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Picture books are an amazing way to learn about the world and can be an invaluable tool for introducing children to scientific skills and concepts. This list of snow books includes 12 titles that can help with your weather units, states of matter studies, and your water cycle units.
By reading some of these books to your students you are supplementing your science instruction with children’s literature. This technique can help generate interest and motivation, provide context, encourage communication, and connect science information in real-world context (Mahzoon-Hagheghi, 2018, 41). Read this list of snow books to get some amazing titles to develop scientific skills in your students!
Snow Books
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Reading age: Preschool – Kindergarten (1-5 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS3-2, 2-ESS2-3
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is a story about a little boy named Peter waking up to snow everywhere and the different activities he does to enjoy the new snow. Some of the activities include making noise in the snow, dragging a stick through the snow, making a snowman, creating snow angels, and sliding down a hill. Peter also brings a snowball inside to save for later and finds it missing.
(Bonus: Looking for activities for The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats? Check out my article “The Snowy Day Ezra Jack Keats: 15 Fun Activities for Early Childhood Learners”.)
When the Snow Falls by Linda Booth Sweeney
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd grade (3-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS3-2, 2-ESS2-3, 3-ESS2-1
Sweeney describes the wonders of snow in many common settings and through a variety of activities. She starts her characters’ day by getting them dressed for the weather and then partaking in typical outdoor snow play such as sledding, making snow angels, and taking a walk through the woods. Then the family walks through the city and they hear interesting city sounds associated with snow. It’s also a wonderful way to include characters of minority in your classroom as the family illustrated is a mixed family.
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd grade (3-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS3-2, 2-ESS2-3, 3-ESS2-1
Rylant uses descriptive words to introduce different kinds of snow to the reader in this snow books story. This fictional story follows a little girl as she experiences peaceful snow in her yard, fat and fluffy snow at school, and heavy snow that covers cars and trees. The words she uses to describe what snow looks and feels like and what it can do to your surroundings are easy for children to relate to. The illustrations by Lauren Stringer are gorgeous and make you feel a part of the story.
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd grade (4-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS2-3, 2-ESS2-3, 3-ESS2-1
This fictional story follows a snowflake that didn’t want to fall from the sky, while also following a young girl, Noelle, watching for signs of snow. The storyline switches back and forth from their perspectives, following each of the characters through an evening. Both characters notice Christmas trees through windows and yearn for one. Their storylines converge at the end of the book in this holiday-related read.
10 Ways to Hear Snow by Cathy Camper
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd grade (4-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS2-3, 2-ESS2-3, 3-ESS2-1
The story follows a little girl named Lina on her way to Sitti’s (her grandma’s) house on a snowy day. She describes ten ways that she hears snow on her journey including scraping of snow, crunching snow while walking, a blue jay knocking snow off a limb, and more. This is a book full of wonder, observation, and sensory words and experiences. It’s also a wonderful way to include characters of minority in your classroom as Lina and her family are portrayed to be of Arabic descent.
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd (4-8 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS2-3, 2-ESS2-3, 3-ESS2-1
One Snowy Day by Diana Murray includes counting up to 10 and back to 1 using snowflakes, snow related activities, and characters through rhythm and rhyme. Some of the snow related activities introduced in the story include sledding, making snowballs, hanging out with friends, creating snow angels, getting dressed for the weather, and more.
Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd Grade (3-9 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS2-3, 1-LS1-1, 2-ESS2-3, 3-LS3-2, 3-ESS2-1
Messner shares the affects of snow on animals by sharing what is happening in winter. The story is from the perspective of a young girl out skiing with her dad and the observations she makes about the animals around her. Her dad tells her about the subnivean layer, a secret kingdom under the snow. The storyline proceeds with the little girl narrating what is happening over and under the snow. Some examples of things happening include a great horned owl keeping watch over the snow while a shrew moves along a tunnel under the snow. There’s evidence of animals huddling together for warmth, animals changing colors, animals sleeping, animals hunting, and more.
