99 books like Snow Party

By Harriet Ziefert, Mark Jones (illustrator),

Here are 99 books that Snow Party fans have personally recommended if you like Snow Party. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Winter: A Solstice Story

Robin Currie Author Of Tuktuk: Tundra Tale

From my list on for winter reading.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a children’s librarian and author, I am curious about all kinds of subjects. So, the arctic wilderness which appears to be barren tundra but teems with animal life, unique landforms, and aurora borealis glow intrigued me. Winter Solstice is an excellent theme to use for multicultural study and as an alternative topic for December when the completing holidays seem like overkill. I have been to Alaska to hear glaciers boom as they calf, see endless ice fields, and witness frolicking sea lions.

Robin's book list on for winter reading

Robin Currie Why did Robin love this book?

I was captivated by the gentle colors and repeating texts of this books.

Not so much a story as a description of forest animals summoned to share gifts to encourage the light to return on this longest night of the year. Even though the animals are outdoors in the snow it was clear they were warmed by being together and sharing.

Excellent bedtime book or to start discussion of generosity and sharing.

By Kelsey E. Gross, Renata Liwska (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Winter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

From debut author Kelsey Gross and New York Times bestselling artist Renata Liwska comes a gentle and lulling picture book celebrating the magic of the Winter Solstice with a group of animal friends in a quiet forest.

Tonight is the longest night of the year-solstice is here! Deep in the forest, the dark, cold, and quiet of winter is all around. Owl, Mouse, and Deer all watch the light fades and dark surrounds them, but they have a gift of hope to share with their neighbors. The moon and stars shine down on a lone tree in the forest, and…


Book cover of On the Shortest Day

Robin Currie Author Of Tuktuk: Tundra Tale

From my list on for winter reading.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a children’s librarian and author, I am curious about all kinds of subjects. So, the arctic wilderness which appears to be barren tundra but teems with animal life, unique landforms, and aurora borealis glow intrigued me. Winter Solstice is an excellent theme to use for multicultural study and as an alternative topic for December when the completing holidays seem like overkill. I have been to Alaska to hear glaciers boom as they calf, see endless ice fields, and witness frolicking sea lions.

Robin's book list on for winter reading

Robin Currie Why did Robin love this book?

On the shortest day of the year, a grandfather and child explore a marsh area.

Though it looks desolate at first, carefully walking and watching reveals all kinds of life, flying overhead, burrowed in trees, and tucked under the snow. The long night settles in with quiet comfort and hope waiting for spring.

I love the quiet tone of a multigenerational adventure and finding something where it looks like there is nothing. A good bedtime book or for sharing in school.

By Laura Sulentich Fredrickson, Laurie Caple (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked On the Shortest Day as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

In late December, snow blankets the landscape and the daylight hours are brief. Bundled up against the cold, a child and an adult explore the slough, a marshy area along the river where many animals live, hunt, and play. The scene is quiet, yet alive with activity—if you know where to look.
The child seeks to solve a mystery:
I search for you
as the sunlight fades
in the silent slough
on the shortest day.
Readers also tiptoe, scramble, and whisper. What will we discover along the way?
As child and grandparent hike through the woods and along streams, they…


Book cover of Hiders Seekers Finders Keepers: How Animals Adapt in Winter

Robin Currie Author Of Tuktuk: Tundra Tale

From my list on for winter reading.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a children’s librarian and author, I am curious about all kinds of subjects. So, the arctic wilderness which appears to be barren tundra but teems with animal life, unique landforms, and aurora borealis glow intrigued me. Winter Solstice is an excellent theme to use for multicultural study and as an alternative topic for December when the completing holidays seem like overkill. I have been to Alaska to hear glaciers boom as they calf, see endless ice fields, and witness frolicking sea lions.

Robin's book list on for winter reading

Robin Currie Why did Robin love this book?

Kids get more excited than adults about the shift from fall to winter – new boots and coats and mittens before they are lost!

