Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Wacky tale of words that stray from their dictionary pages.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
THE DICTIONARY STORY begins with Dictionary stating that she wants to tell a story like other books do. Just then, Alligator walks away from the A page to the D page, because he's hungry and dreaming of a donut. Next up, Ghost appears on the G page, excited that "a story was FINALLY happening on HER pages." But Donut keeps rolling, with Alligator in pursuit all the way to the M page, where Moon is "surprised to see words from the start of the dictionary this far back." Alligator and Donut crash into Queen on the Q page, who then slips on soap on the S page. Dictionary thinks this is "getting a little out of hand." Then Tornado arrives on the T page, has a tantrum, and flings Alligator "to the very back of the book, startling Zebra. "It was chaos!" Now it's up to her to get things back in order.
Is It Any Good?
This unique picture book upends the nature of a dictionary -- words in alphabetical order -- when Dictionary decides she wants to not just be a list but tell a story. Be careful what you wish for. The Dictionary Story is absurd, surreal, hilarious, and utterly charming. Kids will enjoy the humor, the illustrations, the mayhem, and they'll relate to the singalong solution Dictionary comes up with to get things back in order.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what happens when words get out of order in The Dictionary Story. Why do dictionaries put words in order, starting with A and ending with Z?
Have you ever looked up a word in the dictionary? Would you like to now?
How does curiosity lead Alligator to mess things up when he chases Donut? How does Dictionary team up with Alphabet to set things straight?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrators : Oliver Jeffers , Sam Winston
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Numbers and Letters , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Curiosity , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Candlewick
- Publication date : August 6, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 7
- Number of pages : 56
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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