Curious About Snow by Gina Shaw
Reading age: Preschool – 5th (3-10 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS2-3, 2-PS1-4, 2-ESS2-3, 3-ESS2-1
This non-fiction Smithsonian book explains how snowflakes are made, their crystal structure and more. It goes into detail in length and is definitely for older children with longer attention spans, or read during multiple readings for younger children. Shaw introduces the temperature and conditions required for snowflakes to form hexagonal shapes that lead to snow crystals. There’s also information about Wilson A. Bentley who studied snowflakes for much of his life. Shaw also shares how the different shapes of snowflakes are formed including dendrites, hexagonal-plates, stellar plates, needles, and columns. She also includes states of water vocabulary such as “water vapor”, “evaporates”, “freezes”, “humidity”, “melt”, and more.
Snowflakes in Photographs by W.A. Bentley
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS2-3, 2-ESS2-3, 3-ESS2-1
Wilson A. Bentley spent many years photographing snowflakes with a microscope that were later gathered together and published. This book is a collection of 850 snowflake pictures chosen by the American Meteorological Society for print in 1931. Ideal for showing off the hexagonal design of snowflakes, this mostly text free book can get your students excited about snowflakes shapes and designs.
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Reading age: Preschool – 3rd grade (4-9 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS2-3, 2-PS1-4, 2-ESS2-3, 3-ESS2-1
This biography is about Wilson (Willie) A. Bentley and his interest in snowflakes. The story covers his fascination with snowflakes and his attempts at documenting their shapes for other people to see. This story has information about snowflakes but it can also be used to inspire your students to never give up on something they are passionate about and to pursue their dreams. “Snowflake” Bentley made many mistakes, but thanks to persistence, he was able to take thousands of pictures of snowflakes that have helped science throughout the years.
The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino
Reading age: Kindergarten – 3rd grade (3-9 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS2-3, 2-PS1-4, 2-ESS2-3, 3-ESS2-1
This non-fiction book introduces the water cycle and how snowflakes are made in the atmosphere. Related to the change in temperature, the types of clouds the snowflake is forming in, and other weather conditions, this book brings together weather and the water cycle to show how interconnected nature is. There are examples of different types of snowflakes and what conditions are required to make them. There are also snowflake photographs sprinkled throughout the book.
The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story by Neil Waldman
Reading age: Kindergarten – 3rd grade (3-9 years)
Related Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): K-ESS2-1, K-ESS2-3, 2-PS1-4, 2-ESS2-3, 3-ESS2-1, 5-ESS2-1
This non-fiction book introduces the water cycle beginning with a snowflake. Organized by month, this storyline follows a snowflake that falls from the clouds onto a peak of a mountain. Then, the snowflake melts into a water droplet that lands in a pond, only to be frozen later in the month. The droplet ends up in the groundwater, surfaces and flows passed cities, gets pumped into an irrigation system to help water crops, becomes a part of fog, participates in a thunderstorm, and turns back into a snowflake again. A great way to introduce the states of matter and the water cycle in your classroom in December or January.
In a nutshell
Hopefully after reading this list of snow books you’ve found a wonderful book (or two or three…) to read with your class this winter. If you’re looking for engaging activities to accompany your snow book, check out my “Snow and Winter Weather Mini Unit for Kindergarten” with 4 ELA activities and 5 science activities. Enjoy this wonderful season with snow falling, hot cocoa drinking, and the holidays; it’s sure to be one of your students’ favorite times of the year!
Bibliography
Mahzoon-Hagheghi, M.; Yebra, R.; Johnson, R. (2018). Fostering a Greater Understanding of Science in the Classroom Through Children’s Literature. Texas Journal of Literacy Education, 6(1), 41-50. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1183979.pdf
Have amazing children’s snow books that weren’t listed? Include your favorites in the comments!
Looking for activities for The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats? Check out my article “The Snowy Day Ezra Jack Keats: 15 Fun Activities for Early Childhood Learners”
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