The Dictionary Story

A breathtakingly original and extra-special gift for all great lovers of books, words and storytelling. This hardback picture book is clothbound and embossed, finished with a foiled jacketed cover. A must-have for every bookshelf at home, school, library, coffee table and beyond.

WINNER OF THE KPMG CHILDREN’S BOOKS IRELAND AWARD

“A boundary-pushing romp through the words of the English language.” The Observer

“Intricate, playful picture-book collaboration, layered with whimsical dictionary definitions.” Guardian

“An indefinably great picture book…Endlessly inventive and packed with hidden references, gags and more, this stunningly designed and highly giftable picture book reunites the creators of A Child of Books in the hilarious tale of a dictionary determined to tell her own story.” Waterstones

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.

Discover A Child of Books, the multi-award-winning and internationally bestselling picture book by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston.

Author Biography

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. He was winner of Time Magazine’s Best Book of the Year for Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, and awarded an MBE in 2022 for services to the arts. Find him online at oliverjeffers.com and on Twitter and Instagram as @OliverJeffers.

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. He is also the author and illustrator of One & Everything. Find him online at samwinston.com and on Instagram as @samwinston.