Merriam-Webster's Primary Dictionary

New title! A beginner's dictionary written for children features hundreds of captivating illustrations by celebrated children's author Ruth Heller. Nearly 1,000 entries include definitions, example sentences, and word histories. Introduces basic dictionary skills such as alphabetization, spelling, pronunciation, use of synonyms and antonyms, and using words in context. Packed with jokes, poems, and fun facts to foster and develop a child's language skills.

For more than 150 years, in print and now online, Merriam-Webster has been America's leading and most-trusted provider of language information. All Merriam-Webster products and services are backed by the largest team of professional dictionary editors and writers in America, and one of the largest in the world.

Ruth Heller, called a "'superstar"' of children's literature by San Francisco Magazine, wrote and illustrated a total of 23 fiction and non-fiction children's books by her death in 2004. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a degree in fine arts, she lived in San Francisco and raised two sons before venturing into fields of freelance design and commercial art. After refining her skills at Yaddo, an artists' colony in upstate New York, her writing career was launched in 1981 with the publication of Chickens Aren't the Only Ones. Throughout her life, she was a frequent guest speaker at schools and libraries, where she loved teaching children about grammar and nature and entertaining them with her detailed, colorful drawings and delightful word play.