Suggested Reading
As parents choosing to give your children the unique opportunities of a Montessori education, you obviously are concerned about the quality of that experience and how you can enhance it.
One of the best and most fundamental ways to help is being as well informed as possible about the Montessori Method. Following is a list of recommended books by and about Montessori that should help in your self-education efforts.
These introductory books on Maria Montessori and Montessori education are compliments of the North American Montessori Teachers Association. Most of these books are available in area public or college libraries; if you have trouble getting a specific one or are interested in related magazine articles or merely have questions about where to begin, please contact the office.
* indicates particularly good introductory works
*Chattin-McNichols, John (1991). The Montessori Controversy. Albany, NY: Delmar. Available from AMS.
Fisher, Dorothy Canfield (1965). Montessori for Parents. Cambridge, Mass.: R. Bentley.
Fisher, Dorothy Canfield (1966). The Montessori Manual for Teachers and Parents. Cambridge, Mass.: Robert Bentley.
* Hainstock, Elizabeth G. (1997) The Essential Montessori: an Introduction to the Woman, the Writings, the Method, and the Movement. New York, N.Y.: Plume.
* Hainstock, Elizabeth G. (1997).Teaching Montessori in the Home: the Pre-school Years. New York: Plume.
Lillard, Paula Polk. (1988).Montessori, a Modern Approach. New York, NY: Schocken.
Lillard, Paula P. (1996). Montessori Today. New York: Random House. Describes Montessori theory and contemporary American Montessori schools serving ages ranging from birth to adulthood.
*Lillard, Paula Polk., and Lynn Lillard Jessen (2003).Montessori from the Start: the Child at Home from Birth to Age Three. New York: Schocken. What parents can do to help their youngest children in the process of self-formation.
Montessori, Maria (1948). To Educate the Human Potential. Madras, India: Kalakshetra Publications. Describes the needs of the elementary-aged child in the process of acquiring culture.
Montessori, Maria (1949). The Absorbent Mind. Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House. Discusses the development of infants and young children from birth to three years. Gives a clear explanation of the basis of Montessori theory and method.
Montessori, Maria (1956). The Child in the Family. Chicago: Henry Regnery. A series of short essays about the child, the family, and the school, with a philosophical emphasis.
Montessori, Maria (1973). From Childhood to Adolescence. New York: Schocken. Discusses the development and education of the child from age seven through adolescence. Includes Dr. Montessori's thoughts on university education.
Standing, E. M. (1998). Maria Montessori, Her Life and Work. New York: Plume. Covers Maria Montessori's life, how she developed Montessori education, its theoretical basis, and the worldwide growth of the Montessori movement.
Advanced Reading List
The following books give more in-depth information about Montessori education.
Kramer, Rita. (1976). Maria Montessori: A Biography. New York: G.P. Putman's Sons.
Montessori, Maria. (1917). The Advanced Montessori Method (Vol. 1: Spontaneous Activity in Education; Vol. 2: The Montessori Elementary Material). New York: Frederick A. Stokes & Co. A collection of essays including both theory and practice at the elementary level.
Montessori, Maria. (1936). The Secret of Childhood. New York: Frederick A. Stokes and Co. An introduction, both practical and theoretical, including observations and insights into the nature of young children.
Montessori, Maria. (1943). Education and Peace. Chicago: Henry Regnery. Essays including lectures from the 6th International Montessori Congress in Copenhagen in 1937.
Montessori, Maria. (1946). Education for a New World. Madras, India: Kalakshetra Publications. A discussion of the role of education in a changing world.
Montessori, Maria. (1948). The Discovery of the Child. Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House. Early writings of Dr. Montessori highlighting the materials and the work of the child.
Montessori, Maria. (1955). The Formation of Man. (first published in the U.S. under the title Childhood Education) New York: New American Library. Dr. Montessori's approach to world literacy.
Montessori, Mario. (1966). The Human Tendencies and Montessori Education. Amsterdam: AMI. A classic essay on the imagination, the natural characteristics of the child, and the integration of human development and history.
Montessori Jr., Mario M. (1977). Education for Human Development: Understanding Montessori. New York: Schocken Books. The ideas of Montessori from a philosophical, psychological, and educational point of view. Foreword by Buckminster Fuller.