Work together with Montessori parents, teachers and students–

Let's create a Montessori ABC book for all ages.

The Montessori method has inspired profound changes in schools around the world. How can we best describe it to children and parents who haven't experienced a Montessori classroom firsthand? What makes Montessori parents believe it's the best educational method around?

Share your Montessori experience with this new book.

We welcome your insight. You and your children can join in our book's design, writing and illustration process. Input from Montessori teachers, staff, parents and students are shaping the Montessori ABC book.

With information for all ages, from adults to high school and middle school students through elementary, and lush illustrations to engage preschoolers down to the youngest parent/infant Montessorian–this book is the perfect way to share your enthusiasm. You'll be able to share the published book with your children, family, friends–anyone curious about why you choose Montessori for yourself and your child.

Crowdsourcing: an integral part of our creative process

Drawing inspiration from the cooperative, collaborative nature of the Montessori classroom, children's book author/illustrator team Judy MacDonald & Michael Hays are gleaning ideas from teachers, staff and parents at their own children's Montessori School and have begun gathering input from the wider Montessori community.

Our book will feature Montessori keywords and concepts identified in brainstorming sessions with teachers, parents and students. We've already gathered lots of keywords! You can participate in our quest. For each letter of the alphabet the final book will feature a few top keyword concepts which best describe the Montessori experience. Offer your own additional editorial choices of words and their descriptions. Tell us about your favorite concepts and which ones deserve special emphasis. If you help out with editorial, design or art content, you'll get a credit in the published book.

Fundraising for your school with every contribution to our project.

Check out the Montessori ABC perks below. Each donates a portion of your Montessori ABC contribution to your local Montessori school. Just select your school from the interactive contribution form. To add a new Montessori school to our form, email us. You'll find lots more information about each sponsorship level by clicking the links to the right (or below). We have an option for every budget.

• Montessori ABC Poster $10 / $20 / $30
• Become a member. Subscribe to updates of the creative process. $35
• Montessori ABC Flashcards $40
• Signed hard cover first edition Montessori ABC book $50
• Credit in book as a sponsor of an alphabet letter, A-Z $100
• Student illustration featured in book $500
• Original Montessori ABC pencil thumbnail drawing $50 / $100
• Original Montessori ABC pencil drawing $200 / $300
• Original Montessori ABC full color published artwork $600 / $1200
• Montessori ABC Poster Original Art $1500
• Portrait in book plus own original painting $1500 / $2000

More ways to participate

We're inviting kids and teachers to present selected Montessori "works" as we gather visual inspiration for each page of the book. We'll photograph students in classroom settings as reference images for the process of painting the book's illustrations.

A few select students can produce small pieces of finished art which will appear in the book. They must qualify by submitting portfolio samples and also be willing to take art direction, just like a professional illustrator.

If you'd like your child to appear in one of the book's illustrations and you want this painting to be a portrait of your child, we offer a special sponsorship. We will work closely with you to chose the page in which you want your child to appear and review sketches as well as the finished art to make sure you are satisfied. Plus you will own the original full color painting!

Book illustrators Judy and Michael have a lot of work ahead.

Creating the final full color artwork will involve hundreds and hundreds of hours in the art studio and that's after hours spent developing the visual concepts and staging and photographing reference for the images of children and Montessori materials appearing in the book. Target date for publication is December 2017.

Our publishing imprint

Our first edition will be published under our imprint, Painted Pony Books, with printing by Blurb.com.

We can get greater sales and distribution by partnering with a publisher with a track record serving the Montessori school market. We will follow leads and offer the best prospective Montessori publisher an opportunity to include our Montessori ABC book on their list.

If you have a favorite Montessori publisher, feel free to recommend them!

–Judy MacDonald and Michael Hays