Over and Under the Snow

Chronicle Books, 2011

"Over the snow, a flash of fur - a red squirrel disappears down a crack.

"Where did he go?"

"Under the snow," Dad says. "Under the snow is a whole secret kingdom, where the smallest forest animals stay safe and warm. You're skiing over them now.""

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Kate Messner

Messner (1970 -)  began writing children's books while teaching middle school English. She's published more than 50 books for children, as well as two books for teachers: 59 Reasons to Write and Real Revision. 

Over and Under the Snow is the first in a series including

• Over and Under the Pond
• Over and Under the Rainforest
• Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt.

C. S. Neal

Neal's (1978 - ) art and illustrations have been published in Paper, American Illustration, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Real Simple.

Over and Under the Snow was his first children's book commission which received numerous commendations highlighting the simplicity and classic picture book qualities of his art.

Neal authors and illustrates his own series of children's books and continues to create covers for novels and young adult books.

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Book Synopsis

Over and Under the Snow describes the world above and below the snow with a simple clarity children love. As a child skis with her Dad, she discovers there exists below the hushed white world under her skis a world of animals who live through the winter safe and warm.

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Picture book, 44 pages. An introduction to the ways animals survive in winter. Additional resources provided.

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Animals you meet in the book:

• Red Squirrels
• Shrews
• White-tailed Deer
• Deer Mice
• Voles
• Snowshoe Hares
• Bull Frogs
• Beavers
• Red Foxes
• Chipmunks
• Black Bears

Learning Options

Family Read Aloud Time
I look forward to sharing this book with my Little Guy. The illustrations and text are perfect for a toddler who spends time in the snow. And I can imagine him watching for small animals the next time we are outside together.

Classroom Resources
Over and Under the Snow is an excellent addition to classroom resources for use with lessons about animals' winter habitats and biodiversity. It's also a great book to use as a a mentor text for verb choice.

Learning at Home
If you are interested in creating an Author Study Unit for learning at home, Kate Messner is a wonderful choice -- the range of children's books she has written is wide enough to accommodate primary and upper elementary ages.

• The Author Study Toolkit, Reading Rockets
• Kate Messner, Author Study Guide, Chronicle Books

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