75 Books For Montessori Children - Updated 202007

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75+ Montessori books

for children
s up to 4 years old s

by
The Montessori
Notebook
© The Montessori Notebook
books for Montessori children

ANIMALS

Tell me about the Lots of under water creatures to


Sea by Justine meet in this more advanced
Smith word book.

Dear Zoo by Rod The board book version of this is


Campbell the best as it needs to be strong
to maintain all the lift-the-flap
goodness that the kids love. “I
wrote to the zoo to send me a
pet. They sent me an elephant.
He was too big. I sent him back.”
Find out if they send an animal
that’s just right.
My first pets by DK These DK board books are
perfect Montessori books
because of the realistic pictures
(photos) used and the
vocabulary is nice and detailed.

The very hungry A classic and a must have for


caterpillar by Eric sure.
Carle © The Montessori Notebook
books for Montessori children

ANIMALS
cont.

The very busy We all know the illustrations of


spider by Eric Eric Carle from The Very Hungry
Carle Caterpillar. The board book
version has the spider web
raised off the page to touch and
tells the story of a spider’s busy
day.
1000 animals by So many animals to look at. 1000
Jessica Greenwell of them including mammals,
under water creatures, birds and
more.

Hairy Maclary from One of those books that kids


Donaldson’s Dairy want to read again and again.
by Lynley Dodd This is the first of a series with
realistic pictures of dogs (and
some cats) on adventures. Lovely
rhyming too.
Mijn kleine Clear photos of lots of animals
dierenboek with their names in Dutch
underneath. In Dutch

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

ART

The Big Book of Patterns galore to match and


Art by Hervé Tullet swap. A fun exploration of art for
older toddlers and preschoolers.

A child’s book of I love the way this book displays


art: Great pictures, famous paintings in a way that
first words selected the children love to explore. For
by Lucy example, a page with paintings
Micklethwait (DK) with different weather (sunny,
rainy etc).

The Little This is a gorgeous word book


Rijksmuseum using objects and people from
very famous paintings. In Dutch,
also available in English.

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

Look for books by BIPOC authors and offer representation of all people;
FOR DIVERSITY I recommend socialjusticebooks.org

ND
Antiracist Baby by Gives messages that we see all
Imran X Kendi colours and stand up for justice
for all

Saturday by Oge Spending Saturdays together is


Mora the best

Another by A book without words,


Christian Robinson illustrations of a child and their
cat, and representation of
diversity in other children. A little
whimsical.

Little You by A book of love and acceptance


Richard van Camp

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

Look for books by BIPOC authors and offer representation of all people;
FOR DIVERSITY I recommend socialjusticebooks.org

AND INCLUSION

IntersectionAllies This is a book for older children


by Chelsea 3-6 years with beautiful stories of
Johnson children from all countries, all
backgrounds and all abilities
and how we help each other

Whistle for Willie Also “Snowy day” and “Letter for


by Ezra Jack Keats Amy.” Beautiful everyday stories
with Black children. (Note: Ezra
Jack Keats was not a BIPOC
author but portrays them
beautifully)
Different A beautiful workbook for older
Differenter by Jyoti children about skin colour
Gupta

Recommended for parents:


Anti-Bias Education For Young Children and Ourselves
6
Don’t Look Away: Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

FOR BABIES
7

Global babies Babies from around the world.


Babies love to see pictures of
other babies.

I see by Helen Also “I hear”, “I can”


Oxenbury

Red, Blue, Yellow I love the pictures in this book.


Shoe by Tana So clear and attractive for
Hoban children. First published in 1986
and still a favourite.

Dressing by Helen Simple pictures of a baby


Oxenbury getting dressed. A lovely early
word book. Any book by Helen
Oxenbury is lovely.

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

FOR BABIES
cont. 8

Ten Little Fingers A sweet rhyming stories with


and Ten Little Toes babies of many skin tones
by Mem Fox

Baby Faces by Babies love to look at other


Margaret Miller babies. A lovely simple board
book for babies.

Die is klein by A lovely Dutch word book. Clear


Gottmer pictures with a modern design.
In Dutch

Dieren (Jip en Illustrations from the much loved


Janneke) naar de Jip and Janneke books for this
verhalen van Annie sweet word book. Also available
M.G. Schmidt “Spelen”. In Dutch

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

FIND AND
SEEK

De gele ballon by More magic from Charlotte


Charlotte Dematons. Kids (and adults) love
Dematons to hunt for the yellow balloon on
each page. Every page is
beautifully illustrated. Dutch title
but no words inside.

Nederland by Another book from Charlotte


Charlotte Dematons all about the
Dematons Netherlands. Dutch title but no
words inside.

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

FIND AND
SEEK
cont.

Find the Puppy Which kid does not love finding


(Usborne Find-its) and seek books? This one has a
hidden puppy on every page to
find around the house.

Can you find me? This is a sweet book for finding


by Priddy Bicknell different objects from things
Books about the home to different
things to eat.

10

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

TIMES
OF YEAR

Autumn by Gerda Lovely artwork to depict


Muller activities for each season. No
words allows lots of creativity
when reading.

