It’s never fun to be stuck inside, but engaging books can help you get through the cold winter days. These short story, poetry and comic collections are great for reading at your own pace. Read one or two, or devour the whole book in one sitting!
Salina Yoon’s silly, short comic collections, such as My Kite Is Stuck! and Other Stories, provide lots of laughs. The first story in That's My Book! and Other Stories even has ideas for how to get creative with books—although I do not recommend standing on them!
Thinking about the changing weather? When Green Becomes Tomatoes transitions you gently through each season. Julie Fogliano’s short poems and Julie Morstad’s immersive illustrations invoke all five senses.
Need something interactive? Riddle and joke books help get your sillies out! Andy Griffith’s Killer Koalas From Outer Space is filled with absurdities reminiscent of Shel Silverstein, each enhanced by Terry Denton’s lively yet simple comic illustrations.
We Need Diverse Books’ first anthology, Flying Lessons & Other Stories, focuses on neighbors and hospitality. In a time when we must stay apart but also need community, this collection helps us feel connected. Check out The Hero Next Door as well.
Sticking with the neighborhood theme, each chapter of Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds examines the unique and varied experiences of several kids who attend the same middle school.
Fairy tales can be spooky, but that’s part of their allure! Comic collection Tamamo the Fox Maiden balances funny tales like “From the Journal of the Monkey King,” adapted by Gene Luen Yang, with serious ones like “Hoichi the Earless,” adapted by Nina Matsumoto. Once you’re hooked, try other Cautionary Fables & Fairytales collections.
What are your favorite books for short, gloomy days?
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