Developed by professional editors and educational consultants especially for preschoolers and children in the first years of school, the award-winning Picture Dictionary is a compilation of 900 of the words most commonly featured in elementary school reading programs and used every day by children in speech and writing. Entries are arranged alphabetically, introducing the concept that words in a dictionary are arranged in a sequence, and are illustrated with lively full-color drawings by distinguished children's illustrator Maggie Swanson. The same families and pets recur in the pictures, presenting children with a familiar cast of characters, engaging their attention. Playful example sentences show standard usage and encourage reading. The A-to-Z list is complemented by nine thematic illustrations at the back of the book that feature related vocabulary grouped in settings such as a classroom, a supermarket, and a zoo. Front matter includes an informative note to teachers and parents and guides them in using the book to best meet the needs of young readers.

This book not only features a new cover, updated to match the line look of the other American Heritage® juvenile dictionaries, but it is for the first time presented in paperback, to match the new edition of the American Heritage® First Dictionary.