The Kingfisher First Dictionary (Kingfisher First Reference)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 075346585X ISBN 13: 9780753465851

Publisher: Kingfisher, 2011

Kingfisher First Dictionary by Angela Crawley and John Grisewood is the ideal first dictionary for 5- to 8-year-olds contains over 1,500 core words from alligator to zipper, carefully selected to complement the books that children of this age are beginning to read. The clear definitions and sample sentences are enhanced with realistic photos and artwork that help build the child's comprehension and reading readiness.

About the Author:

John Grisewood graduated from Oxford University, England. His early career was in children's magazines. He compiled and edited numerous reference books including The Kingfisher Illustrated Thesaurus and The Kingfisher Illustrated Dictionary.

From Booklist:

Created for children ages 6^-8, this dictionary contains more than 1,000 color drawings and photographs illustrating more than 1,500 words from everyday life. Typical entries contain the word in boldface, the definition in sentence form, an example sentence, and a picture. Word origin, other verb forms, singular and plural forms, and multiple meanings may also be detailed. Some special areas receive highlighting. "Spelling tips" are occasionally located within an entry in a yellow box, for example, "Another word that sounds like 'hear' is 'here.'" "Wordplay Boxes" contain puzzles. Picture pages are specially bordered full pages offering various aspects of a word; for example, "Aircraft" shows jets, helicopters, gliders, and captain and crew. After the Z words are found lists of days of the week, months of the year, money, distance, weight, liquids, and definitions and examples of various parts of speech.

Many "first" dictionaries are available. My First Dictionary [RBB D 1 93] is another example of a colorful large-format work that is done in the Dorling Kindersley style. My First Dictionary (HarperCollins, 1990), with 4,000 definitions, is for a slightly older child as it does not have the same picture appeal for the very young. The Macmillan First Dictionary (Macmillan, 1990) contains 2,200 words, and the American Heritage First Dictionary [RBB S 1 94] has about 1,700. The Kingfisher First Dictionary is filled with photographs of kids wearing brightly colored shirts, uncomplicated color illustrations, and definitions of words used in daily living. Preschool and primary-grade children will find this an engaging introduction to dictionary skills. Recommended for children's collections that need another dictionary for this age group.