Picture Books to Read with 5-Year-Olds: Recommended Titles to Make Winter More Fun
The cold season is perfect for enjoying picture books indoors.
Here, we’ll introduce a variety of winter picture books just right for five-year-olds—stories that let them feel the changing seasons and the wonders of nature.
From falling snow and how animals live, to warm family moments, these seasonal tales will make children’s curiosity sparkle.
Even on chilly days, why not take a journey into the world of imagination through a favorite picture book? Explore the delightful world of winter-themed picture books together with your children!
Books to Read with a 5-Year-Old! Recommended Picture Books to Enjoy Winter (1–10)
Moonlit Night Ice Hockey
Set in Canada in December, when even the forest ponds freeze over.
Even in the intense cold with days of minus 20 degrees, the boys still find something to enjoy: on nights with a full moon, they play ice hockey on the beaver pond in the frozen forest.
On the way to the pond, they run into mishaps like getting buried in snow, but even that seems to be just another part of a fun adventure.
Someday, not only the ice hockey they enjoyed with friends, but also those adventurous moments will turn into fond memories.
It’s the kind of picture book that makes you hope the children who read it will create wonderful memories of playing their hearts out.
Snow Theater
From works that depict lives blanketed in snow, you can sense a certain warmth.
A boy tears his father’s treasured butterfly field guide in a scuffle with friends.
He straps on skis and dashes into the snowy mountains, where beyond a hollow he’s fallen into lies a theater of snow.
The Snow Queen, snowmen, and white horses perform in dazzling fashion.
Before he knows it, the boy is on stage too, singing along.
It must have been such a wonderful space that he even forgets about the torn field guide.
This is a piece that lets children fully savor a fantastical snowy world.
The scene where the father comes to pick him up is truly heartwarming.
Princess Snow and the Unicorn
Princesses and unicorns are popular with five-year-olds, aren’t they? Just having a princess and a unicorn on a picture book cover is enough to get kids excited.
The sparkling snow globe pictured alongside them lets you feel the winter atmosphere.
It’s a story about Snow, a lonely princess who wishes for friends and sets off on an adventure into a magical world.
Along the way, she meets not only a unicorn but also a snowman and maidens of ice.
The heart-fluttering tale and the book’s illustrations are sure to delight children.
New Year’s party—how festive, how joyful!
Some families prepare osechi for New Year’s.
The picture book also introduces recipes for the osechi dishes shown on the cover.
Making the first feast of the year together with your child could become a fond memory.
By the time children are five, some kindergartens and nursery schools may offer cooking activities that they can enjoy.
Some kids might already be interested in cooking.
New Year’s dishes are often not the kind you see on the everyday table.
It could be fun to make them while talking with your family about why we eat them specifically for the New Year.
Tomin Hotel Gussuri Dozo
When the severity of the cold increases in winter, some animals go into hibernation, don’t they? This is a story about three rabbits who welcome hibernating animals at Hotel Good-Sleep-Doze deep in the forest.
Sometimes the winter chill is so intense that it’s hard to get by without a heater.
But the animals living in nature seem able to sleep soundly and greet the spring with peace of mind at Hotel Good-Sleep-Doze.
Although it’s a winter tale, the hotel is depicted in a way that conveys warmth.
It’s a unique work that shines a spotlight on hibernation—something humans don’t do.
It may also give children a chance to learn about hibernation through a picture book.
Orlando the Cat: The Woolen Trousers
Sparked by an unexpected mishap, this story lets you feel the bonds of family.
After accidentally getting doused in kerosene, the father cat loses the fur on the lower half of his body.
The mother cat knits him pants from yarn that match his original pattern, and the children cheer up their downcast dad.
Though it’s a tale about cats, the family’s all-out effort to say, “Let’s figure this out,” conveys a touching sense of familial love.
Today’s world often makes it hard for families to spend time together, with dual-income households and other pressures.
Time to read picture books as a family may be limited, but it would be wonderful to use picture books as a chance to think about family together.
Pore Pore in the Snow
Although it’s become harder recently due to the mild winters, there are still regions where you can play in the snow when winter comes.
Some children get super excited about winter-only activities like making snowmen and having snowball fights, don’t they? And if you could also observe the aurora, which can be seen in winter, the kids would probably get even more excited.
These scenes are depicted through Yagi-kun, Harinezumi-kun, and Zou-kun.
You can also feel the beauty of the snowy landscapes and the aurora spreading across the sky.
Among the children who read the picture book together, some might even become interested in the aurora.