Customer Reviews

Macmillan Dictionary for Children

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This dictionary has 35,000 entries which makes it substantial enough for elementary school students without being intimidating. I compared it in the store with the DK Merriam-Webster Children's dictionary. The two dictionaries are similar in size and scope. Looking at the first page of entries, the DK Merriam-Webster included several words not included in this MacMillan (ab-, aback, abaft, abash, abbess, abbot) while the MacMillan included "AB" (the postal abbreviation for Alberta.) This MacMillan used the entry word in a sentence more often than the DK Merriam-Webster. My main reason for choosing it over the DK Merriam-Webster is that it had a nicer, two-column uncluttered layout that is much easier for the younger child to work with than three-column layout of DK Merriam-Webster, which is very "busy" looking.

I spent hours pouring over reference books for my 6 year old for her bday and xmas. There is such a vast array of options. Most were too elementary...which was confusing, because either you're too little and you can't read it...or you're a little older and can read and you are really, seriously trying to figure out what another word says.
SO, this book did it! It has the perfect blend of content and illustrations, up-to-date topics and easy to understand explanations of words....which is a dictionary is suppose to do, I'd say.
Out of the 20 I picked up and put down at the super big-chain book store, this is the only one I would get, so i did!

This dictionary is a terrific value at the Amazon price. The layout is clear and uncluttered. The print is large enough to read easily, the color photographs are engaging, and the definitions are understandable to my children in 3rd and 4th grade. Our whole family enjoys the reference section in the back of the dictionary. There are color photographs of the Presidents until George W. Bush, a listing of the states with their capitals and populations, maps of the world, a section on the planets, and mathematical references e.g. simple geometry, tables of weights and measures along with formulas for converting between metric and English units. The only drawback that I've experienced with this dictionary is that we occasionally haven't found the words that we've needed, and have had to consult an adult dictionary. However, I think this would be true of any dictionary written for children.

The dictionary is great for my 10 year old son. He loves it. Highly recommended...lots of pertinent and current info- Current presidents listed from George W Bush to George Washington.