Developed by professional editors and educational consultants especially
for preschoolers and children in the first years of school, the
award-winning Picture Dictionary is a compilation of 900 of the words
most commonly featured in elementary school reading programs and used
every day by children in speech and writing. Entries are arranged
alphabetically, introducing the concept that words in a dictionary are
arranged in a sequence, and are illustrated with lively full-color
drawings by distinguished children's illustrator Maggie Swanson. The
same families and pets recur in the pictures, presenting children with a
familiar cast of characters, engaging their attention. Playful example
sentences show standard usage and encourage reading. The A-to-Z list is
complemented by nine thematic illustrations at the back of the book that
feature related vocabulary grouped in settings such as a classroom, a
supermarket, and a zoo. Front matter includes an informative note to
teachers and parents and guides them in using the book to best meet the
needs of young readers.
This book not only features a new cover, updated to match the line look
of the other American Heritage(R) juvenile dictionaries, but it is for
the first time presented in paperback, to match the new edition of the
American Heritage(R) First Dictionary.