Books we love

My dear friend Susan Banon* went through great pains to put together a list of books that she could recommend for families (in English and French). She collaborated with me and other Anglophones/Francophones and together we all came up with the results listed below. Of course, there are so many more books that we could recommend; it would be impossible to give you a finite list. Instead, we just wanted to wet your whistle and get you started.

When choosing books for children under age 6, there are a few key things to keep in mind:

• Search for elegant art. Try to stay away from abstract/disjointed or alarming art and lean towards more realistic, lovely illustrations.
• Find stories with gracious/kind behavior. Characters who are kind to others are good role models for children. The young child is particularly susceptible to representations of what it means to be a human. They don’t judge, they just do what they see everyone around them do. Give them as many examples of wholesome, skillful living as you can.
• Equitably represent the wondrous variety of life on earth. The young child will be interested in books that feature children that look like they do, children that look like the children around them, and children from other parts of the world. Make it a point to regularly present books that feature diverse ethnicities/skin tones, cultures, physical abilities/appearances, homes, meals, farms, etc. All children are wonderful; choose books that demonstrate this truth.
• Follow their interests. If they love horses, head to the library and see if you can find books about farriers, equestrians, and more. Young children also adore field guides! My own son spent hours with the Audubon Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals.

I just want to add a note about the real-world/talking animals debate. Montessorians can be quite strict or quite permissive when it comes to books that feature fantastical characters/concepts and talking animals. The controversy arises from what we know about early childhood development: the young child is just developing their ability to think abstractly (theory of mind). It takes a lot of extra cognitive effort for them to make sense of impossible things (like talking sponges). It appears like they are interested in these ideas because they get 'stuck' on them as they try to make sense of something that makes no sense. While our culture loves to give young children fantasy characters, this actually does not meet the young child’s deeper needs of learning about the real world. Fantasy is wonderful after around age 6, when the child enters fully into the abstract world of the imagination.

At the same time, Winnie the Pooh and Arthur the aardvark are adored by children everywhere. My own daughter read her first words in the book Arthur’s Reading Race (given to her by her grandmother). I think the young child does not see the difference so clearly between a bear/aardvark that is anthropomorphized and an actual human. This is a topic that is ripe for research but for now, if it is beautiful, the story is based in reality, the topic is meaningful/relevant for the young child, and the child is interested in it, I say go for it. Just keep in mind that we are focused on things that could actually happen/be experienced in the real world (like how Arthur navigates school or Winnie the Pooh tries to be a good friend).

Also, if you have younger children, you can find a long list of books specifically for toddlers (and great guidance on all things toddler) on themontessorinotebook.com.

I hope this helps you stack your shelves with treasures! Feel free to add your favorites in the comments below.

English Books

Livres en Français

*Susan lives in Paris and she and I did our AMI primary training together in the bilingual Montreal program. She has worked in Montessori schools in Paris for decades.