Interesting person in history. Great illustrations to go with the story of the person. Good read with kids.

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

This was another in a series of which I've read and reviewed several, nearly all of them positively. This is about a woman who brought a fresh perspective to education, starting with children who had some sort of mental impairment. Back in her day (her real work began at the turn of the century) these children were not well-cared-for and were written-off in terms of assessing their capabilities and futures. Montessori changed this and showed that with the right stimuli, these children had capacity far beyond what they were typically consigned to in life.

The book doesn't cover everything. Notably missing is Montessori's own child which she had 'out of wedlock' as it used to be called. She chose to remain a single mom because had she married the father, she would have been expected to give up her work, which she refused to do. Is this something that very young children need to know? I guess that's up to the parent/guardian and what they think their child can handle, but it's not necessary to include it in a book like this, although her son did end-up assisting her in her work when he grew older.

The book was informative, well-illustrated, and told a good - and true! - story. I commend it as a worthy read.

I love this series! It's wonderful the topics you can further your knowledge on through this series of picture books! I've always seen Montessori schools around and never really known much about them, let alone that they were founded by a woman!

Since this is a picture book it does not overwhelm the reader with facts about Maria Montessori but instead highlights key events in her life: how she worked with the disabled and was the first woman to go to medical school in Italy! (Go Maria!)

This picture book uses wonderful illustrations to showcase a brief but wonderful insight in to Maria Montessori's life that should easily engage young children.


Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

*The little bio in my copy of this book is actually about Muhammad Ali not Maria Montessori but I'm sure that'll be fixed prior to publication.

I love "Maria Montessori" from the Little People, Big Dreams series. As expected, wonderful illustrations with an interesting Montessori's mini bio for children. This is probably one of the easier reads in this series for little kids as they could easily relate themselves to the text- using fun and innovative ways to learn.

I don't know what happened here, but this book is pretty weak. Some of the issues may stem from it being an ARC (there's some text on one of the pages that appears pretty random, and it's placed where it's almost unreadable... and the biographical information at the back is about Muhammad Ali!), but there are some issues with the writing itself (which could be translation problems) and I really wasn't a fan of the illustrations.

While I like the idea of this series, I've only really liked one of the three books I've read in it so far. Maybe these just aren't for me.

I love this series, and the latest installment is just as good as expected. My favorite thing about this series is how attractive it is . . . colorful and well-designed in a way that makes non-fiction appealing. Absolutely beautiful illustrations and great factual basis (esp. with inclusion of timeline in backmatter) for children.

Little People, Big Dreams is a fantastic children's book series that features some pretty awesome people from history for our kids to look up to. I like that this book in the series highlighted Maria Montessori, one of the biggest innovators in early childhood education. The book introduces kids to Maria Montessori's life and how she came to work in the field of education. I think many kids who have a tough time in a traditional school setting sitting still and writing all day would be inspired by Montessori's story and how she thought learning should be hands on. I recommend this book to any kid. These are stories that need to be heard.

What a beautiful addition to the My First Little People, Big Dreams series. I had no knowledge about the origins of Montessori schools and was delighted to find out they were started by a woman. Because this is a children's board book, there isn't a lot of space to shove a ton of information in, but there was a good amount on Maria Montessori and of course, beautiful artwork.

‘The children of today are the makers of tomorrow’
Maria Montessori has a special place in my heart, so I was very happy to see this new title in the ‘Little people, big dreams’ series. The book gives a condensed and accessible account of Maria Montessori’s life. She was born into the world where school activities were dull, with a lot of rota learning and little place for discovery and creativity. Maria also had to break a few barriers in becoming the first woman in Italy to study medicine. She cared so passionately about the disabled children she worked with, that she developed a new method to help them reach their full potential. A lot of her ideas of how to help children grow into ‘free, curious and responsible human beings’ have found their way into mainstream pre-school and school education.
I believe this is a great addition to the series, as this informative and beautifully illustrated (albeit in its special quirky style) book gives young readers an opportunity to read about a great role-model, somebody whose hard workd and dedication changed a lot of lives.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing group for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

When I was younger, I went to a Montessori school, so I thought I was familiar with the Montessori technique. Although I did know about the method, I certainly knew very little about the woman who developed it.

Maria Montessori, a new board book in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series offers a condensed biography of this pioneering educator designed to be read aloud to babies and toddlers.

