By Oliver Jeffers, Sam Winston (author) , Oliver Jeffers, Sam Winston (illustrator)
"As Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston unite again, book lovers all over the world celebrate at the joy of another collaboration. A Child of Books was an absolute triumph and the perfect homage to the written word, winner of awards and translated into over 20 languages worldwide."
Paperback Pre-order. 8th October 2026 £10.99 £9.89
Hardback In Stock £14.99 £13.49
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August 2024 Book of the Month
Ooh here we are again and I'm giddy with excitement. And The Dictionary Story certainly doesn't disappoint. Hands shaking as I open the package, eyes glistening with the gold foil lettering on the stunning hardback as I stroke the cover and the pages within.
One day, Dictionary decided to bring her words to life. No longer happy with being the home of all words, she wants to tell a story of her own. Page by page she brings the words within to life as characters from the alphabet are allowed to ramble. After a series of mishaps, things get a little chaotic, a little out of control and Dictionary decides maybe she's a fan of organisation after all.
With a little help from her friend Alphabet and a song we all know, things get back on track and order is resumed.
Bursting with colour and Jeffers' recognisable illustrations, this book is an absolute joy. Set within the pages of a dictionary thanks to the clever typographic fine artist Sam Winston, we are taken on a journey of the life of words ever since "the first words were born inside our heads, where they wriggled around for a long time, before slowly crawling out of our mouths."
It's magnificent. It's ingenious. It's so original and so brilliantly executed. I know I will be buying this as a gift, again and again and again.
The much-anticipated new picture book from the bestselling and award-winning creators of A Child of Books.
Read the full description
Dictionary wishes she could tell a story just like the other books. So one day she decides to bring her words to life. How exciting it is, she thinks, that an adventure is finally happening on her very own pages! But what will she do when everything gets out of control, all in a jumble, and her characters collide causing the most enormous tantrum to explode.
This isn't what she wanted at all! How on earth will she find sense in all this chaos? Her friend Alphabet knows exactly what to do and sings a song that brings calm and order to Dictionary's pages once again.
"A boundary-pushing romp through the words of the English language." Observer
"Intricate, playful picture-book collaboration, layered with whimsical dictionary definitions." Guardian
"An indefinably great picture book… Endlessly inventive… Stunningly designed and highly giftable." Waterstones
Praise for A Child of Books:
'An ode to books, lovingly illustrated and beautifully designed.' - Irish Independent
'A joyous celebration of classic novels and lullabies.' - The Big Issue
'A gorgeous homage to the power of the written word.' - The Guardian
'The message - and indeed the last line - is, of course, that imagination is free; that there’s a little crack you can look through and see a whole universe.' - The Daily Telegraph
Oliver Jeffers is an artist whose work ranges from figurative painting and installation to illustration. His picture books include Lost and Found, How to Catch a Star, This Moose Belongs to Me and The Day the Crayons Quit , all of which have been translated into over 30 languages worldwide. Oliver's talent has been recognized by several high-profile awards, including the Irish Book of the Year and the Blue Peter Book of the Year; as well as shortlists for the British Book of the Year, the Roald Dahl Prize and the Kate Greenaway Medal.
Born in Australia, Oliver was brought up in Northern Ireland and now lives and works in New York.
Sam Winston is a fine artist who exhibits internationally and whose books can be found in many special collections worldwide, including New York's Museum of Modern Art, the Getty Research Institute, the Tate Gallery London, and the V&A Museum. His work is also collected by the Library of Congress and commissioned by the New York Times.
Sam lives and works in London. Find him online at www.samwinston.com .
Oliver and Sam have also been interviewed by The Krib. See the video below and click on the video for more information.
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The much-anticipated new picture book from the bestselling and award-winning creators of A Child of Books. Dictionary wishes she could tell a story just like the other books.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Dictionary Story and determined it is suitable for children aged 3-6 years old
The Dictionary Story features in the following genres: Featured Books for 3+ readers, Featured Books for 5+ readers, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Stories about Family and Friends, Fiction PSHE Titles, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Paperback, Hardback. £13.49, down from the £14.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Dictionary Story was written by Oliver Jeffers, Sam Winston and published by Walker Books Ltd an imprint of Walker Books
The Dictionary Story has 56 pages
£13.49, reduced from £14.99. In Stock.
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