Book excerpt: As with all things Montessori, students begin with the concrete and move to the abstract. When learning shapes, Montessori students first develop an understanding of the spatial object in comparison to other shapes and a relevant application for each shape--before learning the names. Inspired by this process, Montessori: Shape Work offers readers die-cut shapes to trace with their fingers, grouped by family for comparison, and illustrated with a familiar object for relevancy. Featured shapes include three triangles (equilateral, isosceles, right-angled); three rounds (circle, oval, ellipse); three parallelograms (square, rectangle, rhombus); and three polygons (pentagon, hexagon, octagon). With a letter to parents included, this third Montessori board book joins Montessori: Letter Work and Montessori: Number Work in a growing library of original concept books.