I am going to try and obtain, before the end of the year, a set/series of references materials for my students. 8yo wants a dictionary. 6yo wants a globe. 4yo wants to read (wait, that hasn't got anything to do with this.) I am not sure if I should go with Scholastic, Merriam-Websters or some other brand... (It only matters because I like having SETS of reference books!) I'm going for quality over quantity and I dont know where to start. I want them to have a: Dictionary Thesaurus Encyclopedia US Atlas Globe World Book I am NOT going to get any of those "My Firsts" books. We can borrow those from the library, but most importantly I find them to be insufficient / low quality / dumbed down. Any recommendations for or against any series or edition?
Giz, I like to look at the actual book in my hands before buying. A lot of dictionaries today include words that the kids don't need to run across while looking up "shipwreck" or "fugue" ... you get my drift??? I found one at WalMart a few years ago for about $8, with a red hardcover with dustjacket, that has American in the name - Dictionary of the American Language, or Webster's American Dictionary, or American Family Dictionary, something like that. You might find an older edition of Webster's Collegiate Dictionary online somewhere, like the one I still have that was a high school graduation gift 1969, from like the 60s or early 70s, before they started including the s-word and the f-bomb and all their phrases. Thesaurus, the same. You can get a decent globe at WalMart for about $18; I just saw them a couple of days ago. They also have US atlases. Look for slightly older encyclopedia sets (including World Book with year-books for the years after the set's publication) at flea markets, yard sales, craigslist, or Amazon. I got a couple of sets from a library sale. Americana, Britannica, and Compton's are good ones too, not just World Book. Otherwise, consider getting just the subscription to one online or buying a new one on cd.
I want a good "Childrens" Dictionary/Thesaurus for that very reason. I like the Scholastic Childrens Dictionary and Thesaurus and US Atlas, so I will probably buy those. I'm not sure about the encyclopedia. I will probably put off obtaining a copy of that until I can make a more informed decision about that particular purchase. I'm going to avoid Childrens Encyclopedias if I can because I want the information factual, not dumbed down...I'm so worried I will buy books full of half truths, omissions and "kiddified" facts that are so watered down they are hardly accurate. I'll go to WalMarts in my area and look for globes. Thanks, Lindina
I really like the Macmillian Dictionary for Children (2007). It is attractively illustrated and includes 35,000 entries.
A couple of years ago, when we decided to move to North Carolina, my kids Kindergarten teacher (who is a very dear friend of mine) gave my son (who was 8 at the time) a Scholastic Hardcover Dictionary and it is really nice! She gave my daughter (who was 6 at the time) a Scholastic hard cover learn to read set of books and those are really nice too! Anyway, we are going to keep using the Scholastic Dictionary even though my kids are much older now, but I also went out and bought a Websters Dictionary/Thesaurus for my son. I still need a Globe though!
I like the World Book encyclopedias. We bought ours at the library sale. They were getting rid of their older version encyclopedias.
Sorry. Your original post never said Children's anything. Personally, I don't like most children's dictionaries because they don't usually have word origins or complete definitions. I was raised on "real" dictionaries. Are most "real" dictionaries over the head of an 8yo? Yes, but with help they grow into them fairly soon.
