The Dicionário Miúdo [Children’s Dictionary] is a book that emerged from a participatory project promoted by Braga 25 Portuguese Capital of Culture. Over the course of more than a year, children from various schools in Braga were challenged to redefine complex concepts related to culture and art through interviews conducted by the project team. The hundreds of responses collected resulted in a set of unexpected, creative, and humorous definitions that translate difficult ideas into simple and accessible language, revealing the freshness and intelligence of children’s thinking.
With the decision to transform some of these responses into an editorial piece, the challenge was to design a book that would visually convey the complexity of the ideas in an accessible and appealing way, balancing text and illustration equally. We opted for a large format, designed to be explored both individually and in groups. The cover takes the form of a game board, with challenges that relate to the contents inside, allowing the book to return to schools in Braga and, at the same time, function as an educational tool in other contexts.
Inside, the content is organized according to a clear visual hierarchy: the titles introduce the topics; the children’s answers are integrated into the illustrations, creating a dynamic reading experience; and the interesting facts, placed in the margins, add information about each topic in a light and informative way. The result is an interactive, playful, and visually stimulating book that invites reading, play, and reflection. An unconventional dictionary, made to be opened, browsed, and shared — and, above all, to be fun.