I like to share in the library the way animals prepare for winter, too. Some sleep, some change color, some fly south. The spare lyrical text makes this a good read aloud supporting themes and units for preschool and Kindergarten of winter, snow, and solstice.

In addition circles details on each page explain more about the approach to winter for children to explore later.

By Jessica Kulekjian, Salini Perera (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hiders Seekers Finders Keepers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

A poetic and informative exploration of the many ways animals face the challenges of winter.

When the autumn days grow shorter and the temperatures cool, animals prepare for winter. Some, the hiders, choose a place to rest and wait out the winter, hibernating under the ground or snuggling in a sheltered spot. Other creatures are seekers, migrating to new locations where the weather is milder and the food sources more plentiful. And then there are the finders, who keep warm and fed by adapting to the new conditions. Every animal knows just what to do — following an ingenious plan…


Book cover of The Origin of Day and Night

Robin Currie Author Of Tuktuk: Tundra Tale

From my list on for winter reading.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a children’s librarian and author, I am curious about all kinds of subjects. So, the arctic wilderness which appears to be barren tundra but teems with animal life, unique landforms, and aurora borealis glow intrigued me. Winter Solstice is an excellent theme to use for multicultural study and as an alternative topic for December when the completing holidays seem like overkill. I have been to Alaska to hear glaciers boom as they calf, see endless ice fields, and witness frolicking sea lions.

Robin's book list on for winter reading

Robin Currie Why did Robin love this book?

I appreciate the genuine Inuit voice of this story of creation, so I researched the author.

Rumolt is active in the Inuit community and teaches elementary school there, but her education was started by her grandmother’s traditional tales. The book is in spare text in the tradition of the storyteller. The art is primarily black and white with touches of color, all the more welcome as a surprise.

In the end the story is about compromise and friendship and a beautiful introduction to a unit or theme of creation, seasons, or mythology. 

By Paula Ikuutaq Rumbolt, Lenny Lishchenko (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Origin of Day and Night as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 6, 7, 8, and 9.

What is this book about?

In this Inuit tale, the actions of a hare and a fox change the Arctic forever by creating day and night. In very early times, there was no night or day and words spoken by chance could become real. When a hare and a fox meet and express their longing for light and darkness, their words are too powerful to be denied. Passed orally from storyteller to storyteller for hundreds of years, this beautifully illustrated story weaves together elements of an origin story and a traditional animal tale, giving young readers a window into Inuit mythology.


Book cover of Snow Boys

Eric Dakota Author Of Except for Cough Drops

From my list on gay coming-of-age books that capture the realism of the experience.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up a closeted gay in a very straight world. I enjoy reading both true and fictional stories about how others grew up and came out. I decided to write about coming-out and coming-of-age because this mixture of topics just didn’t exist when I was a teen. The books that I have listed here are ones that I feel capture both the realism of what is, what we wished had been, and the hope of what could be—a world where "coming out" wouldn’t be necessary.

Eric's book list on gay coming-of-age books that capture the realism of the experience

Eric Dakota Why did Eric love this book?

To say I enjoyed this is an understatement to the highest degree. From the first paragraph, Doyles' prose grabbed me, slapped me, and demanded to be appreciated. I laughed out loud, and I loved it. Doyles' ability to turn a phrase had me in love with his prose so much that I immediately ordered it in paperback for my shelf since I had originally purchased it as an eBook.

Speaking of "in love," that’s what happened as I got to know Dean and Ben. Two very different boys with two very similar problems – both liked boys, and neither was ready for that to be known.

Coming out stories aren’t new, but Simon Doyle makes it feel new for me with expertly drawn characters, tightly plotted storylines, and strong dialogue. I really loved getting to know Ben, Dean, and even the prick Alex in Snow Boys!

By Simon Doyle,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Snow Boys as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Dean O’Donnell is a wallflower with a secret and a voice that could steal the show. Preferring to blend into the background at his high school, his world tilts on its axis when he is chosen for a major solo in the upcoming Christmas choir performance. His quiet life is further disturbed when he receives a Secret Santa gift, and an unexpected friendship forms.

