The Secret of Childhood

A bit difficult writing style, heavy reading but massive knowledge as well. Maria Montessori was a pioneer in children education/raising/learning and nowadays science (brain development) is proving her right from every aspect. This is one of her late works, so you will find most of her thoughts in there, but in a way more holistic and generic. All her knowledge is derived from hands-on experience, so consider reading it slowly to grasp all meanings. Ok, Montessori is a bit difficult on working at home (try a good school for better support), but consider and implement some aspects of it and you will soon discover a new child. It is also more generalized, but I think that is the best way to master the genius behind the specific details of her educational system. Tons of books on the subject (many of them really good), but this is her own work and it is well worth reading material for every parent not only those interested in montessori. Try it...

I find Dr. Montessori to be a very interesting person. Being she studied her work years ago, well before attention was given to the child, this book was very amazing to me. I enjoyed reading her perspective on children and observing how life has changed so much. I think for me, one of my favorite parts of her writing is she did not have to be politically correct. Montessori wrote what she felt and observed. The rest is up to the reader. I will point out this is a dry read. One based off of facts and and observations. Overall I did learn a lot of Maria Montessori. I know it has changed my outlook on children and will influenced the way I go about education. A long difficult read, but one well worth it.

Maria Montessori wrote a lot of books but a few really stand out. This book is one of them. In the past the old pholosophy of child rearing was children were to be seen not heard. Well, when she opened her first school in Italy calle the "Casa de Bambini" she used her medical training to observe the children and came to many life changing discoveries of the secret inner life of children which are true today as it was when she fist discovered them. For a first time parent to their second child to a budding teacher, this book is a must read.

If you have the option to read this edition or none, then this is definitely worth it. But if given the choice between this translation and the one formally published by the Kaleshetra (I don't think that's spelled correctly) company, this is definitely a more watered-down version. Montessori was a very powerful voice, and this is a bit "softer".

I wish I'd read this before my child was born. Maria Montessori was so far ahead of her time it is astounding. There are no words to describe how timely and important for you to read this book. It has changed the way I see myself, my child and the world. It is in my Top 3 for life changing books. You must get this book and read it. You will not be disappointed and you will come away from this book with a fresh appreciation and perspective of children and why the Montessori method is so timely right now and why it will ALWAYS be :)

If you care about the life of children, or you are an educator, or a parent of little ones, you owe it to yourself to know about Maria Montessori. She pioneered early childhood education in the late 1800s. She was Italy's first female MD. She discovered then what we know scientifically now: that children do most of their key development from birth through age 5. And that sets the foundation for learning and success for the rest of their lives. I went to a Montessori preschool and my mom had early learning materials at home. I could read and do my times tables before I started kindergarten. I'm not unique; I just had the right experience. It's a small book and a fascinating read. This is just one of several she wrote. Clearly, I'm a fan :o)

This book is full of insightful gems. Every parent should have a copy of this in their library. I feel like I have a much deeper understanding of my children.

As a retired educator, I'm often asked about the history of Maria Montessori. This wonderful woman brought innovative educational studies to young students who loved exploring them in their classrooms. She was a pre-setter to John Dewey, Father of the precept, "Learn by doing!". This book was a primer to be read to a young child perhaps about to attend a Montessori School.

The print is really bad! I don't know why but the pages are all gray?! It looks like if someone had copy and paste the text and forgot to "un-do" the marking. This does not only wastes a lot of ink but it is very difficult for the eyes to read of gray paper.

Ho letto diversi titoli dell'autrice, e mi sono sempre piaciuti. Ma quando oggi ho ricevuto la copia brossura di questo titolo, che delusione nello scoprire che la prima pagina... è la 75! Solo dopo pagina 122 trovo finalmente il frontespizio, l'indice, la prefazione, ecc. Questi disguidi segnano un punto a favore delle librerie tradizionali. I read and appreciate several Montessori books. I just received today this printed version, and how sad to find out it starts from... page 75! Only after page 122 I finally have contents, preface, etc. This kind of mistake score points in favour of traditional bookstores.

The book is exactly as it looks in the picture, it is good reading. Only the cover is soft / but I have covered it to not damage further.

The copy of this book is of poor quality. The writing on the back is not straight, the print is a little blurry with thin pages that you can see the writing on the other side of the page and their is a piece of gold tape stuck on the back that says "original". Besides the poor quality version, the book is a difficult read. I presume it is accurately copied from the original but who knows?!

If you are studying to become a Montessori educator or just want to really deepen your knowledge of what Montessori is, then this book is indispensable. Though dense, it gives such insight into a child and education that you can't help wanting to learn more.