The Giving Snowman Book Review: A Winter SEL Story About Kindness, Empathy, and Generosity

Paloma Ruiz Olmo
Dec 17, 2025
5 min read

Updated: Jan 4

Winter book review about kindness, empathy and generosity.

Winter is a season that naturally invites conversations about kindness. As the weather grows colder, children notice when others need help — a friend who feels left out, a sibling who needs support, or an animal seeking warmth. These everyday observations create powerful opportunities for social-emotional learning (SEL) and character education.

In our Winter Books for SEL & Character Education series, we continue with The Giving Snowman by Julia Zheng. This gentle winter picture book offers a meaningful way to explore kindness, empathy, generosity, and gratitude in a way young children can truly understand and apply.

What Is The Giving Snowman About?

The Giving Snowman by Julia Zheng is a winter children’s book about a snowman who gives away parts of himself to help woodland animals in need. As winter grows colder, the snowman selflessly responds to others with care, modeling kindness, empathy, and generosity while showing children the importance of noticing and helping those around them.

Because of its simple storytelling and emotional depth, this book is an excellent choice for winter SEL lessons at home, in homeschool environments, and in early childhood classrooms.

Why The Giving Snowman Is Ideal for Winter SEL and Character Education

Winter is a natural time to slow down and focus on connection. The Giving Snowman fits beautifully into this rhythm by modeling kindness through action rather than instruction.

Instead of telling children what kindness should look like, the story shows it unfolding naturally. The snowman notices when others are in need and responds with compassion. This makes the book especially effective for social-emotional learning, as children learn best through observation and meaningful examples.

The story also gently introduces the idea that kindness sometimes requires sacrifice, while still emphasizing the emotional reward of helping others. This balance supports character development by helping children understand generosity in a realistic, age-appropriate way.

Social-Emotional Learning Skills Supported by The Giving Snowman

Empathy and Perspective-Taking

One of the strongest SEL skills developed through this book is empathy. As children listen to the story, they are invited to consider how the animals feel when they are cold, tired, or in need. This encourages children to step outside of their own perspective and think about the experiences of others.

Practicing perspective-taking helps children build stronger relationships, improve communication, and develop compassion — skills that are essential both in childhood and beyond.

Kindness and Generosity

The Giving Snowman models generosity as a heartfelt choice rather than an obligation. The snowman gives because he cares, not because he expects praise or recognition. This distinction is important in character education, as it supports intrinsic motivation — children learn that kindness matters because it helps others feel seen and supported.

Through the story, children begin to understand that even small acts of kindness can make a meaningful difference.

Emotional Resilience and Compassionate Action

The book also introduces the idea that helping others may involve change or letting go, while still remaining emotionally fulfilling. This helps children build emotional resilience and understand that caring for others can coexist with managing their own feelings.

How The Giving Snowman Supports Learning at School

In classroom settings, The Giving Snowman is often used to support winter SEL lessons focused on kindness, empathy, and community. The story naturally encourages calm discussion and reflection, making it well-suited for morning meetings and SEL blocks.

Teachers find that the book supports:

Classroom conversations about helping behaviors
Character education lessons on generosity
Community-building activities
Reflective writing or drawing prompts

Because the tone of the story is gentle and emotionally grounded, it helps regulate classroom energy while reinforcing positive social behaviors.

How The Giving Snowman Supports Families and Homeschool Learning

Parents and homeschool families often use The Giving Snowman as a starting point for values-based conversations at home. The story creates a shared experience that makes it easier to talk about kindness without lectures or pressure.

Families appreciate this book because it:

Encourages meaningful conversations naturally
Supports mixed-age learning
Inspires real-life acts of kindness
Fits well into cozy winter reading routines

It’s an especially powerful read-aloud during the winter months when families are focusing on connection, gratitude, and togetherness.

Kindness in Action

In The Giving Snowman, the snowman represents kindness in action — noticing others and responding with care.

This builds naturally on last book (The Snowy Day), where children practiced slowing down and noticing. Here, children move from noticing to responding, a critical step in social-emotional development.

Winter SEL Activity: The Kindness Snowman

After reading The Giving Snowman, invite children to create a “Kindness Snowman.” Using paper and drawing materials, children draw or assemble a snowman with three sections. Each section represents a way they can show kindness in their own lives.

As children work, encourage them to think about how they show kindness at home, during homeschool activities, or while playing with friends. They can draw pictures, dictate ideas, or write words depending on age and ability.

This activity helps children connect the story to their own experiences while reinforcing empathy, reflection, and prosocial thinking.

Responding to Kindness: An Essential SEL Skill

While many SEL lessons focus on teaching children how to be kind, it is just as important to help them learn how to respond when kindness is given to them. The Giving Snowman naturally supports this skill by showing that acts of care create connection for both the giver and the receiver.

Children may feel grateful, shy, or unsure when someone helps them. Learning how to respond to kindness builds emotional awareness, communication skills, and healthy relationship habits. It also teaches children that accepting kindness is a strength, not a weakness.

Winter SEL Exercise: Practicing How to Respond to Kindness

After reading the story, invite children to reflect on a time when someone helped them. This might be a family member, sibling, friend, or teacher. The goal of this exercise is to help children notice how kindness feels and how they can respond with awareness.

Children can draw a picture of the moment or talk it through with an adult. Model simple language that helps express gratitude and emotions. This practice builds confidence and emotional vocabulary while reinforcing the idea that kindness is a shared experience.

Reflection Questions to Deepen SEL Learning

Reflection helps social-emotional learning stick. After reading The Giving Snowman, invite children to talk or journal using questions such as:

How did the snowman help others in the story?

How do you think the animals felt when they received help?

How does it feel when someone helps you?

What is one kind thing you could do this winter?

Why do you think kindness matters?

Character Education Takeaway

At its heart, The Giving Snowman teaches children that kindness is about noticing others and responding with care. It shows that generosity doesn’t need to be big or perfect — it simply needs to be sincere.

These lessons support long-term character development by helping children grow into compassionate, thoughtful individuals.

Final Thoughts: Why The Giving Snowman Belongs in Your Winter SEL Collection

If you’re continuing a winter SEL unit or snowman-themed learning series, The Giving Snowman is a meaningful next step. It builds on mindfulness and awareness while guiding children toward empathy, generosity, and connection.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, Inspire, Guide & Nurture may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend books and resources we genuinely love and use to support social-emotional learning at home and in classrooms.