30+ Best Kids Books to Read in January
Reading great books is the best way to help our children succeed in all kinds of ways. Beautiful picture books help young children develop print awareness and fall in love with reading while feeding their imaginations. Reading great books aloud to kids of all ages or giving our older kids the best books to read independently can help them develop a strong vocabulary, become great writers, and learn about anything!
But how do you know which books to choose? The library is filled with books and you can find a book about anything on Amazon, but which books are the best? How can you choose books your child will love and learn from too?
My favorite tip is to follow their lead. Don’t be afraid to let older kids choose picture books, don’t discourage little ones from encyclopedias, and give graphic novels a chance. Let them explore and choose whatever piques their interest. For even more amazing books, check out this list of 30 kids’ books to read in January.
Best Books For Each Month Of The Year!
We love reading aloud and reading independently in our homeschool. Our favorites are beautiful picture books and books in a series that give us a chance to dive into another world and truly get to know the characters. Our love of reading awesome books each month led to this new idea to create a book list for every month of the year.
This book list is filled with ideas families can use to foster a stronger connection, fall in love with reading, encourage imagination, and get cozy this January! If you’re looking for something fun and hygge to do when it’s too chilly to go outdoors, check out some of these great books from your local library or get a copy at the bookstore for your shelves at home.
30 Best Kids Books To Read In January
This themed book list has books for all the awesome holidays and events you may encounter during the month. You’ll find picture books, early readers, chapter books, and graphic novels to explore with your child this January. Get ready to discover the best 30 kids’ books of January!
Baboushka and the Three Kings
On January 6, many people around the world celebrate Epiphany or Three Kings Day. This celebration marks the day it is believed that the three wise men reached baby Jesus in the Epiphany story. Baboushka and the Three Kings by Ruth Robbins and Nicolas Sidjakov tells the Russian folktale of an elderly woman who is visited by the kings on their journey.
Freedom Soup
Did you know January is officially soup month? Join in the fun with a book that celebrates the New Year’s traditions of Haitian families all over the world. The book Freedom Soup by Tami Charles is a wonderful way to explore other cultures and their traditions as a little girl named Belle learns how to make her family’s special soup.
Katy and the Big Snow Plow
Katy and the Big Snow Plow is a classic written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton. This Caldecott medal-winning book tells the story of a snowplow named Katy who finally gets her chance to shine. As a blizzard blankets the city, she comes to the rescue, digging everyone out.
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub
January 8th is National Bubble Bath Day, a fun and whacky holiday to celebrate with your kids. Enjoy this beautiful and wonderfully silly book by Audrey Wood. In this rhyming story, the king of all the land refuses to take a bath despite the efforts of all his family and friends. Your children will love the Caldecott award-winning illustrations and musical lines in the book!
Over and Under the Snow
Part of Kate Messner’s Over and Under series, Over and Under the Snow tells the story of what happens in the secret world of squirrels, bears, and other hibernating animals. It’s an enchanting and educational non-fiction book that’s perfect for elementary science this January.
Owl Moon
This picture book will always be a favorite! Your family will love the beautiful story told in Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. It’s a gentle and poetic tale about what happens one winter night when a girl and her dad go bowling. The world is silent and they connect without words with a shared hope that’s inspiring for all of us.
P. Bear’s New Year’s Party
P. Bear’s New Year’s Party by Paul Own Lewis might be the most adorable counting book yet! This book is perfect for reading aloud on New Year’s Eve. Kids will love counting along with the polar bear and his friends as they arrive in varying numbers throughout the night.
Shante Keys and the New Year’s Peas
In the South, black-eyed peas are a New Year’s tradition! What happens when Shante’s grandmother forgets to make the famous peas? She resolves to make them herself in this adorable book about family traditions by Gail Piernas-Davenport.
Sleuth & Solve Books
Did you know January is also brainteaser month? Sleuth & Solve books are some of our favorite brainteasing books! Whether you get the “mind-twisting mysteries,” history mysteries, or science mysteries, your kids will love solving the riddles and mysteries hidden in these pages.
