[For Age 4] Must-Read in January! Picture Books to Enjoy Winter
By the time children are four, some can read hiragana and even picture books on their own.
So this time, I’d like to introduce picture books for January that let four-year-olds enjoy the winter season.
We’ve gathered lots of exciting books with real stories—perfect for four-year-olds who are starting to enjoy plot and wonder what will happen next.
You’re sure to find a new favorite.
Whether reading alone or listening to a teacher read aloud, enjoy exploring many picture books!
- [February] Recommended picture books for 4-year-olds: Works that let children feel winter at preschool
- [For 5-year-olds] Picture books recommended for reading in January
- A collection of recommended picture books to read with 4-year-olds that will make the wait for Christmas exciting
- [For 3-Year-Olds] Recommended for January! A Collection of Exciting and Heartwarming Picture Books
- [For 2-year-olds] Recommended picture books to enjoy reading in January
- [March] Recommended for 4-year-olds! Picture books that will make you smile and grin
- [Picture Books] Savor the fun of words: A special feature on recommended onomatopoeia picture books
- For 4-Year-Olds: January Crafts! A Collection of Fun Ideas with Winter and New Year Themes
- [For 1-year-olds] Recommended picture books to read together in January
- [February] A collection of picture books we want to read with the 0-year-old class
- Picture Books to Read with 4-Year-Olds in Winter: Heartwarming Recommended Stories
- Picture Books to Read with 5-Year-Olds: Recommended Titles to Make Winter More Fun
- Picture books to read in winter! Story ideas that will captivate 3-year-olds
[For 4-year-olds] Must-read in January! Picture books to enjoy winter (31–40)
The Secret Room of Wild Rose Village
If there were a secret room in your house that you’d never entered before, some children would surely be thrilled, wouldn’t they? This is a picture book that sparks that very curiosity.
It also features wonderful illustrations that heighten the excitement.
You can sense the book’s world through the artwork, and some people even buy the book for the illustrations alone.
The festival where the little mice celebrate winter in their rural life is depicted with great care.
Experience curiosity and the beautiful lives of the mice as you read this picture book.
Six Frogs and a Chilly Night
There are times when you want to sleep but just can’t, right? Kids are full of energy too, and sometimes they just can’t fall asleep even at night.
In this picture book, you’ll meet some frogs who took it so easy that they forgot to hibernate.
You’d think they’d hate the cold, but when they saw snow for the first time, they were thrilled and started playing in it.
Children are sure to be captivated by the adorable frogs and the heartwarming story.
And if they copy the frogs and play in the snow, they might sleep soundly at night.
Aokun Fukuchan
Speaking of Setsubun, it’s the event where ogres show up…
As February approaches, children might be getting nervous with excitement.
In this picture book, Ao-oni the blue ogre and Fuku-chan, the god of good fortune, make an appearance.
It seems the two of them are talking about switching the roles of ogre and fortune.
With a heart-thumping, exciting turn of events, children may forget their fear and simply enjoy the story.
Rather than a typical holiday-themed picture book, this one shines for its engaging narrative, and I highly recommend reading it as Setsubun draws near.
red gloves
This picture book charms with its gentle illustrations and storytelling, focusing on a child’s red mittens.
The two red mittens are always together, warmly wrapping a pair of small hands.
They helped when the child made a snowman for the first time and when rolling snowballs.
The way the red mittens are spoken of like close friends leaves your heart feeling softly warmed.
Children often lose their mittens, so if they think of them as friends like this, they might take better care of them.
In this book, the child loses one of the red mittens, too.
Let’s hope it’s found safe and sound…
Let’s warm up.
A warm bath in winter feels so comforting, doesn’t it? In this picture book, a little rabbit finds a hot spring and tries to get in.
But it turns out to be the monkeys’ hot spring, or the bears’ hot spring, so they won’t let the rabbit in.
Will the rabbit be able to warm up in a hot spring? Winter baths are cozy once you’re in, but getting in can be tough.
Still, after reading this picture book, kids might feel like they’re enjoying a hot spring themselves.
[For 4-year-olds] Must-reads for January! Picture Books to Enjoy Winter (41–50)
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.