Readers comments

`Lyn Lawrence has captured the essence of Language development in children as discovered by Maria Montessori. It is an excellent reference source for teachers as well as parents. The step by step sequence of phonic and sandletters is easy to use .The exercises in the book require little use of expensive learning aids. We use this book frequently in our school in Buckinghamshire. Our set of pupils who have now left to go on to Junior schools, all left with an above average reading age. Lyn follows the essence of Montessori simply,but the spirituality shines through. A good, easily resourced educational book. Thank you Lyn.'

`There is a great need for the Montessori approach to literacy to be more widely known and implemented. Now, at last, we have an effective tool for this in Montessori Read and Write, A Parent's Guide to Early Literacy for Children. This how-to-do-it, step-by-step guide to the Montessori way of promoting early literacy is what we have all been waiting for'.

As a resource book Montessori Read and Write will prove indispensible, not only to parents, but to anyone running a Montessori classroom, because the activities suggested are easy to understand and set up, and do not require any extensive, or expensive investment in specialised equipment. For students, too, this book should be essential reading because of the masterful way in which language development for children is interwoven with a presentation of the Montessori approach and useful references at the end.

With such a storehouse of practical ideas at her disposal, many of which have been included in the book, Mrs Lawrence is to be commended for having the wisdom to focus at length on the underlying factors that predispose pre-school children to develop, not just the ability to read and write, but the desire, the urge to become readers and writers, and to have highlighted the key role that parents must play in assisting this process from birth.'

Maria Montessori is possibly the most important pioneer in the area of child development ever to have lived. She opened the first Childrens' House in Rome in 1907 where she developed her theories and put them into practice. Today, there is a network of Montessori schools around the world. Montossori Read & Write makes the acclaimed methods used in those schools available to all parents who wish to give their child the best possible start on the road to reading and writing. Illustrated in colour throughout, with sections on how human beings acquire language, how to create an environment which gives the best chance for language to flourish, first steps towards reading and writing, learning to write the letters, starting to read with meaning and creative and accurate story writing, the book is full of age-graded games and activities to aid learning, and has a resources section designed to be appropriate for different geographical regions and/or languages. It includes a reading list, resources list and suggestions for scripts. Easy and fun to use, this informative and practical book is essential reading for any parent who wants to ensure the best start for their child.