These 10 winter picture books help brighten my mood during the dreary winter days. I have compiled a list of my favorite winter picture books to use with my second and third graders. I have also included a list of teaching points with each book.
1. Penguin Chick by Betty Tatham
If you plan on reading this book with your students, check out these activities!
2. Akiak by Robert J. Blake
Sled Dog racing is an exciting topic to teach students about. I have several texts that I like to share with my students about this topic, and Akiak is at the top of the list. This story talks about dog sledding from the perspective of Akiak, a sled dog.
3. A Symphony of Whales by Steve Schuch
Symphony of Whales is a beautiful story about Beluga Whales that are stuck in the frozen bay. Glashka and her community call an icebreaker to come rescue the whales. In the meantime, the villagers do everything they can to keep the whales alive.
4. Penguins by Seymour Simon
An informational text about penguins with beautiful images. This picture book provides students with many facts about penguins. I use this book to help my students brainstorm and find information for their penguin writing projects.
5. Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
Ok. I know this one is not a picture book, but it’s such a great read! Stone Fox is a wonderful novel for third graders. It’s the perfect novel for mid-year. Now that students are beginning to develop a stronger reading comprehension and beginning to notice characters. This is a great book for helping students think about character motivation. It also has a great theme or central message. I love this novel unit. You can read more about the other activities I do with this novel here.
6. The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale. Retold and Illustrated by Lydia Dabcovich
This picture book works great for younger readers. I like to read it with second graders. Polar Bear Son is a sweet story about an older Inuit woman who finds a polar bear cub one day while she is out on the ice. The polar bear is all alone so the old woman takes him home with her. She raises the cub. Once he is a large bear, he hunts for her.
7. Big Blue Whale by Nicola Davies
This picture book is the perfect text to accompany any stories you read about whales. Nicola Davies does a great job teaching students about whales and all of their special characteristics. The illustrations provide students with wonderful images that teach them all about whales.
8. Humphrey the Lost Whale
Speaking of whales… Humphrey the Lost Whale is a sweet (true) story of a whale who got lost in the San Fransisco Bay. He is traveling south for the winter and he takes a wrong turn. The people of San Fransisco notice him swimming upstream, and create a plan to rescue him. This book has a happy ending when Humphrey travels safely back out to sea. Students really love this one!
9. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Snowflake Bentley is the biography of Wilson Bentley, the first person to photograph snowflakes. It is a great text to use when showing younger readers the elements of biographies. Your students will be surprised to see how big the original cameras were.. and how much they cost! I always have this book handy when I’m teaching biographies, and students usually gravitate to it.
10. The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins
Another great picture book that tells the life cycle of a penguin. The author’s engaging writing style catches the attention of younger readers. There are many wonderful images that help students visualize the information in the text. This is a great text to add to your penguin unit.
I hope you’ve found some new titles to add to your list! What are your favorite winter picture books for second and third graders?
