The Oxford First Illustrated Dictionary

This is not only an extremely attractive production, it is a cleverly conceived introduction to the idea of word definition. The author and illustrator have contrived to produce a dictionary that will be great fun for any child to travel through. Chichester Clark’s illustrations decorate the pages beautifully, but are also full of subtle visual clues to the meanings of the words on the page. A clever narrative thread is woven into the overall structure through the artist’s use of six characters, who pop up throughout the book providing more links with the text. The word definitions are interspersed with little snippets of extra information, asides, riddles and puns, celebrating the sounds of words as well as their meanings.

With a marathon job such as this, an illustrator might be forgiven the occasional drop in standard, but Chichester Clark’s inventive and varied use of the four-column text layout never fails to surprise and delight. The format of the book and the way the images connect with the text, make it feel like a book to read, to pore over and enjoy, as much as a book to dip into for information.