Wat een winter: You can buy each season


Kijk- en zoekboek separately or in one book. The
by Rotraut Susanne characters in each of the books
Berner repeat and you can follow their
stories through the books. A very
kind gift from a family. In Dutch

11

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

SHAPES
AND COLOURS

Press Here by A book that is totally interactive


Herve Tullet and has your kid pressing the
pages and turning them over to
see what happens. Dots start
changing colour and moving as
you press the dots on each
page. Love this book. I like to
describe this book as “before
there were iPads”.
Colours (Lift-the- A simple introduction to colours
flap DK) with various items of each colour
hidden under flaps.

Baby’s eerste I picked this up at a discount


kleurtjes store and it is just perfect. Clear
pictures focussing on a specific
colour for each page. Also
available “Diertjes”. In Dutch

Montessori shape This series has raised edges so


work by Bobby the children can feel the shapes
and June George at the same time as learning
their names.
© The Montessori Notebook
books for Montessori children

NUMBERS

Bardi counting Beautiful Aboriginal drawings of


book by Lucy animals to help learn counting.
Wildagoo Dann
(currently
unavailable)

Animals to Count Someone passed this book on to


by Brian Wildsmith me and I love the illustrations
and we get to count the animals.
Win:win.

Lift-the-flap Our copy of this book is well


Counting Book worn and the flaps have been
(Usborne) stuck in many times. Lovely
counting book from 1 to 5.

Montessori The numbers are raised so


number work by children can also feel the
Bobby and June numbers as they learn their
George names.

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

STORY
BOOKS

Diary of a wombat A delightful book about the day


by Bruce Whatley in the life of a cheeky wombat.

Waterhole by A fun book about numbers with


Graeme Base a social conscience and
gorgeous illustrations. Watch the
animals come to the waterhole
starting at 10 and down to 1 as
the waterhole shrinks.

Rosie's Hat by Julia Julia Donaldson of “The


Donaldson and Gruffalo” fame is a co-author to
Anna Currey this book about a hat that has a
great stroy to tell. I love all the
details in this book, realistic
pictures and children love it.

Die Koe die in het A classic tale about Hendrika the


Water Viel by cow who ends up going to visit
Phyllis Krasilovsky the market after all. In Dutch

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

STORY
BOOKS
cont.

The Giant Jam How do you solve a wasp


Sandwich by John problem in town? Have a town
Vernon Lord meeting and see what this town
come up with. A very sweet
present we received.

Rosie’s Walk by Pat This is a book that you read over


Hutchins and over again. Very few words
but lots to talk about. And the
sweetest illustrations from the
1970s that never seem to date.

Fred the Firefighter I love this jobs series by


by Jo Litchfield Usborne. Here we follow Fred’s
and Felicity Brooks day. They sit down to eat lunch
when the alarm is raised at the
fire station. Other books in the
series include Tessa the Teacher.

15

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

STORY
BOOKS
cont.

The Windy Day by What happens on a windy day?


Anna Milbourne Let’s find out!
and Elena
Temporin (also
available Sunny
Day)

The Pear in the This is a silly one but a lot of fun.


Pear Tree by John and Jane see a pear in a
Pamela Allen pear tree but can’t reach it.
Delightful.

Karel krijgt een The story follows a family getting


hondje by Liesbet a puppy and looking after him in
Slegers a simple story format. In Dutch

16

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

CHANGES
AT HOME

Moving House Getting your child ready for a


(Usborne First move can be difficult as it is
Experiences) quite an abstract concept for a
young child. This book talks
about a family that is moving,
from packing up their boxes to
meeting the neighbours in their
new house.
There’s a house in Preparing for a new baby? This
mummy’s tummy book is an introduction to help
by Giles Andreae your child prepare. Easy to
understand.

Mama, wat heb je This book is huge and shows the


in je buik? by Abby baby growing inside the mum’s
Cocovini tummy month by month pretty
much to scale. This was a gift to
our school and is still loved. In
Dutch

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

OUR BODIES

Alfie’s Feet by Shirley Hughes has the most


Shirley Hughes beautiful illustrations of kids
doing the most normal things.
“Alfie’s Feet” is one of these
stories. Most enjoyable.

Billen Buikje Benen This book is full of body words,


by Betty Sluyzer simple pictures and some rhyme
and Pauline Oud in the mix too. In Dutch

My first body My children LOVED this book.


board book (DK) They loved to see the other
babies as we’d point and name
all the body parts. A lovely DK
book.

18

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

VEHICLES

Mighty Machines I bought this when my son was 2


by DK (similar Big years old and I needed to learn
Book of Things all the names of the vehicles we
That Go) saw around town. It’s still being
used in my class more than 13
years later. Like an
encyclopaedia for vehicles.

De grote rode bus Oh dear. There is a hole in the


by Judy Hindley road and no one can get
through. This is a fantastic Dutch
book for kids that love all kinds
of vehicles. In Dutch

Little Red Train to The little red train has a whole lot
the Rescue by of crazy things to overcome in
Benedict Blathwayt this sweet book suitbale for an
older toddler/preschooler.
Perfect for train lovers.

