10 Winter Read-Aloud Picture Books

A sweet book following the antics of Dragon as he tries to make all of the right decisions at Christmas.

Children will recognize Dragon from the hit TV series by Dav Pilkey. Dragon loves Christmas and is always keen to get absolutely everything right.

He always picks the perfect tree and presents, but this year he simply can’t bring himself to cut down a tree.

Instead, he gifts all of his presents to creatures in greater need than him, teaching children the lesson of charity through humor and heart-warming scenes.

If you have read Captain Underpants, then you know what to expect, as they are both by the same author and illustrator, and that humor translates perfectly.

As the winter weather sets in, now is the time for children to settle down and delve into a winter mystery.

Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny live with their grandfather, having previously lived alone in a boxcar.

Now they are on their winter vacation at Snow Haven Lodge. They are there for the winter carnival, but someone is sabotaging the events.

Used to solving mysteries, the children get their teeth into working out who and what is going on.

The settings and scenery are a story unto themselves, and the characters are delightful.

This is a great story for children and parents interested in STEM subjects.

Frankie Sparks Has to design a sled using only duct tape and cardboard.

She and her team will be judged on whether they make the best-looking sled, the fastest sled, and show the most team spirit.

Frankie is a stand-out expert when it comes to inventing and designing, but she isn’t a natural when it comes to team building.

This is a touching tale of a smart girl learning how to work with people, a skill that is hard to teach.

The Reindeer Girl is a beautiful tale of the friendship between a young girl, Lotta, and a lost reindeer.

While visiting her grandmother in Norway, Lotta embarks on a magical adventure, where she must travel by sled into the mountains to herd reindeer towards summer pastures.

When a mother reindeer is noticed to be lost, Lotta has to find her before her calf starves.

Naturally, adventures ensue, taking in the beautiful Norwegian scenery.

In the sixth book of The Adventures of Sophie Mouse, Sophie and her friends are playing when they accidentally wake a hibernating hedgehog.

Pippa the Hedgehog is initially groggy, but Sophie and her friends quickly go about showing her the fun she could be having over winter.

They go ice skating on the pond, sledding, build snowmen, and generally frolic in the winter snow.

This book is squarely aimed at younger readers, with beautiful illustrations throughout.

The story is so charming, but it might be worth pointing out to young readers the inadvisability of waking hibernating animals during the winter!

The Christmasaurus is a fascinating tale about a young boy called William Trundle and his adventure with the Christmasaurus.

Fun fact: the author is Tom Fletcher, former lead singer of McFly!

The story is all about adventure, and it delivers in droves.

Touching on themes of friendship and families, and includes sleigh bells, Santa Clause, elves, reindeer, plenty of music, and plenty of magic.

The book also touches on two key themes for all children growing up.

The heart’s true desire, and learning that no matter how high the hurdle obstacles can be overcome and that the impossible is not always absolute.

Jack and Annie have the best thing ever: a time-travelling magic tree house!

These intrepid adventurers are used to being whisked off to times past, but they are in for a shock this time.

They are taken to the early second century with the self-appointed goal of ‘being like a warrior.’

The problem is that the Romans are actually very scary soldiers, and they don’t like strangers.

This fun book is very educational, blending adventure, strong characters, and historical information to present a truly engaging world.

Combining photographs of Humphrey the Hamster with charming illustrations, this book is sure to be a hit with young children.

Humphrey and his classmates are very much looking forward to the winter holidays, but he has to make sure he helps his friends along the way.

He has to help Do-It-Now-Daniel to stop procrastinating, help Helpful-Holly to relax about buying presents, not to mention having to help find the perfect gift for Og the Frog.

He manages to achieve all of his goals whilst being utterly cute the whole way through.

Aimed at children aged 8-13, Hunger Winter covers more mature themes than other offerings.

Set in World War II, 13-year-old Dirk has to find his missing father and protect his younger sister, all during the real-life events of the Dutch famine in WWII.

He is forced into action when the Gestapo arrests his older sister for working with the Dutch Resistance, leaving him alone with his little sister.

Dirk has to travel across the Netherlands with a small amount of food and his father’s previous instruction in survival, discovering farmyards, and even work camps along the way.

While the themes are mature, the story is written in a sympathetic way. It highlights the issues without being too scary.

This exciting story tells of the charming friendship between Louise and Arnold the bear.

When the snow arrives and the pond freezes over, Arnold tells Louise it is time to hibernate.

But Louise is not happy with the idea and doesn’t want Arnold to sleep through all of the winter fun.

She convinces him to try and hibernate like a squirrel instead, and have a short sleep.

The problem is when they wake up and start having fun, Arnold can’t quite stay awake!

The story shows all of the excitement of the winter through two thoroughly charming characters.

Geronimo Stilton is perhaps the most fun mouse you will ever meet.

Winter has come around, and it is time for the Mouse Island winter Ice Skating Championships.

Geronimo and his friend Creepella both enter the competition to try and win a magic pair of silver ice skates.

The problem is, they can’t skate! Geronimo has to learn fast, with hilarious results.

A particular favorite is a scene where Geronimo skids across the pond unable to stop.

The book introduces a ‘baddie’, Madam No, who likes to stop fun things from happening.

This fun little story is beautifully illustrated and will have children laughing as they read.