A silly book with a serious purpose—to help children recognize, remember, and really enjoy using a basic vocabulary of 1350 words. Written and illustrated by P. D. Eastman—with help from the Cat (Dr. Seuss)—this decades-old dictionary pairs words with pictures that carry their meaning, making it simple enough even for nonreaders to understand. A wacky cast of characters reappears throughout the book, making this perhaps the only dictionary in the world that is actually fun to read! Beginner Books are fun, funny, and easy to read! Launched by Dr. Seuss in 1957 with the publication of The Cat in the Hat , this beloved early reader series motivates children to read on their own by using simple words with illustrations that give clues to their meaning. Featuring a combination of kid appeal, supportive vocabulary, and bright, cheerful art, Beginner Books will encourage a love of reading in children ages 3–7. A decades-old dictionary that you can still use today (and know that children will love it) is an amazing testament to the genius of the Seuss stable. The roughly 12-per-page colored drawings are dated, of course--the humans far more than the animals, funnily enough--but they've aged in a way that adds to their charm rather than detracting from it. ( Phonograph may take some explaining; ditto typewriter , which we recently heard described as "like a computer, only with paper instead of a screen.") The 1,350 words are well balanced between the obvious stuff--common nouns and verbs--and more abstract language, from about to yet . Each word is accompanied by a drawing and an illustrative sentence. Along the way, naturally, we meet a wacky menagerie of humans and animals: "Aaron the alligator making more machines," "Aunt Ada standing on her head," etc. (Ages 4 to 8) --Richard Farr Illus. in full color. "The picture carries the meaning in this dictionary of over a thousand elementary words from 'Aaron' the alligator to a nest full of 'zyxuzpf' birds. The book gets a large 'A' for its commonsense-through-nonsense approach to reading." The New York Times.   Illus. in full color. "The picture carries the meaning in this dictionary of over a thousand elementary words from 'Aaron' the alligator to a nest full of 'zyxuzpf' birds. The book gets a large 'A' for its commonsense-through-nonsense approach to reading." "The New York Times. P. D. Eastman was an author and illustrator who created many children’s books, including Are You My Mother? ; Go, Dog. Go! ; and The Best Nest . Trained at the National Academy of Design, he published his first Beginner Book, Sam and the Firefly , in 1958. Since then, his books have sold more than 50 million copies, and he has become one of the most beloved children’s book authors in the world.