Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former reading specialist/educational specialist who still enjoys reading aloud to students, helping kids learn to read, and introducing them to quality literature. I love reading picture books...and I write them to entertain and empower kids.


I wrote

Book cover of The Thingity-Jig

What is my book about?

Under the light of a silvery moon, inquisitive Bear ventures into People Town, where he makes quite the curious discovery.…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Night I Followed the Dog

Kathleen Doherty Why did I love this book?

This book inspires happiness and laughter. I used to throw my voice when I read it aloud to students. I’d stop reading halfway through the story and ask students to make a few predictions. Where could the dog be going? Why is he dressed up? Why is he sneaking out of the house at night? What could be going on inside the building?

By Nina Laden,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Night I Followed the Dog as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A story which looks at what dogs do at night when their owners are asleep, featuring a dog who runs a nightclub for stressed dogs. Illustrated in colour by the author.


Book cover of Doctor White

Kathleen Doherty Why did I love this book?

This book inspires hope and is based on a true story. Think about the pros and cons of a dog being allowed in a hospital. What could go wrong with a dog walking the halls and visiting patients? Is it possible for patients to actually benefit from being visited by a dog?

By Jane Goodall, Julie Litty (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Doctor White as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An illustrated depiction of a real-life story that celebrates the eternal, life-affirming bond between animals and humans Everyone loves Dr. White, a furry practitioner with four paws, a wagging tail, and an unorthodox bedside manner who day by day works his magic on very ill children at the hospital. Although his treatment is unconventional, it has a great success rate. But one day the health inspector arrives and bans Dr. White from the hospital. Who could have predicted the terrible coincidence that ends up bringing Dr. White back to the patients who love him? Based on a true story from…


Book cover of Butterfly House

Kathleen Doherty Why did I love this book?

This is a gentle, lyrical story. This book inspires love. If you read it, you’ll feel the loving relationship the girl has with her grandfather...and with butterflies. You’ll wonder why the butterflies visit the girl once she’s grown up. What do the butterflies who visit her seem to know or sense? Why aren’t the butterflies visiting her neighbors?

By Eve Bunting, Greg Shed (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Butterfly House as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

With the help of her grandfather, a little girl makes a house for a larva and watches it develop before setting it free, and every summer after that butterflies come to visit her. By the author of Smoky Night.


Book cover of The Teddy Bear

Kathleen Doherty Why did I love this book?

This story inspires empathy. You may recall a time when you lost something you treasured. Reading this book will get you caring for both the boy and the man in the story. Who needed the teddy bear more? How does the boy change from the beginning of the story to the end? Have you ever been generous like the main character?

By David McPhail,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Teddy Bear as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

A compassionate tale of friends lost and found.

"The Teddy Bear had a good home . . . a warm, cozy place to sleep . . . many friends . . . and someone who loved him."

The little boy and his teddy bear were always together. Every night, when the little boy went to sleep, his teddy bear was right there next to him. When the little boy went on a trip, his teddy bear went too-until one terrible day when the teddy bear was left behind . . .

This is the wonderful story of a friend who…


Book cover of Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

Kathleen Doherty Why did I love this book?

The story inspires sadness, hope, and happiness. At first, you’ll feel sorry for Mr. Hatch. You’ll care about him and wonder why he is the way he is. You’ll watch him receive a gift that has a lasting effect on him. Then, with a turn of events, you’ll feel sorry for him again. But by the end, you’ll be rooting for him.

By Eileen Spinelli, Paul Yalowitz (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

One wintry day, a postman delivers a mysterious package with a big pink bow to a lonely man named Mr. Hatch.

"Somebody loves you," the note says.
"Somebody loves me!" Mr. Hatch sings as he dusts his living room.
"Somebody loves me!" Mr. Hatch whistles as he does his errands in town.
"But who," Mr. Hatch wonders, "could that somebody be?"

When Mr. Hatch discovers just who his secret admirer is, the answer is even better than he could have guessed!


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of The Thingity-Jig

What is my book about?

Under the light of a silvery moon, inquisitive Bear ventures into People Town, where he makes quite the curious discovery. What is this? A springy thing—a bouncy thing—a sit-on-it, jump-on-it thing!

This Thingity-Jig is way too heavy to bring back to the woods by himself, however, so Bear runs home to tell his friends. But nobody wants to get out of bed to help! So Bear invents a Rolly-Rumpity to wheel the Thingity-Jig home, and then it all gets stuck in the mud. How will Bear tackle this bump in the road? With a Lifty-Uppity, of course! 

Book cover of The Night I Followed the Dog
Book cover of Doctor White
Book cover of Butterfly House

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Follow Me to Africa

By Penny Haw,

Book cover of Follow Me to Africa

Penny Haw Author Of The Invincible Miss Cust

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Storyteller Dog walker Dreamer Runner Reader

Penny's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.

It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories. 

Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey…

Follow Me to Africa

By Penny Haw,

What is this book about?

Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.

It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories.

Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in empathy, butterflies, and dogs?

Empathy 163 books
Butterflies 39 books
Dogs 425 books