Ben Hunter is the boy next door, well-liked but lonely. He wrestles with unspoken feelings for Dean and a family crisis that’s tearing him apart. When he takes a job at the local cinema to help…


Book cover of Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold

Matt Forrest Esenwine Author Of Flashlight Night

From my list on children’s poetry collections about nature.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since my parents gave me a copy of Dorothy Aldis’ The Secret Place and Other Poems, I have enjoyed a lifelong love of poetry. Now, as a traditionally-published children’s author, I have had numerous books and poems published over the years, including books that began as poems, like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) and Once Upon Another Time (Beaming Books, 2021). My poems can be found in various anthologies including The National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry (National Geographic Children's Books, 2015).

Matt's book list on children’s poetry collections about nature

Matt Forrest Esenwine Why did Matt love this book?

Narrowing down just one of Joyce Sidman’s poetry collections as ‘their best’ is truly a monumental task, but Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold is certainly high on the list! Whether it’s Tundra Swans dreaming of “ice-blue sky and yodel of night” or a leaping, laughing snowflake with “lace sprouting from fingertips,” all the subjects of Joyce’s poems are rendered in elegant yet relatable text while Rick Allen’s linoleum print illustrations capture the ethereal tone of the book.

By Joyce Sidman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this outstanding picture book collection of poems by Newbery Honor-winning poet, Joyce Sidman (Song of the Water Boatman, Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night), discover how animals stay alive in the wintertime and learn about their secret lives happening under the snow. Paired with stunning linoleum print illustrations by Rick Allen, that celebrate nature's beauty and power.


Book cover of Over and Under the Snow

Lynn Brunelle Author Of Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall

From my list on awaken curiosity in nature for kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Lynn Brunelle, and for as long as I can remember, I have been at least two things—a bookhound and an outdoorsy girl. Ever since I was little, I have explored trees, insects, tadpoles, snowflakes, tidepools—whatever I discovered in my home in the woods by the beach. I had so many questions, which led to books. So it seems only natural that I LOVE books—lots of different genres of books, but mostly books for kids and mostly books that make me wonder about science and nature. Bringing this curiosity to others and making the amazing things in nature accessible to kids is what I do. 

Lynn's book list on awaken curiosity in nature for kids

Lynn Brunelle Why did Lynn love this book?

Great books reveal new worlds. I am crazy about books that wake up curiosity. These books are fabulous. They make exploration and observation accessible to anyone.

I love the illustrations and the information that introduces readers to the notion that a lot is going on beneath the surface in nature. There always is! It may be hushed and white up top, but beneath is a secret world where animals have different strategies to survive the cold, dark winter. It makes me wonder about all the other things that are happening that we don’t always see.

By Kate Messner, Christopher Silas Neal (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Over and Under the Snow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow lies a secret world of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals making their winter home under the snow. This beloved nonfiction picture book exploring the subnivean zone reveals the tunnels and caves formed beneath the snow but over the ground, where many kinds of animals live through the winter, safe and warm, awake and busy, but hidden beneath the snow.


Book cover of Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring

Anita Loughrey Author Of Rabbit's Spring Gift

From my list on introduce young children to spring and the seasons.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child I was always fascinated by nature, especially the way the trees changed throughout the seasons. This may be what stimulated my love of growing and caring for bonsai trees and why I have written many books about the seasons myself. Now as an author, ex-primary school teacher, parent, and grandparent I am aware of the importance of encouraging other children to have this same interest and fascination in nature and the ever-changing seasons. I believe it fosters an awareness of how the world is far bigger than themselves and everything is interconnected. I hope these books will inspire young mind’s love and understanding of the natural world.

Anita's book list on introduce young children to spring and the seasons

Anita Loughrey Why did Anita love this book?

The unique style of this picture book is a pleasure to read aloud. You can use different voices as the young boy walks through the countryside with his dog and says goodbye to each of the signs of winter and then how the seasons reply. In effect, you get this wonderful conversation between nature and the boy from the birds chirping in the branches, to the ice melting on the babbling brook.

