Hello,
our son's school is not very helpful in suggesting books/dictionaries (they just don't) but still I'd like to buy one for him, particularly as my mother tongue is not English and I can't really explain many words very well in English.
Currently we have a Collins dictionary from the library aimed at age 9+ (he's only 7 but I found the dictionaries aimed at younger pupils don't seem to contain enough words). We quite like it so I'm tempted but I'm unsure about how long it will "last" (e.g. if the explanations will also be suitable for an older child and if there'll be enough words in it).
Of course I have a dictionary but he finds the text is printed too small and also he doesn't understand all the explanations.
So we really need one that's suitable for him.
I had a look at the Collins range at the back of the one we have from the library, but they seem to do a dictionary for every age! (6+, 7+ 8+ and after the 9+ there is one for 10+, some are with illustrations and some without - so obviously to confuse the anxious parent as much as possible and get him to buy as many dictionaries as possible. Silly really! I'm not going to buy a new dictionary every year!!
I want one that's suitable for now but also for the rest of primary school at least.
Any recommendations?
And is Oxford generally higher regarded than Collins or not? I have no clue which one to choose or which one to avoid, the bookshops and libraries don't have every dictionary on the market in stock and on amazon I can't find many customer reviews.
Many thanks if you can advise.