About Me

My name is Kaitlyn Smith and I originally went to university to study art. I then worked as a waitress for 3 years. This left me feeling unfulfilled and wanting to do more with my life. I decided to become a teacher. This seemed perfect as my I had a love of knowledge, I had always tried to share that love with others, and I’ve always loved interacting with children. As a teacher I plan to support a love of learning in all students and encourage in them a curiosity about the world.

As a reader, I became hooked when my best friend convinced me to start reading in primary school. I read as many books as I could. I loved fantasy and science fiction novels. I learnt that the thicker the book the more likely it was to have a detailed story, and the longer it would take me to read it. That is how I came to read many different authors, from Isobelle Carmody, to Sara Douglass, to Sherri S. Tepper, to Brian Aldriss, to J.R.R. Tolkien. I still read avidly, although now I read a wider range of genres. I still read fantasy and science fiction but it is now interspersed with biographies and histories, classical and general literature, and the occasional crime or horror novel.

Bianca's Week 2 Post

This week I've chosen to discuss two picture books that I read for my Personal Reading Program.

The Black Book by Menena Cottin (translated by Elisa Amado from Spanish) and illustrated by Rosana Faría was very physically striking as the entire book was presented on black paper with white text accompanied by Braille. Written from the perspective of a blind child called Thomas each page discusses how he “sees” various colours through the use of other senses including taste, smell, touch and temperature. The illustrations are unique - rather than colour on paper, the pictures are raised line artworks which must be felt more than seen.

In addition to being an interactive and original method for young children to explore colours and senses, it is also an introduction to the lives and perspectives of the blind, and how aspects of the world in which we live and often take for granted might be viewed from a different perspective. As a teacher, one might ask children to describe each colour mentioned in the book without using the sense of sight, giving the students an opportunity to explore various adjectives and descriptive words and enhancing their vocabulary. I suggest this book be read with 5-7 year olds.

I’m Sure I Saw A Dinosaur by Jeanne Willis and illustrated in watercolour by Adrian Reynolds is an entertaining story composed in rhyme. A young boy is sure he sees a dinosaur at Sand Bottom End, but is it really a dinosaur? As the whole town gets involved in the search, it’s clear that someone’s up to something!

I particularly enjoyed the poetic devices used, including consistent repetition and excellent use of alliteration. The surprising but humorous plot twist at the end accompanied with hidden dinosaur illustrations and clues mixed into the pictures on each page were also entertaining; and left the reader returning to the beginning to read the story through again with a greater understanding of the real motive within the narrative.

Interestingly, this book was listed at my local library for 4-5 year olds but is likely to be better suited for older children between 7-9 years who can read the somewhat challenging text independently.