Picture books to read in winter! Story ideas that will captivate 3-year-olds
As the cold winter season arrives, how about filling your time with your three-year-old with the warmth of picture books? At this age, children begin to enjoy the flow of a story and their imagination expands greatly.
Here, we’ll introduce picture books that offer winter-specific delights, carefully selected from among many favorites.
Through these books, you can enjoy special read-aloud moments that are unique to this season.
Spend heartwarming time with your child, together with some wonderful winter picture books!
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- Picture Books to Read with 5-Year-Olds: Recommended Titles to Make Winter More Fun
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- [For Age 4] Must-Read in January! Picture Books to Enjoy Winter
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- [February] Recommended picture books for 4-year-olds: Works that let children feel winter at preschool
- [For 3-year-olds] Recommended Picture Books to Read in March
- [For 3-Year-Olds] Recommended Picture Books for Spring | Exciting and Thrilling Reads
- [February] Recommended picture books for 2-year-olds: Books that evoke winter and Setsubun
Picture books to read in winter! Story ideas (1–10) that will captivate 3-year-olds
Teach me! Amu-amu-san
The picture book “Teach Me! Amu Amu-san” is set in a little knitting shop in the forest.
One day, a bear comes to the sheep Amu Amu-san’s store and hands over a sweater that has become too small.
Amu Amu-san swiftly unravels the yarn and begins to re-knit it.
What she finishes becomes gifts for the animals: ear warmers for the rabbit, a tail cozy for the fox… Our hearts dance at the warm items that will gently wrap everyone.
It’s a wonderful book that portrays cherishing belongings and caring for friends.
oden broth
Winter is cold, so it makes you crave something warm, doesn’t it? Speaking of warm foods—what comes to mind? For many people, it’s probably oden.
In this picture book, the pot is imagined as a bath, and one by one, the ingredients for oden hop in.
It even includes hide-and-seek phrases that kids love, making it fun to “cook” oden.
You can also enjoy a quiz—Who’s next?—so try recalling the ingredients and imagining them as you read.
A heartwarming book that will warm both body and soul with a finished pot of steaming hot oden.
Wanna get in the futon?
Christmas is tomorrow…
In this picture book, a little boy looks up at the Christmas tree and asks his mother, “Do you think Santa will come?” When his mother says Santa might come to children who go to bed early, the boy quickly snuggles under his covers.
Then he hears someone’s voice…
Various creatures come to visit the boy.
He gently tucks each of them into the blankets.
Slipping into a warm bed when it’s cold outside is such a comfort, isn’t it? This is a lovely book that paints a picture of gentle, heartwarming feelings.
Picture Books to Read in Winter! Story Ideas That Will Captivate 3-Year-Olds (11–20)
Rice-Cake Bath
Set in the cozy hot spring “Poka Poka no Yu,” Omachi’s Bath weaves a uniquely charming tale.
The protagonists are Mo-chan and Chi-chan, a pair of rice cakes.
They want to take a nice, slow bath, but the soy-sauce footbath is packed with sushi folks, and the kinako bath is full of dango dumplings.
Is there a bath where the two can relax? With enticing options like a hot-pot bath and a toaster sauna, delightful tubs keep appearing, making it impossible to stop turning the pages.
A fun picture book that’s perfect for winter.
It’s coming! It’s here! New Year Seven!
“Here It Comes! It’s Here! New Year Seven” might be irresistible for kids who love sentai-style heroes.
The ever-sudden hero, Seven, has arrived for the New Year! Let’s learn about New Year’s Eve and New Year traditions together with Hero Seven.
From year-end preparations and ozoni soup to osechi dishes and New Year’s games, this book offers a solid introduction to Japan’s wonderful traditional customs.
It even comes with a sugoroku board game, dice, and a spinning top, so the whole family can play and enjoy time together!
On a night when snow falls silently
The heart-calming, cozy picture book “On a Quiet, Snowy Night” tells the story of a fox walking through a nighttime forest blanketed in snow, meeting an owl, a woodpecker, a snow hare, and more along the way.
In a forest covered with falling snow, you might discover things you don’t usually notice.
The illustrations in the book, with their use of color and depictions of animals, convey both warmth and strength.
As you read, the beauty of the forest comes through.
You may even feel as if you’re in a quiet, snowy forest yourself.
Someone’s single glove
On cold days, lots of children go out wearing gloves, don’t they? Mako-chan, the little girl in this picture book, also puts on the brand-new gloves she just got and goes for a walk with her big sister and their dog Kunku.
Along the way, they find single gloves dropped here and there, and some of them look like rabbits and other shapes.
It’s a delightful book that showcases children’s rich imaginations.
The ending, where a miracle-like coincidence occurs, will surely put children at ease.
It also seems like a story that nurtures a sense of taking good care of one’s belongings.