Gr 3-6 The most noticeable changes in the new edition of this perennial favorite are stylistic; the design is more restrained and less cutesy than that of the 2007 edition, with smaller print. The volume appears to be targeted at children who are more visually savvy than previous generations. Frames on each page; tabs running along the edges of the pages showing which letter is being featured; and eye-popping, full-color photos mimic the cleanest of webpage designs. There are content updates, too: the endpapers now feature full-color world maps, and 1000 new photos and illustrations supplement the definitions. Boxes feature more word histories and sample sentences than in previous editions, and a directory of U.S. presidents, complete with pictures and facts, joins the thesaurus, grammar, punctuation, idiom, acronym, and flag information in the supplementary material. Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

For Your Reference Newly updated and attractively organized with easy-to-read pronunciation guides, sample sentences and plenty of pictures, the paper-over-board Scholastic Children's Dictionary remains a kid-friendly resource. Back matter contains a U.S. and world map, the Braille and American Sign Language alphabets, flags and basic facts about the world's countries and information about the American presidents. (June)