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring is the ideal book for highlighting the dramatic contrasts between the season of winter and spring. The perfect choice for a fun storytime themed around the seasons.

By Kenard Pak,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

As days stretch longer, animals creep out from their warm dens, and green begins to grow again. Everyone knows - spring is on its way!

Join a boy and his dog as they explore nature and take a stroll through the countryside, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with everything from the melting brook to chirping birds, they say goodbye to winter and welcome the lushness of spring.


Book cover of Frederick

Bethanie Deeney Murguia Author Of Do You Believe in Unicorns?

From my list on seeing magic in the world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a writer and illustrator of picture books who is always seeking magic in the world around me. I love to daydream, wander, wonder, and get lost in nature as much as possible. I’m also an avid reader of books that celebrate the natural world, animals, and imagination. Happy reading!

Bethanie's book list on seeing magic in the world

Bethanie Deeney Murguia Why did Bethanie love this book?

Frederick is a classic that continues to speak to me. Frederick is a creative mouse who gathers beauty from the world—he’s a daydreamer and a poet. His talents aren’t appreciated by the other mice at first. By the end of the story, though, they realize that his talents are essential to their survival. I love how this book celebrates creativity and difference.

By Leo Lionni,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Frederick as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Leo Lionni’s Caldecott Honor–winning story about a little mouse who gathers something unusual for the long winter is turning fifty! Celebrate this beloved favorite, which now includes a special introduction from noted children’s book historian Leonard Marcus.
 
Winter is coming, and all the mice are gathering food . . . except for Frederick. But when the days grow short and the snow begins to fall, it’s Frederick’s stories that warm the hearts and spirits of his fellow field mice. Winner of a 1967 Caldecott Honor, Frederick has been cherished by generations of readers.
 
“A splendid achievement.” —School Library Journal, starred…


Book cover of Moominland Midwinter

Coralie Bickford-Smith Author Of The Fox and the Star

From my list on children’s stories that adults will love as well.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an author, illustrator, and book designer. I never lost my childhood wonder at the printed page. When I write my own books, I create stories for both adults and children with deep meaning weaved into seemingly naive text and images. I enjoy creating worlds in which stories are told for children's and adults' imaginations to coexist. I think being dyslexic led me to enjoy aspects of visual storytelling so much. I have worked in publishing for many years and I am well known for my work on the Penguin clothbound classics where I use my visual illustration style to entice readers new and old to read classic stories and escape into new worlds.

Coralie's book list on children’s stories that adults will love as well

Coralie Bickford-Smith Why did Coralie love this book?

I loved Moominland Midwinter as a child – admittedly back then I focused on the illustrations more than the text, I loved the friendly appearance of Moomin with his big round eyes and the intricate line drawings of the forest. I revisited the story a few years ago and found solace in its words and finally appreciated the combined beauty of the text and images. I love how the squirrel who freezes in the winter, initially a sad thing, is reframed as a not-so-sad event. Tove Jansson was a master at speaking to children and adults. She poured so much love into her stories. It makes me happy to be able to inhabit her imagination and go on adventures with her characters.

By Tove Jansson, Thomas Warburton (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Moominland Midwinter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

Special collectors' hardback editions lovingly restored to original designs

'I love these editions-so beautifully produced, so solid and permanent, just as Tove Jansson deserved.' Philip Pullman

A beautiful collectors' edition of this classic Moomin story, using original 50s and 60s cover artwork, a fold out map and gorgeous endpapers.

Moomins always sleep through the winter while the snow settles all around them, waking up in time for spring and the arrival of Snufkin and other friends. Or they did until one year when Moomintroll happened to wake up and find himself all alone in a sleepy, dusty house in a…


Book cover of Winter: A Solstice Story
Book cover of On the Shortest Day
Book cover of Hiders Seekers Finders Keepers: How Animals Adapt in Winter

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Interested in winter, snow, and Christmas?

Winter 23 books
Snow 14 books
Christmas 265 books