序言
致親愛的讀者
從過去20年來的英文教學生涯中，我深深體會到幫助學生建立基本字彙的重要性。特別對於孩子們來說，一本好字典是提升字彙能力最佳的工具。
依我看，一本理想的英文字典應該要有精美活潑的插圖來增進孩子對於單字的理解。單字旁邊搭配著精美生動的插圖，孩子學起來就會覺得容易得多。
再者，例句可以讓孩子自然而然學會單字的用法。學習單字時，光靠單字定義是不夠的。例句能讓孩子確認一個單字在句子中的用法。
我誠摯地向您推薦我的作品《美國幼兒園常用500字典》。這本書是我針對2到12歲的兒童所編撰而成的，書中收錄了大量的插圖和簡單易學的例句。我誠心希望這本對兒童友善的字典能夠讓孩子們充分享受到學習英文的樂趣。
Richard Howland
Dear Readers
In my experience of teaching English for 20 years, I have learnt of the importance of helping students build their vocabularies. A good dictionary is the most powerful tool for building
vocabulary, especially for children.
In my opinion, there should be lively and beautiful illustrations in an ideal dictionary to enhance children’s understanding of the words. It is much easier for children to learn new words
with illustrations alongside.
In addition, good sample sentences are also very useful in helping children learn word usage in a natural way. To understand the meaning of words children need more than word
definition.
I sincerely recommend my own book “The Top 500 Words Taught in American kindergartens” to you. I composed this dictionary especially for children aged 2 to 12 years old. It contains hundreds
of lively illustrations and easy-to-learn example sentences. I hope children will enjoy learning English with the help of this child-friendly dictionary.
Richard Howland