Moving blocks by Shapes, vehicles and a peek-a-


Yusuke Yonezu boo combination to find out
which vehicle is being built. If
you appreciate graphic design I
think you’ll like this.
© The Montessori Notebook
books for Montessori children

VEHICLES
cont.

Mijn eerste 100 I have the small version of this


voertuigen board book and it is lovely.
Photos of 100 vehicles with their
correct names - a great
reference book when you are
learning vehicle names. In Dutch

Vervoersdingen Not just vehicles, this is a witty


word book to do with
transportation from the makers
of Amsterdamsdingen. Enjoy! In
Dutch

1000 Things that If you have ever wondered what


go by Sam Taplin different vehicles were called,
then this is the book for you. The
pictures in this series are
beautiful.

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

ABOUT
DAILY LIFE

Sunshine by Jan I mention this book all the time


Ormerod as it is a perfect example of a
book with realistic pictures all
about daily life. The kids LOVE it.
It’s hard to find but worth it.
There is a second in the series
called Moonlight.
Moonlight by Jan This is the second in the series
Ormerod after Sunshine. This time we see
the little girl getting ready for
bed. The illustrations are
timeless and a story all children
can relate to.
Time for bed by A classic rhyming book with
Mem Fox realistic pictures as we tuck all
the animals with their babies into
bed. A perfect bed time
storybook.

21

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

ABOUT
DAILY LIFE
cont.

Tijn in de winkel by Children love to read about Tijn


Betty Sluyzer and going to the shops as it is so
Pauline Oud recognisable from their daily life.
In Dutch

Market Day This series from Usborne is again


(Usborne Farmyard about daily life. I find these
Tales) books so down to earth and
delightful. Also available in this
series “Camping Out”.

Jip en Janneke by This 50 year anniversary edition


Annie M.G. includes many Jip and Janneke
Schmidt en Fiep adventures. Good old fashioned
Westendorp fun. In Dutch, but some stories
are available in English.

22

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

AROUND
THE HOME

Garden (Usborne A word book set in the garden.


Look and Say Lovely vocabulary and attractive
series) pictures too. Also in this series
“The Farm”, “Jobs”.

At Home (Usborne Usborne makes lovely word


very first words) books and this one is no
exception. Kids love to see
things from their daily life in
books.

Een huis om open I love the illustrations in this


te vouwen by Lucie book where the children can find
Brunellière lots of objects around the home.
The book folds open to make a
3D house too. In Dutch

23

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children
OLDER TODDLERS
+ PRESCHOOLERS

Montessori letter This book is a way for children to


work by Bobby explore the tactile sense of
and June George letters as they would with
Montessori sandpaper letters -
not sandpaper but raised and
shiny to help feel the letters as
you sound them out.
The art of clean up: This book is a masterpiece. On
Life made neat and one page you see some
tidy by Ursus washing; the the opposite page,
Wehrli the clothes all hung up in
rainbows. On another page
some alphabet soup; on the
following page, all the letters
lined up in a row. A visual treat
you are sure to enjoy too. A
lovely gift we received.
The Creepy Crawly A simple book for preschoolers
Caterpillar: The to explain the life cycle of a
amazing life cycle butterfly. Easy to read and
of a butterfly (Litle interesting talking points.
explorers)

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

OLDER TODDLERS
+ PRESCHOOLERS
cont.

Surprising Sharks Do you have a shark lover in the


by Nicola Davies house? Learn all about these sea
creatures.

Let’s Look at the You may be lucky to find a copy


Zoo by Night of this one. The pages are
(Torchlight) darkened and you use a white
torch to “visit” all the animals at
night.

25

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children

THE FESTIVE
SEASON

Farmyard Tales This is a lovely lift the flap book


Christmas by for older toddlers all
Heather Amery & preschoolers as the flaps are
Stephen more fragile. The flaps in this
Cartwright book are adorable - my favourite
are the Christmas cards on the
fireplace which you can open
and read.
I Got the Christmas A sweet story about the spirit of
Spirit by  Connie Christmas with beautiful
Schofield-Morrison illustrations

Lola’s Sint by Beautiful handcut illustrations by


Kristina G a Jacaranda Tree Montessori
Langarika parent who couldn’t find a book
about Sinterklaas where her
Black daughter was represented

26

© The Montessori Notebook


books for Montessori children
SOME OF OUR OTHER
DUTCH FAVOURITES

Wat voel ik? By A Dutch book exploring how


Liesbet Slegers things feel - hard, soft etc. Short
easy sentences perfect for
toddlers. In Dutch

Het Grote Billen A book to introduce toileting to


Boek by Guido van your child. It’s a bit silly, but a lot
Genechten of fun too. In Dutch

Poesje Mauw by Sweet illustrations and words to


Mies van Hout popular Dutch children’s songs.
In Dutch

Bijt-ie in je bil! Including a CD with popular


Dutch children’s songs. In Dutch

© The Montessori Notebook

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