Let’s look at the kindergarten teachers’ favorite books for the month of January. Here’s a list of January Kindergarten Books that teachers love to read aloud to their classes.
When it comes to planning January read alouds, many teachers choose books with snow, winter, hibernation and winter animals types of themes. So you’ll see these represented amongst this book list for January.
You are reading: January books for kindergarten
These read-aloud books are recommended by real kindergarten teachers!
here is a list of January’s books for kindergarten:
- gingerbread man
- the mitten
- squirrel new years resolution
- there was an old lady
- sticky the penguin
- snowy day
- the gruffalo
- sneezy the snowman
- the biggest snowman ever
- snowmen at night
- pete the cat snow daze
- the snowman
- snow day!
- the frog gets dressed
- the most perfect snowman
- the hat
- the bear snores
- problems with the trolls
I’ll share affiliate links and more information about each book so you can check it out for yourself.
gingerbread man
The Gingerbread Man is a classic pattern story that grows. It recalls the characters in order as the gingerbread cookie escapes many would-be dessert-eaters.
Although I love this story enough to plan the last two weeks leading up to Christmas around it in our gingerbread adventures, it could easily be read in January.
If you read it, be sure to get a few different versions for comparison purposes. here are my favorite gingerbread man books.
the mitten
The Mitten is a simple but fanciful tale of winter creatures climbing into a newly-knitted mitten to stay warm. It is an easy read aloud and very popular in kindergarten.
Carrie, a kindergarten teacher, recommends reading three different versions:
- jim aylesworth’s mitten
- jan brett’s mitten
- alvin tressselt’s mitten
squirrel new years resolution
If you want to hit on resolutions, then picking up Squirrel’s New Year Resolution is an easy choice. This book is all about learning what a resolution is by leaning into your strengths.
or if you did random acts of kindness in December or want to do it in January, this story would make a great segway.
the old woman who swallowed… books
January is a great time to read and compare books with lots of versions. There Was an Old Lady Who… has so many kinds available. The main character traditionally swallows items that either grow in size or center around a theme until the story reaches a sudden climax and swift ending.
Start with an original: An old lady swallowed a fly and continue with these additional best versions to read.
sticky the penguin
One of my favorite winter characters is Tacky the Penguin. This penguin isn’t quite like the others, and while it looks like he creates mayhem, his uniqueness always turns out to be the reason the day is saved.
See Also: Top 10 Parenting Books for Raising Girls – Modern Parents Messy Kids
there are several books in the tacky the penguin series of books and i think you will fall in love with tacky too after reading one or two in your class. (The Tacky Book and the Winter Games is a great one to read in a year with the Winter Olympics.)
the snowy day
The Snowy Day is by far, the most chosen read-aloud book for kindergarten in January by kindergarten teachers.
The story follows a young boy through deep, deep snow in all the innocent and exploratory ways children innately play in snow.
the gruffalo
The Gruffalo is a soft-hearted tale of a clever mouse who avoids being eaten using his imagination and wit.
There’s also a nice video version on netflix and a companion book called the gruffalo’s child.
sneezy the snowman
Sneezy the Snowman is a perfect read-aloud book for January. Kinders will love how everyone tries to keep the snowman from melting and yet warm at the same time.
This rhyming book has lots of free lesson plan ideas I’ve found to help you get the most out of reading aloud (such as retelling activities).
the biggest snowman ever
While a longer book, The Biggest Snowman Ever is a story about building something greater together than we can do independently.
This is a good read-aloud book for kindergarten.
snowmen at night
Snowmen at Night will peak children’s imaginations as they imagine what snowmen must do during the night in order to be so disheveled (or melty) in the morning.
This rhyming story features many activities related to childhood, such as sledding, playing baseball, and drinking hot chocolate.
pete the snow daze cat
Pete enjoys so many snow days that he begins to miss school and takes matters into his own hands.
pete the cat snow daze is one of those “I can read” books, so the text is a bit boring, but it’s still a fun book and makes for a quick read aloud.
if you love pete the cat, you might also want to check out these free pete the cat lesson plans.
the snowman
The Snowman is a beautiful, wordless picture book. It is a classic story by Raymond Briggs.
See Also: Winning Picture Books about the Winter Olympics
or take this book in another direction after reading it and show the corresponding video. it’s just beautiful music and the animated version of this book.
snow day!
When it comes to wanting a snow day, no one really wants one quite like the teacher. Snow Day! by Lester Laminack dives into what life on a snow day can be like which is perfect if you live a location that doesn’t get any snow.
the frog gets dressed
Getting dressed for winter weather at recess can make any teacher a little crazy.
the frog gets dressed is a fun read aloud that talks about all the things we have to put on before going out to play in the snow.
the most perfect snowman
The Most Perfect Snowman is a sweet story of an unfinished snowman named Drift who is treated differently until three children come along and gift him their winter gear. The snowman, in turn, gives them away to someone in need realizing what’s most important.
Try this book, you’ll love it.
the hat
The Hat is a simple story about a hedgehog who finds and accidentally ends up wearing a sock. Hedgie plays it off as a hat to all of the farm animal on-lookers only to feel as if they are laughing at him… Little does he know what all of the animals are really thinking about wearing something warm.
snoring bear
If you want to touch on hibernation, Bear Snores On is a sweet book to read in kindergarten. This rhyming pattern book will make your students fall in love with all of the forest creatures from the bear books series.
Also, there are more bear books worth reading in January, like Bear Says Thank You, Bear’s Loose Tooth, Bear Wants More, and Bear’s New Friend.
problems with trolls
Trouble With Trolls takes place in a wintery setting and features a clever girl who must figure out a way to avoid losing her dog and winter gear to a bunch of troublesome trolls.
students will enjoy the gentle tension and cunning of this beautifully put together story.
let’s finish
there you have it: stories ready to read aloud in your class in January. check your library or youtube if you need to snag a quick book. I hope this list of kindergarten books is helpful.
thanks to all the kindergarten teachers who chimed in to share their favorites on the kindergartenworks facebook page!
if you have snow on your brain, you might want to check out these 5 clever kindergarten activities from sneezy the snowman.
Or you might want to show a few of these January videos for kindergarten.
More Kindergarten Ideas and Activities
- 13 free ideas for the 100th day of kindergarten
- 22 fun winter themed activities for the kindergarten classroom
- frozen themed number compositing game for kindergarten
- 7 winter clothing tips that will save your teacher’s sanity
If you like what I do here at kindergartenworks, then be sure to subscribe today. I look forward to sharing ideas with you on a weekly basis.
See Also: 11 Earth Day Books Your Class Will Love – Natalie Lynn Kindergarten