Oliver Jeffers is one of the most recognizable and innovative creators in children’s literature today, and The Dictionary Story showcases his vivid imagination at work in yet another collaboration with the wildly inventive Sam Winston (following A Child of Books). An authors’ note explains this picture book as the product of a team of “so many talented friends,” including bookmaker Haein Song, who crafted the handmade dictionary incorporated into each brilliant spread.
Perfect for youngsters, especially those just learning the alphabet, The Dictionary Story will be appreciated by adults as well, as it brings layers of clever wordplay and elements that may take several encounters for readers to discover. The book introduces a dictionary who isn’t sure of her purpose, given that “she didn’t tell a story like all the other books.” Frustrated by this, Dictionary decides one day to “bring her words to life,” an action that is depicted to readers as drawings that seem to emerge from, leap off and otherwise escape their previously well-ordered pages. Unsurprisingly, a mess ensues, as a hungry Alligator goes in search of something to eat, chasing Donut through the pages and running into figures such as Ghost, Moon and Soap along the way. Dictionary is disappointed that “now nothing was in the right place or even making sense” and worried that “her words would be no use to anyone now.”
To clean up the chaos, Dictionary calls upon her friend Alphabet and starts the song that “helped put everyone back together again,” restoring order to the words and their definitions. Children will love this opportunity to sing along, and adults will appreciate the chance to reinforce fundamental aspects of reading. Instructive though it may be, The Dictionary Story is even more fun than function, and it will reward repeat encounters, with readers delighted to find the unexpected definitions populating this most unique of dictionaries. A masterful combination of the simple and the complex, this book is sure to be a favorite.
