Kate Messner — Teacher's Choice Author 2026

Kate Messner is one of roughly one hundred authors whose work was selected by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list — 120 books chosen across four reading stages, from first lap-reads to first chapter books. The selected book was chosen for how precisely it meets children at a real developmental moment. This recognition cannot be bought: no author or publisher paid to appear on our lists, and we take no commission on any book sale.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

About Kate Messner

Kate Messner was a TV news reporter and then spent fifteen years teaching middle school English before writing full time. She has now written over seventy books for children, among them the Over and Under nature picture books.

Also by this author: Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt · Over and Under the Pond · The Brilliant Deep

Official website: katemessner.com

Selected for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list

Over and Under the Snow Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me · True Stories, Big World

Part of The Best Children’s Books by Age, chosen by the teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX.

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We’d be honored if you showcased this recognition. The buttons below copy ready-to-paste HTML for your website — a full award card with the seal, or a simple one-line mention. Edit the wording however you like; it’s your award.

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  <p style="margin:0;font-size:14.5px;line-height:1.55;color:#333;">The Montessori teachers at Creative Minds selected <em>Over and Under the Snow</em> for their 2026 Teacher&rsquo;s Choice list &mdash; <a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/parenting/authors/kate-messner/" style="color:#66853a;font-weight:600;">read their review</a>.</p>
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<p>The Montessori teachers at <a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/parenting/authors/kate-messner/">Creative Minds Montessori</a> selected <em>Over and Under the Snow</em> as one of their 120 Teacher&rsquo;s Choice books for 2026.</p>