Folens First Dictionary Activity Book is dreary, with page after page of “Write the words and draw the pictures”.

A pity, because the First Dictionary itself is an excellent Reception class resource, boldly and colourfully designed with a CD-Rom that is easy and fun to use. Whole words can be heard spoken, or spelt out letter by letter (on this CD-Rom, with the letter-sounds). There is a dot-to-dot game to help children who are still learning the alphabet (some will wish it had been presented with lower-case as well as capital letters), and scores from a word-recognition activity can be printed out.

The two-in-one Picture Dictionary and Thematic Dictionary is designed for five to seven-year-olds. The thematic pages are useful, although it’s a shame that there is no section on weekdays and months.

The multi-sensory and interactive nature of the CD-Rom means that it can also be used with any juniors requiring support with spelling.