Every well stocked library needs a dictionary. Even though it’s fairly easy to look unfamiliar words up online, dictionaries are still an invaluable tool for promoting literacy.
One of the most frequently recommended dictionaries for children is the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary. This dictionary is recommended for children in grades 3-6, but can be used by younger kids with a bit of adult assistance.
The Scholastic Children’s Dictionary has all of the features you’d expect in a dictionary for adults, but tailored in a way that is appropriate for a younger audience.
For example, the pronunciation guide uses simple respelling rather than the symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet. There are also a number of sample sentences to help little ones learn how to use the featured words correctly.
The selection of words represented includes most of what a child in the younger elementary grades will encounter in his or her homework. I was amazed to see definitions for terms like “Twitter” and “social networking” included as well, however.
The book itself is of a very high quality. The binding is sturdy, the colors of the photos are bright, and the papers have a nice crisp feel to them. It’s one of those books that your child will enjoy flipping through on a regular basis.
I purchased our copy of the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary at my son’s elementary school book fair, but this title is widely available at major stores and through online retailers such as Amazon.
Scholastic also makes a thesaurus and a children’s encyclopedia that would be great additions to your home reference library.
Photo credit: Scholastic
