A New Friendship

Why a book about Montessori and veganism? 

Have you ever had two wonderful friends you adore, and you wish they could meet each other because they would just get each other, and they would be even more wonderful for knowing each other? 

Well, Montessori, meet veganism. Veganism, meet Montessori. I think you’ll have a lot to talk about! 

I wrote this book for Montessori educators, administrators, and parents to introduce them to the ideas of veganism. That at its core are care for the natural world, reverence for life, and compassion, justice, and flourishing for all beings - animals and humans. Of course, these ideas are also at the heart of Montessori. 

And, I wrote it to find my own voice, a voice trained by my years as a Montessori educator, working among deeply committed and compassionate educators. There are many voices in the vegan world, some strident and fierce defenders of animals, some health and body-focused, some striving to create a lifestyle. All of them have a place in veganism and important things to say. But none of them were right for me. 

Thankfully, I found people like Melanie Joy and Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I went back to sit at the feet of my longtime idol, Jane Goodall. They helped me find a voice that resonated with the Montessori spirit and with my own voice, at least the voice I aspire to. One that is honest and compassionate to those I’m addressing. One that respects where each person is in their journey, meets them where they are, and invites them to take a few steps– even one step further. 

I hope your next step along your journey will be to read my book, Intelligence of Love. I wrote it for you with all my heart.