Although Maria loved to learn, she thought school was boring and made up games to enliven lessons. She was the only girl in an all-boys technical institute, and the first woman in Italy to study medicine. At times, she was segregated from the male students and had to study cadavers alone. In her first job, working at a hospital for disabled children, she changed the approach to treatment with wondrous effects. She realized her methods would work for all children, and she opened a school. Maria taught her technique all over the world, helping make learning more fun and developing thoughtful learners and critical thinkers. Vegara’s story doesn’t just capture Maria’s life but holds out a promise of what we all can be.

Martín’s illustrations are fabulous, colorful and vibrant, and they reflect gender, race, and ethnic diversity.

Both young readers and the people who read to them will learn from and enjoy this interesting biography of Maria Montessori, and it would be a great addition to any child’s home library.

Maria Montessori is a new entry in the Little People, Big Dreams series of historical biographies of the childhoods and lives of notable people. I've reviewed a number of the books in this charming series on my blog. This one, about Maria Montessori, introduced me to some facts of which I was previously unaware.

Due out 7th March 2019 from Quarto on their Frances Lincoln imprint, it's 32 pages and available in hardback format.

This is a lovely tribute to a woman who was educated as a medical doctor (the first woman doctor educated in modern times in Italy) and who used her abilities and observational skills to serve some of the most vulnerable children in her society. Considered disposable by her society at the time, she recognized that everyone could be educated and used her skills to make learning fun for the marginalized and institutionalized children of Italy, and later the world.

The text by Isabel Vegara is simple enough to be understood by very young children. The art, by Raquel Martin is colorful and appealing and illustrates the text very well.

Very well done book and a lovely and worthwhile series. It would make a great bedtime read or a reading circle or classroom read for young readers. There's also and included bibliography (not included in the galley proofs) for further reading.

Four stars.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The ‘My First Little People, Big Dreams’ series provides informative and inspirational biographies about people who left a mark on this earth, no matter what difficulties they have encountered.
These stories are very short, but that’s because they’re books for children, so it’s totally understandable.
I think they are a very smart and wonderful way to introduce little children to such important figures.
This one is about Maria Montessori, an incredible and amazing woman: in a time when the world was ruled by men, she stood up for herself and became the first woman in Italy to study medicine.
Maria developped a revolutionary educational method in order to help children learn. This method is now used everywhere.
This little book is an adorable way for children to learn about some of the educational methods they use.

Thanks NetGalley for the review copy. I learned a lot about Maria and her life in Italy. She had a wonderful impact on education.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for a copy.

Maria Montessori is one of my favorite humans. Her passion for student learning has been a great inspiration to me. This book does her justice! With beautiful illustrations, Maria's passion can be made known and understood by young readers.

Another wonderful book to promote growth mindset and perseverance. I'd love to read all in this series!!

An interesting and thought-provoking look at one of the world's more innovative and resourceful teachers. Great job!

This is another inspiring entry in the Little People, Big Dreams series. This time the story is about young Maria who was intelligent but found school to be boring when she was young; as a result, she made up games to make her education more fun.

Maria grew up and became the first Italian woman to go to medical school. She combined her medical and educational backgrounds to help some neglected children in the hospital to learn. We adults know that her child centered methods were subsequently embraced the world over.

Young readers who are just starting school will get a sense of how important good teaching is and how it leads to good learning. Hopefully this will encourage them to love their school experience.

As always, the illustrations enhance the story. There are additional facts, photos and resources at the end of the book. (note: they did not come out on the galley)

I would give this an A plus. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions are my own.

These books are fantastic for use in a classroom or homeschool setting. They give enough information to pique the interest of young readers into exploring a person further. I use these books to introduce people to my 4 year old and we read more in depth on the people she finds particularly interesting. As always, I love the illustrations and concept.

Another absolutely charming addition to the Little People, BIG DREAMS range.

Maria Montessori was the first woman to study medicine in Italy, I had no idea ! I’m sure nearly every one has heard of Montessori schools but her background was unknown to me, so while this is a children’s book it’s full of information using simple language and such beautiful naive illustrations, it’s educational too. It will appeal to all ages and as the book says “for the children of today are the makers of tomorrow “.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review

I wanted to read this book because I am a Montessori teacher. I love the fun way this book introduces the life of Maria Montessori to students who may not know about her life or her teaching methods. I could see my classroom children wanting to read this book over and over again.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing group for an advanced reader copy!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange of my honest review *
I truly loved this one ! I was always fascinated by Maria Montessori and I guess this book is introducing her sooo well ! Definitely a book I would have loved to read as a kid !