PEMBROKE PINES – Christopher Isaiah Penn Smith has just written his first children’s book, Guess Who, Mr. Dinosaur? He’s only 4 years old.
What started out as a fun family project has turned into a delightful children’s book and teaching tool about the shared similar features between ancient dinosaurs and modern-day animals.
It is written from the perspective of its 4 year old author and captures the wonderful mind of a child.
“Christopher is very curious and absolutely loves learning about dinosaurs,” said his mother Kymberlee Smith. “In all of his daily adventures with his family and friends, is the joy and excitement of comparing features of modern-day animals with those fascinating features boasted by some of our favorite and most popular dinosaurs. Chris’ imagination, intelligence and fun loving spirit is infectious and was the inspiration for his first book, for kids, young and old.”
After attending an informal meeting about self-publishing, Christopher’s parents asked him if he wanted to write down his thoughts on his favorite subject, dinosaurs. It would be the beginning of a fun project to encourage Christopher and his younger brother Jacob to read and write.
They jotted down his phrases about which dinosaur features were similar to other animals. Once completed, his parents got so excited they decided to have it copyrighted. The next step was to find an illustrator to bring the words to life.
They found two, one being an art student that is a fellow church member of the Smith family.
“Each colorful illustration is an adventure enjoyed by Christopher, shared with family and friends that brings his imagination to life,” Kymberlee Smith said.
The educational value of this book is enhanced because he provided the pronunciations of the featured dinosaurs and two fun activities, the “Dino Match Up” game and a coloring page. Each activity encourages creative thought, dinosaur and animal recognition and fine motor development. After about a year of tweaks, the book was self-published.
Christopher is a student in the Class of the 4s at KLA School of Pembroke Pines, where he had his very first book signing on Nov. 7. He was joined by his family, classmates and their parents, his teachers and the school’s director and owners.
He autographed every single book sold. His hobbies include, playing with his friends, basketball, reading, and horseback riding. He is also enrolled in Spanish school.
“The support and commitment shown by all was amazing,” said father Christopher Smith. “Everyone was so excited to see such a young child passionate about reading and writing. Childhood literacy is a challenging effort, but one made much easier when children ignite other children and make it enjoyable. Playing with toy dinosaurs doesn’t hurt.”
For other information, visit: guesswhodinosaur.com
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