My name is Sue Carolane.  Born in Victoria, Australia, I’ve had over 35 years experience as a speech pathologist working in education. Troubled by the increasing number of children struggling to learn to read, write and spell, I decided to do something about it at its core – teaching each letter of the alphabet and the sound it makes. So I combined my professional expertise with my lifestyle on a hobby farm, using photographs of our alpacas to teach each sound-letter link.

Most of the photos were taken specifically for the book, “Aa is for Alpacas”, by my second son, Antony. My elder son nabbed the front and back covers (which was a bit unfair, since he’d already taken those photos, whereas Ant stalked alpacas around the paddock one hot summer, taking photos to order), and my husband also contributed five photos.   Apart from the fact that the shearing photograph was taken by a friend because everybody else was too busy with the shearing, this book was truly a family affair (except that Kieran and Antony are actually David’s stepsons).

I am passionate about language and literacy and all the opportunities and experiences which flow from it.  I believe that reading with children from a young age is one of the most important steps parents can take to lay a strong foundation for a happy and successful life.  The fact that this also contributes to parent-child bonding is the icing on the cake. It is saddening to think how many people are denied the joy of curling up with a good book because they are not literate enough to derive any pleasure from reading.

I live with my husband, David Carolane OAM, and we share the property with the alpacas, two Burmese cats, a rooster and his harem of ladies.