Back to School with DK Canada

It's hard to believe that summer has sped by and that back to school is right around the corner. DK Canada (always!) has some great books to help with any project or subject.

Little Guy and Gramma thought that the Children's Illustrated Dictionary(Canadian edition) looked like a book we would like to explore further. The pictures on the cover immediately caught his eye, but he didn't know what the knight was. Perfect - let's go find out.

There are many ways to 'read' this book. You could start at the beginning and go page by page. Or pick a letter to explore fully - it's easy to choose as the letters are on the cut edge and the current one is highlighted. But Little Guy has no interest in being methodical. Instead he just started in the middle and stopped whenever a picture caught his eye. At first it was the ones he recognized and we would talk about it, with Gramma taking a quick peek at the text accompanying the picture to see if there was any additional facts I could mention. Now, not every entry has a picture, but as an example, a page with eighteen entries had thirteen images. The images are a mixture of actual and drawn. I do think having all actual images would be more 'real'. The drawn images are accurate, but not as appealing to view.

The words chosen are of course not what you would find in an adult discretionary, but they are words that would be appropriate for learning and confirming for a variety of ages. The recommended age says 5-9. I do think that some nine year olds may find this a bit juvenile. The explanations are short and sweet, but do convey the meanings well. Little Guy will be able to grow with this book. Right now, some of the words are above and beyond his vocabulary, but the sheer volume of pictures and things he does recognize and can name greatly appeals to him.

As always, the book is printed on good quality paper, with full colour images and easy to read type, well spaced and inviting to look at. Appendices included are abbreviations, spelling guide, word building, facts and figures and countries of the world - these are most definitely for older readers.

This was a good introduction to a reference book. And it's one that keeps him interested while Mom is making supper.

Back to School with DK Canada - My First Encyclopedia

Labour Day weekend is around the corner - and you know what that means - so is school! DK Canada has a great selection of children's reference books - perfect for homework help or just exploring!

Little guy isn't quite ready for school, but he loves to look and learn. My First Encyclopedia is perfect for him. It's targeted for the pre-school crowd and those just starting school.

Little guy loves to look at pictures and DK books always have great colour visuals. My First Encyclopedia contains both actual photos and detailed drawings.

So first reading, we looked at pictures he recognized and pointed to and repeated the words for them. Gramma would read some of the facts associated with the entry aloud. We skipped through many pages and sections as he got a feel for the book.

Second and subsequent readings were not as frantic - he knew what the book was like. Basic life info about food, clothing, jobs, going to the dentist/doctor, pets, gardening and more are all part of this first encyclopedia. When reading the section on houses and homes, we had to travel to the different rooms in his house as we looked at them in the book. The book then travels farther afield, exploring science, the living planet , transportation and more. Little guy regularly visits the zoo in his home town and loved seeing pictures of animals that he recognized - camels, lions and zebras.

There's lots of room to grow with My First Encyclopedia - from looking at pictures, taking in the information read to him, pointing out what grabs his attention, to looking at the book alone - and eventually reading by himself. The language used is clear and tailored to young ones.

The layout is clean - with lots of space around each entry, ensuring it isn't overwhelming. Reading a reference book is a different experience than story books.

My First Encyclopedia gets a thumbs up from Gramma and little guy.