Customer Reviews

DK Children's Visual Dictionary

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased The Children's Visual Dictionary as a gift for my nine-year-old granddaughter who loves to write poetry. When it arrived, I sat to review it and found myself thoroughly fascinated by the splendid blend of full-color, descriptive illustrations and photographs. I enjoyed the diverse cultures and settings displayed in the various sections. I was particularly captured by the weather and travel sections, and very much appreciated the index that made it easy to find every item shown and labeled in the book. Do you know what a glockenspiel is or what it looks like? You can find it here.

Although I purchased the book as an aid for my granddaughter in her writing, I can see that The Children's Visual Dictionary would be enjoyed by non-readers and non-writers. An excellent browsing book for children, teenagers, and adults, it would be profoundly helpful as a conversation book between parents (and grandparents) and children.

From a writer's point of view, I would like to have seen more description of clothing, and I felt some of the pictures could have been labeled further.

I purchased The Macmillan Visual Dictionary for myself, but am seriously considering adding The Children's Visual Dictionary to my own library resources.

It sounds so counter-intuitive, a dictionary with images where you infer what something is, rather than actual definitions telling you what something is. But it is amazing how useful - and beautiful - this dictionary actually is.

I would not use this dictionary to replace a regular dictionary, but rather, to supplement it, to increase a child's understanding of a particular word or concept.

I bought this book for my daughter as she was starting to read. She LOVES the book because everything has pictures. I have her sound the words out.

Now she is starting to write mini stories and she uses the book all the time.