Montessorian Librarian

Mordicai Gerstein. The Wild Boy: Based on the True Story of the Wild Boy of Aveyron. c 1998.

This story about the wild child discovered in 1800 in the forests of Aveyron, France, captivates children because its drama engages the empathic imagination. The child is tested by scientists to see if he can learn — he has come from living in the forest, having passed his sensitive period alone, without benefit of other humans. He has not learned to speak and will never learn to do so, however, he seems to develop over time, with the care of his adoptive family, an understanding of how language works. He learns to keep himself clean, to use eating utensils, to spell with cut out letters. Most importantly he learns the meaning of love within a family, something he lived without as he survived in the woods. Dr. Montessori often referred to this child, Victor, in her writing about the Absorbent Mind; and she is mentioned, along with Dr. Itard, at the back of the book.