40 books like First Snow

I love snow! I love this book. The simple collage illustrations support a simple childhood experience that captures my childhood winter as much as it does the delight my grandchildren take in snow. I love that this is nature experienced in a city setting. It was a quiet day for making footprints in the snow, feet pointing out, and feet pointing in. The crunch, crunch, crunch, a stick just right for smacking snow-covered trees.

I want to climb into this book and be that child. And oh, the memories of a snow day, not a holiday but a day filled with magic like no other, a day to fully explore and enjoy the season, the natural world. The excitement I feel even now when snow falls at night, promising another snow day.

To me, this book has a great combination of sleepy and silly elements. The illustrations are warm and cozy, and throughout the book, Bear snores happily in the background.

My kids and I love that while Bear sleeps, a party starts forming in his cave. We love seeing the party grow until Bear wakes up to discover what’s going on.

Growing up in a snowy winter playground, my kids lost a lot of mittens and The Mitten, by Jan Brett, illustrated in her detailed Scandinavian style, sparked their imaginations as to what fate may have befallen them.

Nikki, unwittingly drops his white mitten, lovingly knitted by his grandmother into the snow. It is soon discovered by a mole. Then, one beautifully illustrated forest animal after another, increasingly larger, cozy into the ever-expanding mitten; including a huge bear and, finally, a little mouse, with whiskers that tickle the bear’s nose!

The decorative borders surrounding the main dialogue hint at the story to come, allowing kids to guess what’s next. This gem of a board book provides so much visual detail to be discovered by curious little readers, that it will become a winter staple, never the same twice.

When I was a kid, I loved books about miniature things; they piqued my imagination and had me thinking long after the story was finished.

The Victorian Era family of five living inside the snow globe is not only miniature but it has its own weather system—and it hasn’t snowed in a long time! The snow globe rests on the mantle of a “big house” with a mirrored human-sized family.

No one in the family remembers the snow globe except for Baby, who is left at home with Mama while everyone goes outside in the blizzard to play. Baby tips over the snow globe, giving the tiny family exactly what it has been waiting for; a blizzard! Now both families get to play in the snow and it’s ever so much fun! Wonderful for children of all ages.

Both the poetry and prose of this beautiful book speaks to my heart; these are words I would have liked to have written myself: Softly, gently in the secret light/Down from the North came the quiet white./Drifting, sifting, silent flight,/Softly, gently in the secret night. After the first poetic introduction, the book moves into a perfect description of a neighborhood before, during and after a big snow, beginning with the first flakes of snow the children catch on their tongues, to the postman pulling on his boots; the snowfall so deep that the farmer must dig his way to the barn. In the night the stars come out when the snow stops. The next morning, bright light fills the barn where the farmer milks his cow, and children build a snowman, a snow fort, and have a snowball fight. The melting snow drips into icicles, as the neighborhood warms… show more.

Beginning with a single flake falling from a gray sky, the magic and excitement of the first snow are captured perfectly in illustrations and words. Every child reader will join sides with the boy and dog who are certain there is more snow coming despite the declarations to the contrary from adults on the street. Even the predictions from the radio and television of “No snow,” are soon forgotten as the magical transformation of the whole gray city becomes reason for dancing and swirling and twirling through five enchanted spreads of wondrous snow. Every time I read this book, I look out my windows in autumn, wanting to be the first one to see that first snowflake.

Full disclosure, I worked on this book as an editor. But it’s because of that experience that I know how hard the author/photographer and scientist consultant worked to tell this story in a way that was clear and fun for kids! I love reading it to my children and frequently give it as a winter-themed gift. I love the beautiful, through-the-microscope photos of the crystal shapes. I also like how the book clarifies the difference between snowflakes and snow crystals, since we very often refer to snow crystals as “snowflakes” – but they are too small for the eye to see from a distance unless they are clumped together. (The clumps are the “snowflakes.”) Such a fun winter read, and a great non-holiday-themed addition to any family’s winter book collection.

Snow Sounds may seem like a simple book on onomatopoeia, but the beautiful illustrations tell their own story of community workers, a boy, and the boy’s family working together to make sure the boy can get to school on time and deliver a specially wrapped gift. Readers will smile at the illustrations as they absorb the story’s message. 

Ten Ways to Hear Snow commemorates the sounds of winter. Lina sets off alone to visit her grandmother (another Little Red Riding Hood reference!) the morning after a blizzard. As she walks through the neighbourhood, she notices the sounds snow makes while building a snowman, shoveling snow, and more. At her grandma’s place, they form a new point of connection because her grandma can’t see well and so relies on listening.

I could choose any of Eric Carle’s books purely for his beautiful, timeless illustrations, but my choice this time is Dream Snow. It is a lift-the-flap book about a farmer who falls asleep on Christmas Eve and wakes up just in time to deliver Christmas presents to his animals. They are called One, Two, Three, Four, and Five. The book has a lovely festive atmosphere and anyone who has come home tired from playing in the snow and fallen asleep in front of the fire will immediately recognise the cosy feeling of this book.