The Canadian Oxford Picture Dictionary is a useful resource for basic learners. Its clear and colourful illustrations depict many of the typical objects, people and situations that one might encounter during the course of a day. The categories range from People and Relationships to Electronics and Photography to At the Beach with almost everything imaginable in between!

The Picture Dictionary has been used enthusiastically by learners in our program. One of its benefits is that it gives beginning writers the ability to say what they want to say, using words that they may have difficulty spelling but which are related to objects, people and places in their daily lives. This means that an activity such as journal writing, which most learners enjoy immensely, can become more of an independent exploration of self and language. Learners are able to find the words with which to describe their experiences without having to rely on the instructor or another person for spelling. Despite the considerable length and detailed nature of the book, students quickly discover which categories are the ones that are relevant and can find them again when they want to refer to them. For example, one of our learners was an accomplished gardener. He found the sections entitled Vegetables, Fruits, and Seasonal Verbs extremely useful.

Another aspect of the dictionary that learners will appreciate is that it does have Canadian content. There are sections on Canada Post, Canadian Currency, Canadian and Provincial Emblems and Government in Canada. In addition, there are more subtle indications that this book is meant for Canadians. For example, bilingual road signs, the Canadian flag in the background, and a Canadian index card in the library setting show an attempt to make this a truly Canadian adaptation. The Picture Dictionary also illustrates people of many different races at work and play. However, there is no attempt made at including anything from different cultural experiences in the dictionary. The clothing, food and settings all seem to be that of the dominant "white North American" culture.

The dictionary includes a table of contents and an index which is composed of key words, a pronunciation guide and page references. It is available in a monolingual (English only) edition and bilingual (French, Chinese and Spanish) editions which give the other language in blue print next to the English word.

It is satisfying to find such a colourful resource as The Canadian Oxford Picture Dictionary at the basic level. I hope learners and instructors will find it both helpful and enjoyable.