5 Picture Books About Winter to Add to Your Bookshelf
and a FREEBIE!
Winter is here, and I am back with five picture books about winter! Whether you are looking for winter-themed picture books for your classroom, remote learning, or your kids are home, this post has just what you need. These five picture books about winter are perfect for students with autism and other ability levels, as well as preschool and kindergarten aged students. You will also find quick augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tips and core vocabulary recommendations that will benefit all students in your class, regardless of ability level. Vocabulary words from each book are highlighted. You can download my FREE winter vocabulary cards that correspond to the books in this post. The vocabulary cards are available with and without modifications for visual impairments. The vocabulary cards can be downloaded at the end of this blog post.
What is my FAVORITE winter read aloud?
I See Winter By Charles Ghinga
If you read my summer and fall read-aloud blog posts, this choice may not surprise you. These seasonal books are my absolute favorite. The illustrations are bright and engaging. This book focuses on winter activities, as well as items that you see in winter. For planning purposes, I want to note that the last few pages of this book focus on Christmas. If you are reading this book after Christmas or in a school where Christmas cannot be taught, these pages can easily be left out. This book also includes repetitive text, “I see” statements, on each page.
Focus words: snowflake, frost, boots, hats, mittens, sled, snowman, snow angel, hot cocoa
Core words: see, I, on, in
AAC tip: Focus on the “I see” statements on each page. Students who are able will focus on expanding each “I see” statement by a single word. This can include colors, adjectives such as big, little, tall, short, etc, and numeral adjectives. Students just being introduced to the core words “I” and “see” will focus on this phrase or sentence.
Four of my other favorite picture books about winter….
Winter is Here by Heidi Gross Gray
This is another seasonal series that I enjoy sharing with students. The illustrations are beautiful, however slightly abstract. Depending on ability level, I would recommend having story props/photographs when reading the book originally. This book focuses on things that we see in winter. Similar to the previous book, there is repetitive text. In this book, the repeated statement is “Winter is here.”
Focus words: winter, frost, snowflake, sled, snowman, snow angel, hot chocolate, snow
Core words: when, see, play, come, open, I, out, you, we
AAC tip: Depending on the student’s communication level, students can use their communication devices, PECS, BIGmac buttons, etc to help you read “winter is here” on each page. Additionally, as stated above, some of the illustrations are more abstract. Students can use their communication devices to describe the illustrations. They can also try to guess what images are drawn.
Snow Day! By Candice Ransom
This picture book is a “Ready to Read” picture book. I love these books because they include simple words, rhyme and rhythm, and picture clues. This book is about a young girl during a snow day and the different activities she does throughout the day.
Vocab words: snow, hat, boots, sled, hill, fort, hot cocoa, plow
Core words: more, outside (out), you, not, up, down, inside (in), no, play
AAC tip: Choose one (or two) core words to target each time you read this book. Tape the images of the core words within the book. This will allow students to find them on their communication device, communication board, etc while you are reading. Remember, students benefit from hearing a book multiple times. This allows them to become familiar with the story, the characters, and the vocabulary.
Ten on the Sled By Kim Norman
Ten on the Sled is a winter-themed counting book. This book focuses on different animals that jump off the sled one by one. It is a spin-off of the nursery rhyme “Ten in the Bed.”
Vocab words: seal, hare sheep, walrus, fox, squirrel, wolf, moose, bear, caribou, sled
Core words: on, all, out, no, more
AAC tip: With this book, I would recommend focusing on the core word “out.” On each page, one of the animals ends up “out” of the sled. Students can help you read this word on each page using their communication boards or devices.
Pete the Cat: Snow Daze by James Dean
Similarly to Snow Day, this Pete the Cat book is about Pete during a snow day. This book focuses on the different things Pete does on his snow day! Compared to the books previously discussed which have 1-2 sentences on a page, this book has 2-3 sentences on each page.
Vocab words: sledding, hat, boots, mittens, snow dog (snowman), hill, hot chocolate, snow fort, plow
Core words: no, on, go, help, can, more, up, down, open, want, outside (out)
AAC tip: This book is perfect for discussing places that Pete goes in the story. For example, students can work on some of the following phrases: GO sledding, GO home, GO shovel, GO-to school, GO outside, etc.
Since these books contain similar vocabulary words, I have included vocabulary cards for students to practice identification and generalization of this winter vocabulary. Two versions of vocabulary cards are included. The first set has a white background. The second set is high contrast for students with cortical visual impairment (CVI). You can download my FREE Vocabulary Cards for picture books about winter below.
Interested in my other seasonal book lists and FREE vocabulary cards? Check them out below!
No Comments