Snowflake Bentley
In many parts of the country, January means snow is coming. This January, explore the unique beauty and the science behind snowflakes with Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. The book tells the story of Wilson Bentley, an American meteorologist and photographer, who was the first known person to take detailed photographs of snowflakes and record their features.
Stone Soup
Since it’s soup month, don’t miss the chance to read Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. This classic picture book tells the story of three hungry soldiers who convince a French village to share their food in a battle of wits involving magical soup! It’s a story that children of all ages will enjoy and remember for years to come.
The Last Slice: A Three Kings Day Treat
Explore Three Kings Day traditions around the world with The Last Slice: A Three Kings Day Treat by Melissa Seron Richardson. Kids will love reading about Marta and all the sneaky ways she tries to ensure she finds the hidden baby Jesus in the Rosca de Reyes cake. Until her fear of accidentally swallowing the tiny figure becomes too great and she does whatever it takes to avoid the last slice.
The Last Straw
Another beautiful Epiphany story to share with your children is Fredrick Thury’s The Last Straw. This unique book tells the story of the camel, Hoshmakaka, who carried all the gifts to Jesus in the nativity story. Children will love the beautiful illustrations on every page and the repetitive lines that make it easy for them to follow along and memorize all of Hoshmakaka’s responses.
The Mitten
This charming book by Jan Brett will quickly become a favorite with your little ones! The Mitten tells the story of woodland animals who work together to return a little girl’s lost mitten. One by one, the animals find it and crawl in and what happens next makes for a wonderfully funny ending!
The Snowflake Sisters
This book is perfect for homeschool families that want to add more poetry to their January lessons. The Snowflake Sisters by J. Patrick Lewis tells the story of two snowflakes, Crystal and Ivory, traveling through New York City together. The lines are a nod to T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, which will appeal to older readers and parents.
The Snowy Day
Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day is a classic picture book that will appeal to readers of all ages as they enjoy watching the main character play in the snow and imagine their own snowy adventures. It’s the perfect picture book to cozy up with on a chilly January day.
The Wise Men Who Found Christmas
Not much is known about the wise men who visited Jesus in the nativity story but that all changes in this picture book by Raymond Arroyo. The Wise Men Who Found Jesus tells the story of Melchior, Balthazar, and Caspar, the three kings who made the long journey following the stars. Each man is different and brings a different special gift in this unique Epiphany story that’s perfect for reading on January 6th.
This Is the Dream
The third Monday in January is Martin Luther King Day, a day to remember and celebrate Dr. King, his accomplishments, and his beautiful dream. This January, remember Martin Luther King Day in your homeschool by sharing This Is the Dream by Diane Z Shore and Jessica Alexander. It’s a beautiful book to explore with homeschoolers as you begin to talk about the Civil Rights Era and the work of Dr. King.
When Martin Luther King Jr. Wore Roller Skates
Younger readers will enjoy When Martin Luther King Jr. Wore Roller Skates by Mark Weakland. This fun picture book makes Dr. King accessible to young children by sharing what he was like as a child who went roller skating and played sports. Reading books about heroes like Martin Luther King as a child can inspire our children to achieve greatness and help them to see historical figures as real people.
Wolf in the Snow
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell is a Caldecott-winning book about what happens when a girl and a wolf cub get lost in the snow and find each other. This winter book will inspire your child’s imagination and warm your heart as these two journey home together.
Adventures of South Pole Pig: A Novel of Snow and Courage
If you’re searching for a January chapter book that’s perfect for more advanced readers or can be used as a read aloud, definitely check out Adventures of South Pole Pig: A Novel of Snow and Courage by Christ Krutz. In this book, Flora, a dreaming pig, leaves the farm and travels to Antarctica. She survives a shipwreck and a cook who wants to turn her into bacon in this hilarious adventure that will have your kids in giggles!
