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
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- [February] Recommended picture books for 2-year-olds: Books that evoke winter and Setsubun
Picture books to read in winter! Story ideas (41–50) that 3-year-olds will be captivated by
Whose footprints?
It’s fun to leave footprints in the snow when you walk, isn’t it? In this picture book, the animals follow footprints in the snow, wondering, “Whose are these?” Each set of footprints appears on one page, and the next page reveals the creature, so you can enjoy it like a quiz.
You’ll feel excited to see which animal appears next, and it’s interesting to spot the small differences in the tracks—some big, some small.
Rabbits, bears, foxes, and many other animals that kids love all make an appearance, making it perfect for winter read-aloud time.
Chiikuma-chan and Shimakuma-chan
The picture book Chiikuma-chan and Shimakuma-chan, filled with the wintry atmosphere of its snowy illustrations, is perfect for the cold season.
The best friends—Chiikuma-chan, a little polar bear, and Shimakuma-chan, a striped stuffed bear—are always together.
They ride a red sled to play in the snow, climb snowy hills, and build snowmen.
A warm drink enjoyed out in the cold might taste especially delicious.
Chiikuma-chan and Shimakuma-chan is a heartwarming read that will leave you feeling cozy and happy—please enjoy it together with your child.
The tiny, tiny land of ice
The picture book “The Tiny, Tiny Land of Ice,” with illustrations that make you feel gentle just by looking at them, is set in a frozen land.
One day, out-of-season snow fell on the hat-shaped house where Poko Poko lives.
Why did it snow even though the day was warm? What exactly is the silver ice cloud? With every page you turn, your excitement grows at the charming little items and cozy homes.
Wrapped in colorful, tender illustrations, it’s a delightful story.
A Guest from a Distant Star
One night, as Christmas drew near, a princess from the Twinkle-Twinkle Star paid a visit to the owl who lived in the observatory.
She asked if she could warm herself by the stove because it was cold.
After that, the two of them made ice cream under the night sky.
It sounds chilly when you imagine it, but it looks absolutely delicious.
Then they decorated a fir tree with star fragments the princess gave them! It’s the kind of dream-filled, delightful turn of events that makes your heart flutter with excitement.
The princess’s outfit is so adorable that any girl might want to try wearing it herself.
To-kun Truck: Vroom-Vroom on a Snowy Day
This is a charming picture book about a little boy named Tokkun playing in the snow with his toy truck.
He heads into the forest, loads snow onto the truck, and pulls it along…
but the truck won’t move very well.
Then the forest animals come to help.
They push the truck, shovel snow to clear a path, and work together with Tokkun to build a road.
There are many ways to play in the snow—like making snowmen or having snowball fights—but this kind of free play is a lot of fun too.
Reading this book warms the heart and sparks interest in snowy adventures.
brown bear
From autumn to winter…
and then spring.
This is the story of a brown bear mother and her cub, told alongside the changing seasons.
In autumn, brown bears eat plenty of nuts and fruit; when winter comes, they spend their time in a den—and that’s when new life is born.
What might the cub feel as it bursts from the dark den into the warm, vivid world of spring? The illustrations, rendered mainly in black, are a bit distinctive, yet they also convey a certain warmth.
Bears are popular animals among children, so I hope this picture book offers a glimpse into a bear’s life.
Surprise kotatsu
A warm fixture that appears in winter and is so cozy you can’t bring yourself to get out…
the kotatsu.
Falling asleep under the kotatsu and catching a cold is a classic winter scenario, isn’t it? This picture book features the kotatsu as its theme.
It’s a lift-the-flap book: when you flip back the quilt, you’ll find all sorts of things—cats, thieves, ghosts, and more.
There are clues visible before you lift the flap, so you can enjoy a guessing game, too! A perfect book to brighten winter read-aloud time, full of excitement as you wonder what will appear next.