We created these books based on what our community said was most important to them. The stories were also informed by research in child development, equity and inclusion, and Montessori principles.
We get to your child's level to understand what they’re curious about, what skills they're ready to build, and what transitions they may need help exploring. We work hard to figure out: What real pictures do they want to see? What does success mean? What physical book features will keep them engaged and learning during storytime? Just like all of our play products, we iterate, edit, and test our stories with families like yours to make sure they're the stories your child will want to read and revisit again and again.
We ask for parent feedback and story ideas to make sure we're creating meaningful stories that your child can relate to and get excited about. We co-created some of our Book Bundle books with families after they reached out to our Co-founder and CEO, Jessica Rolph, about their child's unique story. In many cases, we were able to explore many stories through the lens of relatable transitions —making a new friend, getting a first haircut, or getting ready for school in the morning. We're honored to celebrate our customers' stories with these books.
We work closely with the families in our books, as well as equity and inclusion experts, to make sure we're respectfully representing a range of lived experiences. Our goal is to create books that accurately reflect what each child is experiencing. When children read first-person stories with realistic photos, feelings, experiences, results, and characters, they gain self-esteem from seeing people like themselves reflected, and become more respectful playmates when making new friends.
Montessori philosophy encourages the use of real photos to connect your child with their experiences. While whimsical cartoons can be fun and eye-catching, your child is able to connect the concepts they're learning during storytime to their own life when they can see real children reflected on the pages. We use real photos, and inspiration from real families in our Book Bundles—and all of our books—to bring you and your family a learning experience that's representative, inclusive, meaningful, and so much fun.