Breadcrumbs
Anne Ursu’s Breadcrumbs is another beautiful chapter book to read with your kids this January. The winner of numerous awards, this story about growing up is a modern-day fairy tale that begins with two friends, Jack and Hazel.
Jack disappears into the woods with a mysterious ice woman and Hazel must save him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” Breadcrumbs is a fairy tale of modern-day America, filled with fantasy, heartbreak, and friendship.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl is one of our favorite authors! In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dahl tells the story of a boy named Charlie who finds a golden ticket that transports him and his grandfather to a wonderful chocolate factory with an eccentric chocolatier, Willy Wonka. With colorful characters, important lessons, and lots of magic, the story of Charlie and Willy Wonka will quickly become a favorite with your whole family.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
January 20th is Penguin Awareness Day and it’s the perfect day to begin reading Mr. Popper’s Penguins. It’s a classic tale about some very talented penguins and their eccentric owner written by Richard and Florence Atwater. Your kids will get the giggles reading about all their crazy antics and Mr. Popper, the painter who loves them.
The Family Under the Bridge
The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage is an important book for older children. This heartwarming chapter book tells the story of Armand, an old man living on the streets of Paris. He is always alone, doing odd jobs or begging to stay warm until he finds three orphans in his favorite spot under a bridge.
Armand begins caring for the children and gets help from some surprising characters. It’s a beautiful story about how family can sometimes be found in the most unlikely places.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Join the Pevensie children on an adventure in a snowy wonderland with a brave lion, a cast of talking animals, and an evil snow queen. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis is a magical fantasy that comes to life when four children find a hidden world inside a wardrobe.
A Goofy Guide to Penguins
How do you feel about graphic novels? They’re excellent for reluctant readers and tons of fun! A great graphic novel can give kids variety and choice as they begin to fall in love with reading.
Graphic novels build literacy skills by teaching kids about important elements like setting, plot, characters, themes, and conflicts. Readers need to make inferences with context clues and understand the nuances hidden in the illustrations, but they also need to follow the text that doesn’t always match the illustrations. They’re amazing for helping kids build reading comprehension skills.
Graphic novels aren’t always comic books either. Check out A Goofy Guide to Penguins by Jean-Luc and Philippe Coudray. With all sorts of comedy and questions that are both real and silly, this book explores the South Pole’s silliest birds just in time for Penguin Awareness Day.
Bird and Squirrel on Ice
Another great graphic novel is Bird and Squirrel on Ice by James Burks. The second in a series, this book tells the story of two characters, Bird and Squirrel, who crash land at the South Pole during a blizzard. They narrowly escape being fed to a killer whale and come up with a crazy plan to escape in this hilarious graphic novel.
Dragon Kingdom: The Coldfire Curse
We love books that come in a series because they give us a chance to keep the story going and spend more time diving deep into our imaginations with characters and worlds that just keep going. The Coldfire Curse is the second in the Dragon Kingdom series by Jordan Quinn. It’s a graphic novel about a pet dragon who must venture out into the world to save his kingdom.
I Survived the Wellington Avalanche
The I Survived Series is one of our favorites! These books are great for exploring important events in history with kids. You can get these books by Lauren Tarshis in chapter book format or as graphic novels. I Survived the Wellington Avalanche tells the story of the 1910 Avalanche from the perspective of a little girl who survived the tragedy.
More January Learning Activities
Want more January learning activities and fun for your kiddos? Check out my free January Homeschool Printables. These activities are absolutely free and easy to add to any lesson plan, take carschooling, or enjoy together on a cold January day.
They include arctic animal color by number pages, beautiful paper snowflake templates, and fun hats for New Year’s Eve. Plus, you’ll get my Wilson Bentley unit study and a bundle of New Year’s printables to keep your child’s mind busy all month long!
Do you have a favorite book to read in January that I forgot to mention? Share your favorites in the comments. Emily and I would love to read them too!