Dorothy Kunhardt
Recognized in the Creative Minds Montessori 2026 Teacher’s Choice list.
Dorothy Kunhardt 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.
About Dorothy Kunhardt
Dorothy Kunhardt (1901–1979) invented the interactive baby book. Pat the Bunny (1940) — with its fur to pat, mirror to find, and flowers to sniff — was decades ahead of its time and remains one of the best-selling children's books ever.
She made the original prototype by hand for her youngest daughter Edith, cutting and pasting the touchable pieces herself; publishers initially had no idea what shelf such an object belonged on.
Also by this author: Pat the Cat · Tickle the Pig
Official legacy site: www.gordonparksfoundation.org/archives/dorothy-kunhardt
Selected for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list
Part of The Best Children’s Books by Age, chosen by the teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX.