The Firefly Spanish/English Junior Visual Dictionary - Hardcover

Corbeil, Jean-Claude; Archambault, Ariane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1554071909 ISBN 13: 9781554071906

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2006

Synopsis

The essential dictionary for any child learning English or Spanish as a second language.

With 12,000 terms in each language and 2,000 illustrations covering more than 500 topics, The Firefly Spanish/English Junior Visual Dictionary shows what other bilingual dictionaries just cannot -- words translated as labels on computer-generated color illustrations. The topics cover a broad range -- everything from an airport layout to the human circulatory system, from electricity to the parts of a shoe.

The dictionary is organized into 22 color-coded themes that include, among others, astronomy, geography, the animal and plant kingdoms, the environment, the human being, food, science, transportation and machinery, the arts, and sports.

Each key word or phrase is connected to a detailed illustration, making identification quick and accurate. The Spanish term is identified by gender, helping the reader with correct usage. Two extensive indexes, one in English and the other in Spanish, make it fast and simple to find a term in either language.

This visual reference is educational and fun to use, making it valuable in helping young readers learn Spanish or English as a second language.

About this title

About the Author

Jean-Claude Corbeil is a consultant and expert in linguistic planning with a worldwide reputation in the fields of comparative terminology and sociolinguistics.

Ariane Archambault is a specialist in applied linguistics who taught foreign languages before becoming a terminologist and editor of dictionaries.

Reviews

At first glance, it's hard to tell the intended audience for this dictionionary because it could be used by either children or adults. Closer inspection reveals that it is designed for younger users; the section on the human body has illustrations of people wearing bathing suits, and there is nothing on the reproductive system.

Items are arranged under 22 broad topics such as "Astronomy," "Music," and "Transportation." These color-coded sections are further divided; for example, "Geography" has subsections on continents, cartography, and maps. Each subsection begins with a brief paragraph that orients the user to the topic and one or two pages of labeled illustrations. In the labels, the Spanish word appears under the English word. The scale of the illustrations varies so that the iguana looks larger than either the alligator or crocodile on the same page. The point size on the labels is quite small, and there is no pronunciation guide for terms that might not be familiar. There are both an English and a Spanish index.

This volume is a smaller version of the 35,000-term I^ Firefly Visual Dictionary (2000). There are 12,000 terms and 2,000 illustrations for everyday objects like suitcases, airplanes, and different kinds of gloves. A good visual dictionary has a place on the ready-reference shelf, and elementary and school libraries, as well as public libraries that serve bilingual populations, will find the I^ Firefly Spanish/English Junior Visual Dictionary a useful addition to their collections. Dona Helmer
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1554071909
• ISBN 13: 9781554071906
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368