Winter is a time for sweaters, coats and hats. When snow falls the world is transformed. The dust on the ground is molded into whatever we choose to make it. The collections of children's poetry listed below capture the spirit of the season. Enjoy these works of poetry with a nice cup of hot chocolate.

Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce Sideman, illustrated by Rick Allen

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. 

Snow, Snow: Winter Poems for Children by Jane Yolen, photographs by Jason Stemple

Winter: An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur, illustrated by Leslie Evans

Describes the winter season, with an animals, snow, cold weather, and recreation, and when read vertically, the first letters of the lines of text spell related words arranged alphabetically, from "awake to "zeal."
 

Winter Poems  selected by Barbara Rogask, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

A collection of winter poems ranging from late fall to early spring, by such authors as Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and Wallace Stevens.
 

Winter Friends by Mary Quatterbaum, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata

When a girl loses her mitten, a little boy comes to her aid and soon the mitten is found, a game begins, and a new friendship develops in this charming story about special surprises on a snowy day!

It's Snowing! It's Snowing: Winter Poems by Jack Prelutsky, pictures by Yossi Abolafia

Presents poems about the joys and beauties of winter, including snowflakes, snowballs, ice skating, and snowmen.

Iguanas in the Snow and Other Winter Poems by Francisco Alarcon, illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez

Seasonal poetry celebrating winter by the seashore, in the magical city of San Francisco, and in the ancient redwood forests of the Sierras.

ACold Snap: Frosty Poems by Audrey B. Baird, illustrations by Patrick O'Brien 

With autumn fully underway, winter is just ahead and everyone in town can feel it, see it, and sense it when the cold snap arrives, in a colorfully illustrated collection of more than twenty poems about the season.

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper, illustrated by Carson Ellis 

A celebration of the winter solstice and the Yuletide season. As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, early people would gather to prepare for the long night ahead. They built fires and lit candles. They played music, bringing their own light to the darkness, while wondering if the sun would ever rise again.

Winter Eyes: Poems & Paintings by Florian Douglas 

Snowballs, ice skating,sledding! Frozen toes, icy slush,runny nose. Well, winter's not all fun and games. But well-loved, best-selling poet Douglas Florian will melt your doubts about Mother Nature's chilly grip with twenty-eight winter-inspired poems accompanied by his crisp, trademark watercolor illustrations.

The Twelve Days of Winter: A School Counting Book by Rose Deborah Lee, illustrated by Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis

It's wintertime! The time for snow, mittens, and 12 days of surprises. In this high-energy, curious classroom, the teacher introduces her students to a new winter activity every day—from making paper snowflakes, to building sugar cube igloos, to playing with jingling bells. As the days get colder and the gifts add up, the classroom is transformed into wintery chaos.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.