This picture dictionary is reasonably comprehensive but is marred by the lack of a pronunciation guide--making it fall short as a "first dictionary" for children with no background in Spanish. The inconsistent use of articles ("a" and "some" versus "the") is somewhat disconcerting. The photorealistic illustrations give the book a Dorling Kindersley look.

Gr 1-4-Lucid, full-color drawings by a variety of artists and equally clear texts give picture definitions of approximately 1000 words, covering everything from the human body to animal life, from numbers to musical instruments. A spread is devoted to each category, with the exception of the four-page section on animals. Topics are extended by sidebars containing riddles, questions, or game ideas. Two indexes, one English to Spanish, and one Spanish to English, are accurate and helpful. There is no pronunciation guide for either language. This is an acceptable addition that could be bypassed if a collection already owns Spanish Picture Dictionary (Berlitz Kids, 1997) or Angela Wilkes's beautifully photographed and laid out My First Spanish Word Book (DK, 1993). Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.