There is no better winter activity than to cuddle up with your loved ones by a fire and read some wintry picture books. Here are some of my favorites!
If It’s Snowy and You Know It, Clap Your Paws! By Kim Norman, Illustrated by Liza Woodruff
I love how interactive this book is! You can really break a sweat as you move and play along with Woodruff’s adorable polar characters. Clapping, skiing, sliding, roaring, and snoring will get your little ones rolling with laughter. Kim Norman did an amazing job of fitting her text perfectly to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” making this book a pleasure to read and sing aloud.
Jingle – Jingle by Nicola Smee
This book is a great read-aloud choice! The title itself clues you in to the wonderful holiday sound effects that accompany Mr. Horse’s wild sleigh ride. My favorite way to read this book is with a set of jingle bells for each of our StoryTime guests. Listeners jingle their way through the book, following Cat, Dog, Pig, and Duck on their journey through the snow. The text is simple and repetitive, so everyone can jingle, crunch, and swoosh along with you.
Merry Christmas, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond
I love how simple this book is and recommend it for those squirmy toddler audiences. Readers count along with Mouse, star of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie as he decorates his Christmas tree. The illustrations are very simple and focus on the counting of each ornament as they are hung on the tree. Accompanying this book with making simple ornaments of your own is an excellent holiday activity. For my StoryTime Theatre for Little Readers I used this book to create a flannel story and invited the children to come up and help Mouse hang his ornaments on our felt tree.
I hope these wintry stories will become a holiday tradition for you and your little readers. Comment and let me know what wintry stories you love to read by the fire!
– Kayla