We investigated how pre-service and first-year teachers engaged with the pedagogy textbooks from their mathematics methods courses. Sixteen participants--seven pre-service teachers and nine first-year teachers--were interviewed about their interactions with mathematics methods texts and their perceptions about the texts. This paper focuses on participants' views regarding the messages sent by their mathematics methods textbooks about how to teach. Findings describe the tensions that exist between pedagogy textbooks and participants' experiences in the classroom. Implications for teacher educators are also discussed. [For the complete proceedings, see ED583608.]