Dictionary, Grades 3 - 6 (The Wordsmyth Reference Series) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 157768298X ISBN 13: 9781577682981

Publisher: American Education Publishing, 2001

Synopsis

Featuring over 30,000 entries and 1,000 full-color images, this outstanding reference tool is the only dictionary a child will ever need! The American Education Publishing Children's Dictionary includes a pronunciation guide, word histories, British and C

About this title

Reviews

This hefty dictionary is targeted at the students in elementary through middle school. The more than 30,000 entries are easy to read, with definitions arranged in three columns. "Word History," "Homophone Note," and "Synonyms" boxes give extra information about some words. Frequent small photographs and drawings (one to two per page on average) illustrate some definitions and add to the appealing look. An alphabet strip runs down the outer edge of each page, allowing for easy location of each section. Large, easy-to-read guide words are placed in a blue strip at the top of each page, while entry words, broken into syllables, are clearly denoted in bold, with the definitions slightly indented. Part of speech, in red italics, follows the word directly, and the pronunciation is situated at the end of the entry. There are no usage labels, but British and Canadian spellings are included. Each alphabetic section begins with a colored box that gives pronunciation information and a list of hard-to-spell words.

A series of icons is located at the bottom of each page. These stand for broad topics such as "Human Body" and "Natural Environment." When one of these icons is located in a definition, it refers the student to the "Lexipedia Word Explorer" at the back of the dictionary. Here all words pertaining to a given topic area are grouped together, providing cross-referencing to related terms. Full-page and double-page colored sections address a plethora of popular topics, such as dinosaurs, stars, and money. A "How to Use" section at the front of the dictionary, which lays out in detail all the features mentioned above, is followed by a brief history of the English language, a pronunciation key, and a sound and spelling guide. The reference section that concludes the volume contains a world history time line; a section on "Symbolic Communication" (road signs, Braille, etc.); a mini world atlas; pictures of flags of the world; lists of U.S. presidents and Canadian prime ministers; facts about U.S states and Canadian provinces; and weights and measures.

Picture placement is sometimes problematic. For example, a photo of a tree placed between lofty and log could refer to either one and does a good job of illustrating neither. While the cartoons used to illustrate words with several distinct meanings are helpful in some instances, a few of the more tortured sentences (for example: "At the Silly Things Bowl, Martin bowls a strike with a ceramic bowl") may be more confusing than not.

With the exception of these caveats, this attractive dictionary is a fine work, suitable for use in school and public libraries. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: American Education Publishing
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 157768298X
• ISBN 13: 9781577682981
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 960