Red Door is a wintertime story. And it’s beautifully told. This sweet story of friendship and home is wonderfully illustrated with bright colors and a warm feel. The hand-painted illustrations include die-cut flaps that bring the story to life. I can see this book getting lots of use.
FLURRY, FLOAT, AND FLY!: THE STORY OF A SNOWSTORM, by Laura Purdie Salas and Chiara Fedele, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, Nov. 11, 2025, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 4-7)
Explore the science of snow in this informative picture book from award-winning author and poet Laura Purdie Salas.
Stars and columns fill the sky
with dreams to flurry, float, and fly.
When the first flakes of snow swirl toward the ground, it almost feels like magic. But in fact, it’s science: a delicate process where cold air and moisture high in the sky work together to create tiny crystals that grow into sparkling snowflakes. —Synopsis provided by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Flurry, Float, and Fly! is a poetic nonfiction picture book that explores the science behind snow while capturing imagination and excitement.
Laura Purdie Salas’s lyrical text is simple and precise and perfect. Its accessibility belies the painstaking crafting that surely must have taken place. Chiara Fedele’s use of color and movement help clarify the concepts. A four-page author’s note on the science of snow includes macro images of real snowflakes, making this a good choice for home or in the classroom.
A FIELD GUIDE TO WINTER: PLAY AND LEARN IN NATURE, by Gabby Dawnay, Dorien Brouwers, Thames & Hudson, Oct. 21, 2025, Hardcover, $14.95 (ages 4-9)
Even in winter weather, children can still explore the outdoors in this book inspired by the Forest School movement that teaches young children how to engage with nature from season to season.
A Field Guide to Winter is a pocket-sized introduction to the winter season. Building on children’s natural curiosity about the world around them, this book aims to establish a connection with nature at an early age that will go on to last a lifetime.
Track paw prints through the snow, make your own woodland wind chimes, identify evergreen trees, and write a bedtime story for a sleepy bear. Discover how snowflakes form and why some animals hibernate in winter.
This book features lyrical poems, hands-on crafts and activities, scientific facts, and identifier pages to help children find different animals and plants. Whether a child’s access to nature is in the form of an urban park, a private garden, a field, or a forest, there is so much to discover and experience. —Synopsis provided by Thames & Hudson
A Field Guide to Winter is the fourth book in Gabby Dawnay and Dorien Brouwers Wild by Nature series, which focuses on the four seasons. The first two books, A Field Guide to Spring and A Field Guide to Autumn were released in 2024, and A Field Guide to Summer was released earlier in 2025. Like its predecessors, A Field Guide to Winter is designed to get used. From its smaller size (approximately 6” X 9”) to its interactive nature, everything about it invites readers to explore the natural world around them. The entire series is a delight that is sure to be a hit with young nature lovers.
ROBOT’S FIRST SNOW, by Billy Sharff and Hannah Abbo, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, Oct. 7, 2025, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 4-8)
All day in the factory, Robot sorts and stacks. At night, he wishes the other bots could play, but they’re programmed to work, and work, and work.
One day, the humans don’t show up, and something strange is falling outside. Robot’s sensors detect SNOW.
Robot wants to go out there
And feel the snowflakes in the air.
Can he convince his fellow robots that playing has a purpose?
Will Robot get to have a snow day too? — Synopsis provided by Sourcebooks Jaberwocky
Robot’s First Snow is a celebration of winter and the play that comes with it. This rhythmic read is joyful and full of fun. A charming main character will entice young readers to peruse it again and again.
SNOW KID, by Jessie Sima, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Sept. 16, 2025, Hardcover, $19.99 (ages 4-8)
Meet Twig, the snow kid! Like all snow kids, Twig was made from many snowflakes, twigs, stones, a crisp orange carrot, and a very fine hat. What a wonderful thing it is to be Twig! Except…could they still be Twig if a strong breeze blows away their hat? As Twig chases after the hat, more things keep changing, and they keep growing and moving and talking. Is there still a way to go back to being Twig?
Maybe not. But maybe there’s more than one way to be a snow person, and it can be fun to walk and talk and grow and change. Twig can find snow people like them even as they’re still learning how to become Twig, and that’s a wonderful thing! —Synopsis provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Snow Kid is a joyful book about discovering yourself and growing along the way. It’s also a delightful look at snow and winter and the happiness winter snow can bring. Jessie Sima’s text is warm and inviting, and her pastel-toned illustrations are sure to bring a smile.
Copyright © 2025 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.
