Picture books to read in winter! Story ideas that will captivate 3-year-olds

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.

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!

Picture books to read in winter! Story ideas (41–50) that 3-year-olds will be captivated by

Speaking of winter…

http://www.amazon.co.jp

This is a book where you can enjoy all sorts of things related to winter.

Speaking of snowmen? Cold hands.

Speaking of cold hands? Mittens… and so on, like a word-association game.

With each page you turn, you can feel winter from different perspectives.

It’s a small picture book just the right size for babies and toddlers, so they can turn the pages themselves and have fun.

The simple illustrations are easy to understand, making it a great first seasonal picture book for winter.

After reading, try finding lots of wintry things around the house or on a walk.

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Picture books to read in winter! Story ideas that captivate 3-year-olds (51–60)

Ride on my sled!

http://www.amazon.co.jp

The picture book Full of Kindness and Compassion, “Ride on My Sled!”, is a gentle story that will warm your heart with the interactions between Little Bear, Little Squirrel, Little Fox, and Little Rabbit.

Delighted by the falling snow, they all brainstorm ideas for what to play.

They promise to go sledding, but Little Squirrel doesn’t have a sled.

Little Bear feels embarrassed about the old sled he owns.

This picture book overflows with thoughtfulness and kindness, and after reading it, you might just feel like being kind to someone yourself.

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Warm and cozy yuzu bath

http://www.amazon.co.jp

It’s said that taking a yuzu bath on the winter solstice drives away bad fortune and invites good luck.

In this picture book, sparked by receiving some yuzu from his grandmother, Akkun opens a little yuzu shop.

When he cheerfully calls out, “It’s the yuzu shop!” various animals come by saying, “Yuzu, please!” This is a book that clearly presents a traditional Japanese custom.

After reading it, children will surely become interested in yuzu baths.

Why not enjoy a fun bath time with your child after story time?

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Bean scattering, parra-para

http://www.amazon.co.jp

While Christmas and New Year’s are also winter events, isn’t Setsubun the one that makes children’s hearts pound in many different ways? This picture book centers on the bean-throwing custom.

As you toss beans, you drive away the ogres with the familiar chant, “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi”—“Demons out, good fortune in.” Children might feel a little scared, wondering if real ogres will come, but it’s reassuring to know from this book exactly how to send them away.

As a seasonal picture book, why not include it in your winter read-alouds?

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Mocchiin

http://www.amazon.co.jp

Let me introduce the picture book “Mocchiin,” packed with the fun and deliciousness of mochi.

The first page shows a mochi-pounding scene using a mortar and pestle.

It also teaches various tasty ways to enjoy mochi, such as with seaweed, kinako, and natto.

The adorable illustrations feature mochi with little faces, and the vertical page layout beautifully expresses mochi stretching.

When children hear the countdown—3, 2, 1—they’ll likely say “Mocchiin!” and strike a stretching pose along with the mochi.

Just imagining it is absolutely adorable, isn’t it?

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The mountain bathhouse

http://www.amazon.co.jp

The picture book “Yama no Ofuroyasan” is set in a mountain bathhouse.

All sorts of animals come to the bath in the mountains—monkeys, wild boars, and… huh? Even a snowman shows up! You can’t help but worry: won’t it melt if it gets in the hot water? So, what will happen to the snowman? The surprising secret of the bath at the end is delightful, and you’ll finish the story with a smile.

It’s a perfect book to read aloud before a cozy winter bath.

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