Kids of all ages love to be read to, and reading together as a family can boost connection in so many ways. Books allow you to talk about all sorts of different topics and themes with your kids and teach empathy and compassion for different kinds of characters and circumstances. This is such a wonderful thing to lean into during the wintertime, when it seems our own worlds have shrunken a little bit due to shorter, colder days.
Many books with winter and holiday themes have also been adapted for the screen, so watching the movie after finishing the book can make for a long and cozy family activity on a cold day stuck indoors. The following books/films start with preschool aged-recommendations and work their way up through elementary, middle school and ultimately young adult audiences.
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
This wordless picture book will engage your child’s imagination as the snow begins to fall and plans to build snowmen develop. The show is similarly captivating and lasts about 30 minutes.
Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
It tells the story of Peter as he explores his city neighborhood during winter’s first snow. This was a favorite in our house when my kids were young, and the short film version lasts about 40 minutes.
The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson
This sequel to The Gruffalo is set in a snow-covered forest during a winter night. It’s perfect for young kids who teeter between being brave and setting out on an adventure, and basking in the comfort of their caregivers’ arms. It’s sweet and silly and not too scary, and the accompanying film has a runtime of 27 minutes.
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
This classic picture book won the Caldecott Medal in 1986, and if you have a train-loving or holiday-loving kid in your house, it still stands the test of time. The accompanying Tom Hanks movie is a cozy choice for family movie night.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
We all know this evergreen classic, and while the Jim Carrey version of the movie wasn’t for my kids, the 2018 film The Grinch is a great modern day update.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Talk about a longtime classic – there are more than 100 movie adaptations of the timeless story of Scrooge and his ghosts, ranging from Muppets to Mickey to modern retellings. Do a little research to find the right Christmas Carol for your crew, or compare and contrast a few over the holiday season.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney
The sixth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is a story of a precocious but sweet middle school boy who gets into a pickle during a blizzard and is stuck home with his family trying to figure it out. Disney adapted the book into a Christmas special that has a runtime of about an hour.
A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig
This is the story of Nikolas, who heads north to find his woodcutter father in a land of elves and magic. Nikolas has a reindeer and a mouse who accompany him, which makes things festive, and begs the classic holiday question: Do you believe in magic? There is a film on Netflix.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Florence and Richard Atwater
The book was originally published in 1938 and tells the story of a house painter who acquires a penguin and ends up with 12 penguins. It’s zany, light-hearted and takes place partially in the Arctic. The 2011 movie is another sweet selection for family movie night.
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
This is arguably the most Christmassy of the Harry Potter stories, as it features Harry’s first real Christmas away from the muted childhood of his origin orphan story.
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
The book is a young adult novel and the first of the His Dark Materials series of books. It is a fantasy story of an orphaned girl who lives in a parallel world and must travel to the Arctic to uncover a dark conspiracy involving kidnapped children. It was retold as a movie in 2007.
Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
This is another young adult choice, perfect for the romantic-comedy holiday lover in your family. The book was adapted as a Netflix movie in 2019. Think of it as a more thoughtful and contemporary precursor to Hallmark holiday movies.
Pamela Savage is a freelance writer who loves a good book, and a good movie. She lives in Springfield.
This article appears in Parent Winter 2025.
