Words of Inspiration

By Suzanne Perry

Mary French knows from personal experience that children love dictionaries — she has been distributing them free to third graders in her home state of South Carolina for more than 10 years. But she has also learned just how much adults, even in this high-tech era, are attached to the humble reference book.

Five years ago, Ms. French was struggling to find money for her small nonprofit group, the Dictionary Project, in Charleston. She called The