160 pp. with 286 illustrations, including 93 in color. Additional text by Harald Ludwig, Peter Hahn, Ingeborg Waldschmidt. The Italian doctor and educationalist Maria Montessori respected young children's will to be independent and nurtured their desire and ability to look after themselves and learn in a spirit of self-motivation and self-determination. Various aspects of Montessori's holistic approach to education are illustrated here by representative examples of Children's Houses dating from before and just after World War II, showing their architecture, furniture and teaching materials. Historical photographs of everyday life in Montessori schools and Children's Houses of children working with the teaching materials are published here for the first time in the context of Maria Montessori's educational principles. Examples of contemporary architecture of Gunter Behnisch and Herman Hertzberger testify to the high aesthetic standards and child-centred approach of Montessori education and at the same time illustrate how this philosophy of education is practiced today.