Picture Books to Read in Winter: A Collection of Story Ideas That Resonate with Elementary School Children
With the arrival of winter, you may find yourself wanting to discover wonderful picture books to enjoy with your children.
Here are winter-themed picture books that will resonate with elementary schoolers—the crisp winter air, the sparkle of snowflakes, and the warmth of family togetherness.
From richly illustrated scenes to stories that kindle a spirit of adventure, the cold season holds the promise of unforgettable reads.
How about spending a special moment immersed in these stories together with your child?
Picture Books to Read in Winter: A Collection of Story Ideas That Resonate with Elementary School Children (1–10)
Osechi (traditional Japanese New Year’s cuisine)
A picture book with delicate, beautiful illustrations that teaches children about osechi, making it a great learning resource.
As New Year’s approaches, osechi starts appearing in many places.
Black soybeans, herring roe, sweet chestnut paste, datemaki—perhaps you’ve had your eyes captured at least once by the lavish dishes packed tightly into tiered boxes.
This book offers a careful explanation of these classic osechi dishes.
It’s a recommended read for children to learn about Japanese cuisine, culture, and traditional festivities.
On a night when snow falls silently
On a winter night, the fox protagonist walks through a snowy forest, meeting all kinds of creatures along the way: a woodpecker tapping out telegrams, a rabbit practicing how to escape from a fox…
There are bears, owls, and many more forest animals in this picture book.
The animals you encounter in the quiet snowy landscape feel somehow different from usual.
This is a book that lets you notice the mysterious charm of the winter forest—something we don’t often think about.
It’s perfect for reading aloud, so please enjoy it on a snowy night.
The happiest teddy bear in the world
Mary Rose saved up her pocket money with great effort and bought a teddy bear.
She cherished it dearly, but one day she accidentally left it on a train.
More than fifty years later, one Christmas, a wonderful miracle occurs…
Beyond the sorrow of losing something precious lies unexpected joy and deep emotion—this picture book is sure to become unforgettable.
Like Mary Rose’s teddy bear, we hope children will encounter something they wish to treasure for a lifetime.
Dororon: Operation New Year’s Gift in the Yokai Forest!
Because it’s a story about yokai children who go to elementary school, it’s a book that kids can read while empathizing with the characters.
The protagonist, Kosuke the kappa, is good at sumo.
He starts sumo matches with his friends, Toramaru the oni and Kazenobō the tengu, but Kosuke wins most of the bouts, which doesn’t sit well with Toramaru and Kazenobō.
Afterwards, Kosuke is excluded because he doesn’t have a game console.
Many children may find themselves reading as if they were Kosuke, relating to the quarrels with friends and the ways he tries to solve the problem of getting a game console.
A warm sweater for a lemur
A heartwarming book set in the Northern Country, The Ring-tailed Lemur’s Cozy Sweater.
Lynx Lisa and Bear Nils lived in the north.
One day, Otto the ring-tailed lemur arrives from a southern island, but the bitter cold makes him fall ill.
Worried, the two friends think of various ways to keep Otto warm and comfortable.
It’s a gentle, warming story about caring for friends and the desire to help those in need—perfect for a cold winter.
A Little Spider’s Prayer
The characters in this picture book are a family of spiders living in a church.
On Christmas Eve, a large tree is set up in the church.
Moved by the beauty of the tree, the spider family climbs onto the fir to look around.
But because of that, the tree ends up covered in spiderwebs.
The spiders try to remove the silk, but it doesn’t go well, so they apologize to God.
Then the webs transform into something wonderful.
Through this picture book, I believe children will learn the importance of reflecting after making mistakes and that by apologizing, they can receive forgiveness.
Buying Gloves
A heart-thumping, edge-of-your-seat story born from a mother’s wish to keep her child’s hands warm during the cold winter.
The characters are a fox mother and child.
The young fox turns one of its paws into a human hand and goes down to the village to buy gloves.
The mother tells the child to be sure to show the human hand and say they want gloves, but the little fox absentmindedly shows its fox paw instead.
What will happen to the fox now? Set against the quiet backdrop of winter, this tale is filled with heartwarming episodes.
Enjoy this picture book together as a parent and child, and experience the many expressions of kindness it offers.
Light of the Stars
On Christmas night, the Star King sees a village with no lights and decides to bring starlight down to the earth.
As the gently glowing star children descend one by one, the smallest star child hesitates, thinking, “My light is too weak…” But when that little star, despite trembling, musters the courage to come down, a gentle glow blooms across the dark village.
A memorable tale where a small act of courage brings great warmth.
With tender words and cozy illustrations, it offers a comforting time for the heart.
A perfect book for telling children, “Your own light matters, too.” Filled with hope and kindness, it also makes a lovely gift picture book.
The Mysterious Power of Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas, known as the model for Santa Claus, was a real bishop who carried out charitable works in the 4th century in what is now Turkey.
This picture book explains the relationship between Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus from a historical perspective.
Everyone probably has the image of Santa bringing presents at Christmas, but some children might wonder, “Who is Santa Claus?” Perhaps the answer can be found within this picture book.
Connected by a red thread
This is a story about Annie the badger and Tickle the porcupine, who care for each other and sometimes quarrel.
They each find a strand of red yarn and start knitting for the other.
But the yarn is actually connected, and just as their creations are nearly finished, everything unravels.
The two start to argue…
They only wanted to see each other’s happy faces, so it’s sad when a small misunderstanding leads to a fight, isn’t it? Still, they make up properly and become close again.
Children often quarrel, too, but rather than letting that be the end of it, it would be wonderful if they, like these two, could come to cherish each other again.