Customer Reviews

The American Heritage Children's Dictionary (American Heritage Dictionary)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this dictionary for my daughter when she started first grade - knowing that it would be a while until her reading skills were good enough for her to use it. Beginning in about the 2nd grade, she started to use it regularly - and in 3rd grade (last year) she used it all the time. Terrific first dictionary for a kid, with great pictures in full color, good art and illustrations, nice bold type, etc. What's nice about it is that it's layout is just like a grown-up dictionary - which they will switch to in time. This is a perfect dictionary for a grade schooler to learn to do 'research' with appropriate elementary school/junior high vocabularly. Highly recommended!

My review is based on the 2003 version. This version must be vastly improved over earlier reviews, as earlier reviews said it had no pronunciation guide. This version is great! It has blue text for the word. Short, concise definitions and a pronunciation guide at the end.

I feel this is a great "real" 1st dictionary for kids. I picked it for it's readability, suitability/content, and concise definitions. And, as some reviewers said, it may not have "every" word, but I found this version to be the easiest to start with and "entice" them into using the dictionary. I really like the DK/Merrian version, but alas, it's really hard for me and my little guys (1st and 2nd) to decipher through all the blah text, symbols, and more complex definitions. I want them to be excited about reading. My plan is to use this one now until the kids seem to outgrow it, and then I'll upgrade to an "older dictionary". Maybe by then DK/Merriam will have an easier format in a few years. In the interim, I'll use the dictionary.com or merriam-webster online for the missing vocab words. Multiple resources are great.

In closing, I did sit in Barnes and Noble for 20 minutes comparing between the Scholastic, DK/merriam, New World Webster, and American Heritage. I still think for a first children's dictionary that this is a great solution. I would have thought Scholastic would have done a better job. The New World Webster was good with definitions, but the artwork consisted of drawings that were not as "good" and the readability was not quite as good.

Hope this helps all in the market.

I am very happy with the content of this dictionary. It will be a gift for my granddaughter who is 8= however I almost returned it because it is so heavy (6+ pounds). Once she finds a place for it, she will enjoy it and get good use from it for the next two or three years.

I am a homeschooling Mom and we use it every day! Great pictures. Only slight drawback is that not every word we need is listed in it - most are though. Althogether a good investment.

There are many things I love about this dictionary. Number one is the way it is put together; easy to read text, plenty of eye-catching pictures and artwork, guidewords conspicuously typeset to make locating entries easier, homographs, inflected forms, and example sentences that show use in context.

Even my SLD students are able to use this book. It has been an excellent source in helping them to learn how to use a dictionary as it is less intimidating that the old black and white texts.

I purchased a classroom set - 20 copies - of this dictionary for my second graders. Having spent my own money, you can be sure I checked out the options, and I found this the very best.

The layout of the dictionary is perfect for early learners (kindergarten to third grade). There is a good distribution of informative illustrations that keep young readers interested and supports understanding. I like the boxes inserted throughout which extend knowledge of select words. Synonyms, Word History, Language Detective, & Vocabulary Builder provide inquisitive or gifted children additional links to develop word knowledge.

My job teaching students how to locate words in a dictionary is easier because of the layout. The guide words are easier to identify because they are, like the entry terms on the page, in a light blue type, while all other text is black. Unlike some children's dictionaries, the entry term is shown whole, not syllabized. The syllabized form is given, but last, after more pertinent information.

In a classroom full of literature, this dictionary is a book my students choose to read for entertainment. Perhaps because it is their first reference tool - or because I made them aware of how I acquired them, letting each student carry one up to the classroom - they pour over them. Of course, not every unknown word that a child may encounter will be found in this dictionary. But as an early step toward understanding language and the mechanics of a dictionary, this one is the best I know of to get kids off to a good start.

First of all I would like to address some of the other reviewers' comments that this dictionary "does not" have phonetic pronunciation. Nothing can be farther from the truth. It contains the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) with each word listed. There are other standards for pronunciation but IPA, in my opinion, is the best.

American Heritage Dictionary is the best dictionary for American English.

Why? Because of one word: Ubiquitous. Although this particular word is not in the children's release, which is for my daughter, who is now in the first grade, it generally defines 'ubiquitous' as "seemingly everywhere", not "being everywhere; omnipresent". 'Seemingly' is the proper shade of meaning for this word. The only other dictionary I have seen that gets it right is the Oxford American English dictionary. In any case, this is a fine addition to many dictionaries we have at home; they are ubiquitous :)

This dictionary has the entire alphabet on the right margin of its pages with the current letter being highlighted; making it easier for my daughter to search for words. Although the book is designed for 3rd-grade-level and above, it certainly is better than the Elmo's first dictionary, which does not cover all the words she's currently reading. I usually help her find the words, but when she's on the right page and finds the word we're looking for on her own, she quickly adds "I found it first!" So, yes, this dictionary is appropriate for first grade. She can read the meaning, but sometimes I elaborate to help her understand it.

In word hunting, one thing my daughter enjoys is when I call "warm" "cold" "very cold" "hot" "very hot" as she's searching for the word I'd asked her to find. When she finds the word she's very happy. I guess this is fuzzy teaching for precisely accurate learning. In any case, the enjoyment of discovery is very powerful in learning.

I purchased this for my 8 year old Daughter. Instead of her asking me how to spell this and that word, I showed her how to find it herself in the dictionary. It is very colorful and has beautiful pictures.

I really think this is the best of the reference section when it comes to a dictionary for children. That said, once your child is in 4th grade or so, a more standard version (The American Heritage is a very good one) will do.

While I know most of us now think of reference as an online endeavor, the hard bound version of this dictionary is a real plus for young students. For starters, no need to use computer time to use a dictionary with the risk of being distracted on tangent in search of other things. The book presents words and definitions in a clear and concise manner. Photographs accent the dictionary very nicely. Definitions are presented in a thoughtful and age appropriate way. We've given this as a gift to 7 year olds. We've been told later by their parents it was their child's *surprisingly* favorite gift. Why? Their kids start reading it and looking things up at random.

I think a dictionary is a must for kids in 2nd grade and beyond. They're at a point where spelling is important and they are beginning to really use language creatively. Having a dictionary on the desk can lead to a real exploration of learning for your child. Instead of asking you how to spell this or that, they can look it up, and the synonyms included are quite useful in the creative writing process.

No dictionary is comprehensive..... especially one for children. You will find certain words - even those that appeared on last week's spelling test - missing from the dictionary. I hardly think that is the point. Teaching a bit of self reliance - that a child can discover an answer on their own and learn a bit more about a word or phrase on their own - has substantial merit, in my view.

I think I like the layout, the size, the photographs, and the conciseness of the information best about this version. Other versions by other well known companies are also very good, so perhaps it is a matter of personal preference. I think you cannot go wrong with this one.

I really like this dictionary because it's not too vague and not too detailed for little readers. My daughter is a very advanced reader and still found this dictionary extremely useful without being intimidating. Personally, I don't think I was familiar enough with dictionaries and encyclopedias as a child. It is important to me that she enjoy her reference materials now, so that she will use them often and become comfortable doing so throughout the future. The pictures are beautiful and helpful.