Snow Stories

I woke up to a blanket of white and the words “Out of an abundance of caution, all schools, offices, and administration centers are closed today.” What followed was cozy reading, cocoa, jigsaw puzzles, and baking. Since my colleagues and I will all have snow on our minds when we head back into the classroom tomorrow, I am grabbing 10 of my favorite snow stories, and I thought you might like to know about them, too.

A Little Bit of Winter by Paul Stewart. Hedgehog is getting ready to hibernate, and Rabbit has been tasked with saving him a little bit of winter. It is a sweet story with wonderful illustrations by Chris Riddell.

Amadi’s Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot. There are not a lot of snowmen in Nigeria, but Amadi finds one in a book, and as a result, discovers how literacy can give him the world.

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner. If you love to maintain a sense of wonder, then this is the book for you. We glimpse the activities of animals above and below ground as a girl cross-country skis with her father. In addition to being a lovely read-aloud, it makes a wonderful mentor text for writing workshop.

Snowman – Cold = Puddle; Spring Equations by Laura Purdie Salas. Okay, I’m fudging a bit with the snow theme here, but this beautiful, thought-provoking book may inspire your students to discover creative equations of their own.

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner. Rollicking rhyme and fantastic illustrations work together to make this a great read-aloud. Don’t skip the dedication. The idea for this book came to Caralyn Buehner after her neighbors surreptitiously moved their snowman in the night. Students may be inspired to jazz up their own dedications.

Thomas’ Snowsuit by Robert Munsch. This is just ridiculous fun, and if you like to make your K–2 students laugh, you’ll want to read this one aloud.

Where Snow Angels Go by Maggie O’Farrell. What if the snow angels we made came alive in the night to watch over us? Magical! The audiobook is really lovely, but you’ll want to follow it up with a hard copy so you can see the illustrations.

Don’t discount the next three just because they are wordless or nearly wordless. These books are fantastic for developing an understanding of story structure. They also provide optimal opportunities for making inferences, using context clues, and stimulating oral language and vocabulary growth.

The Snow Rabbit by Camille Garoche. If you are a fan of The Snowman by Raymond Briggs, you’ll like The Snow Rabbit, which contains the same kind of magic. This beautiful wordless book follows two sisters on an adventure. One sister uses a wheelchair, and instead of being didactic or preachy, she is just a natural part of the adventure.

Snowman’s Story by Will Hillenbrand. A snowman comes to life when a magical hat lands on his head. He reads to the woodland animals, and when he falls asleep, a rabbit, hiding inside the hat, hops away with the book. A ripping adventure ensues.

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell. This nearly wordless book speaks to my inner Disney Princess who believes I could befriend, help, and be helped by wild animals if only I were given the opportunity. It is a great chance to read the pictures and discuss themes of trust, friendship, and kindness.