Collins First Dictionary

The National Curriculum states that by the end of Key Stage 1, pupils should be able to refer to dictionaries 'as a matter of course'. This new arrival is therefore a well-timed addition to the range of titles currently available for readers of seven upwards. Collins have been at pains to make it user-friendly, with amusing coloured illustrations, large format and clear typeface. However, some illustrations seem more decorative than informative and the guiding at the top of each page could have been more clearly laid out. Each definition uses a full sentence to explain the meaning of a word. If necessary, an additional sentence in italics contains the word in context to aid clarification. Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives are shown adjacent to the headword, and help isoccasionally given with pronunciation. Definitions are variable (occasionally using words which themselves need, but don't get, definition) - animals, in particular, are dealt with very inconsistently. The entries for some words contain supplementary information so that they become almost mini-articles (the entry for 'newspaper' extends to over nine lines). This is no doubt one of the reasons why the number of entries is only around 2,700 - 40% less than the inexpensive Puffin Junior Dictionary (£2.95) which is the original edition of the admirable Oxford Junior Dictionary with the addition of 150 illustrations. The current edition of the Oxford Junior with over 5,000 entries in a clearly laid-out format is excellent value at £3.95. Potential purchasers of a dictionary for this age-group may well feel that there is a place for each or indeed all of these on their reference shelves.