As with all things Montessori, students begin with the concrete and move to the abstract. When learning geography, students first develop an understanding that the earth is a round globe, made up of land and water. They then manipulate the shape of each continent before addressing its name and location. Montessori: Map Work introduces readers to the seven continents via textured edges to trace with their fingers, modes of transportation between each one for spatial context, and illustrated native animals for relevant and meaningful associations. Young children will absorb the age-appropriate geography and gain a better sense of their place in the world. Praise for Montessori: Map Work "This ingeniously designed book follows the "Montessori way" of teaching children concrete concepts in an accessible way." --School Library Journal

As with all things Montessori, students begin with the concrete and move to the abstract. When learning shapes, Montessori students first develop an understanding of the spatial object in comparison to other shapes and a relevant application for each shape--before learning the names. Inspired by this process, Montessori: Shape Work offers readers die-cut shapes to trace with their fingers, grouped by family for comparison, and illustrated with a familiar object for relevancy. Featured shapes include three triangles (equilateral, isosceles, right-angled); three rounds (circle, oval, ellipse); three parallelograms (square, rectangle, rhombus); and three polygons (pentagon, hexagon, octagon). With a letter to parents included, this third Montessori board book joins Montessori: Letter Work and Montessori: Number Work in a growing library of original concept books.

A uniquely young introduction to the solar system based on the proven Montessori teaching method As with all things Montessori, students begin with the concrete and move to the abstract. Montessori: Planet Work introduces readers to the sun at the center of our solar system before moving outward to the eight planets. Each planet is textured for greater interactivity, and a final gatefold spread gives added spatial context. Young children will absorb the age-appropriate information and gain a better sense of their place in the universe.

These unique board books bring the popular Montessori pedagogy to trade book form for the first time. Using materials and methods common to Montessori classrooms, these interactive board books immerse young children in an aesthetically rich learning experience, while providing parents and caregivers with carefully crafted language to encourage understanding. In Montessori classrooms, students learn to write before they learn to read, so the process is driven by their own words and thoughts before those of others. Letters are taught first as sounds (instead of names), and alphabet tiles encourage children to trace each letter with their fingers. This book honors that tradition by emulating the standard classroom material with touchable, traceable letters and beautiful colors that evoke the elegant simplicity of the Montessori aesthetic. Praise for Montessori: Letter Work "The combination of phonetics and simple retro illustration makes for an excellent entree into pre-literacy." --The Wall Street Journal

These unique board books bring the popular Montessori pedagogy to trade book form for the first time. Using materials and methods common to Montessori classrooms, these interactive board books immerse young children in an aesthetically rich learning experience, while providing parents and caregivers with carefully crafted language to encourage understanding. This book follows the Montessori method by introducing the numbers 1 to 10 first as quantities to count before showing them as numerals. Cumulative red and blue tabs based on the counting rods found in Montessori classrooms help readers conceptualize quantities. Groupings of beautifully stylized illustrations provide objects to count before readers encounter textured numerals to trace with their fingers. Praise for Montessori: Number Work "Nicely illustrated, this tall, distinctive board book is a useful resource for parents and teachers." --Booklist "The combination of phonetics and simple retro illustration makes for an excellent entree into pre-literacy." --The Wall Street Journal

Maria Montessori, 1870-1952, Italian physician and educator.

"Pirates have green teeth when they have any teeth at all. I know about pirates, because one day, when I was at the beach building a sand castle and minding my own business, a pirate ship sailed into view."So proclaims Jeremy Jacob, a boy who joins Captain Braid Beard and his crew in this witty look at the finer points of pirate life by the Caldecott Honor winning illustrator David Shannon and the storyteller Melinda Long. Jeremy learns how to say scurvy dog, sing sea chanteys, and throw food . . . but he also learns that there are no books or good night kisses on board: Pirates don t tuck. A swashbuckling adventure with fantastically silly, richly textured illustrations that suit the story to a T. "

Maps can show you where you are anywhere in the world! A beloved bestseller that helps children discover their place on the planet, now refreshed with new art from Qin Leng. Where are you? Where is your room? Where is your home? Where is your town? This playful introduction to maps shows children how easy it is to find where they live and how they fit in to the larger world. Filled with fun and adorable new illustrations by Qin Leng, this repackage of Me on the Map will show readers how easy it is to find the places they know and love with help from a map.

When quality time is in short supply, this practical parenting book will help you give your child the best possible start in achieving essential skills and developing greater understanding of the world around them. From brushing teeth to growing a sunflower, simple activities with illustrated instructions will help you guide your child in developing and exploring their senses, co-ordination, language skills, numeracy and science interests.

John R. Snyder describes in powerful, deep, and lovely language the philosophy, theory, and practice of his Montessori years. John has developed his work with children and with their parents, with guides and with support staff, and with mentors, consultants, and administrators both at Austin Montessori School and beyond. Through his collected writings--writings for this school, as well as for conferences and professional publications--not only Montessorians but all who care about the lives of children can find a source of information, inspiration, and guidance.