Few things make kids happier than snow. Smart authors know that.

In these picture books, there’s plenty of the white stuff, leaving young readers to revel endlessly. So do the characters who find themselves in the middle of it.

“A Really Good Snowman” (Clarion Books, $15) has really good art, which is quite a feat because author-illustrator Daniel J. Mahoney is entirely self-taught. Peopled with animal children, the story about a snowman-building contest will ring a responsive chord in siblings who’ve alternately loved and hated each other.

Mahoney’s world is filled with a range of colors that contrasts the expanses of snow; it is a winter wonderland dotted with purple and electric green. As for the quest for the perfect snowman, it ends up showing that snow can form almost anything, given some ingenuity.

There’s not a bad creation in the lot, and readers will get plenty of pointers as well as the vicarious satisfaction of being in the heat of competition.

In this case, being able to dive in is the biggest reward of all.

Just as much fun is the thought of being made out of snow. “Snowbaby Could Not Sleep” (Megan Tingley Books/Little, Brown and Co., $14.99) presents that proposition in a different kind of bedtime tale.

Imaginatively written by Kara LaReau with charming illustrations by Hallmark-card artist Jim Ishikawa, “Snowbaby” takes bedtime situations and gives them a different twist.

Snowbaby can’t sleep because he’s too hot, so Snowmama gives him an extra blanket – of snow. When he’s thirsty, he gets a cold glass of water – with extra ice. His lullabies – “Winter Wonderland” and “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow.”

When he does doze off, what better ending than “Sleet dreams”?

Here is a rare case when words and art are equally important. The clever narrative is in complete balance with whimsical paintings. The whole thing will send kids to sleep with contented smiles frozen on their faces.

Winter doesn’t stop birds and animals from being hungry, and food miraculously appears “In the Snow” (Greenwillow Books, $15.99). Sharon Phillips Denslow introduces readers to lovable foragers with her musical verses, while Nancy Tafuri creates scenes of blue-tinged white radiance.

Old Man Possum’s prints in the snow alert the red-capped boy, who scatters the seeds that feed many creatures. The season and the snow bring togetherness and compassion, rather than hardship, in this kindly book.

Feathers and fur of many shades contrast with the quiet landscape. There is a warmth and glow that speak of peaceful co-existence, emphasized by softly blanketed ground.

Snow doesn’t always bring a chill. When it’s clean and new, as in these books, it can bring comfort and contentment for those who savor its pleasures.