Oxford Canadian Spelling Bee Dictionary.

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Containing some 36,000 words from aa to zymurgy, the Canadian Spelling Bee Dictionary is an abridged version of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, which includes more than 130,000 words. As the title clarifies, this dictionary has a very specific purpose, and staff from the Canwest Canspell National Spelling Bee assisted the OUP lexicographers in identifying those words that would likely present spelling challenges for juveniles as young as age nine.

Following each of the bolded headwords that are arranged in the typical dictionary two-column format can be found the word’s part of speech. Eschewing the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is frequently used as a guide on how to pronounce a word, the Canadian Spelling Bee Dictionary instead employs a very straightforward approach to pronunciation, one that will be appreciated by those adults who are assisting young bee participants in their preparation.

Since this dictionary is about spelling, and not about defining words, the work provides only each word’s most common meaning. Etymologies, however, are provided for every word. Words derived from the headword are listed at the end of each entry, an example being “Afghani” under “Afghan.”

The volume’s lay-flat binding ensures that users will not be off-put by an opened book that constantly wants to close. A straightforward four-page opening section entitled “About this Dictionary” clearly explains the book’s features and should not be bypassed by the young users. Given that almost a quarter million youth participated in the 2008 Canwest Canspell National Spelling Bee, the Canadian Spelling Bee Dictionary is an elementary/middle/junior high school must-buy. Highly Recommended.