Through Jen’s many years of teaching, one truth revealed itself again and again: reading aloud is where the magic begins.
It’s often the moment children first fall in love with books – not because of the words alone, but because of the way those words are shared. A trusted adult’s voice. A pause for laughter. A gentle question. Lots of inflection in tone, excitement, and wonder. A sense that something special is happening together.
That belief is woven into every page of 16 Paws and A Special Kind of Grace. It is about sharing in the magic, together. Experiencing wonder and awe. It is about making special memories.
Four Pups, Sixteen Paws, and a World Full of Wonder
At the heart of the story are four spirited companions – Honeybear, Valentine, Bentley, and Cosette – each with their own voice, temperament, and way of seeing the world.
Together, they form a pack that models friendship, curiosity, loyalty, and love. Through their whimsical and often wise perspectives, children are invited into a world where everyday moments are noticed, savored, and gently transformed.
A walk through the garden becomes an adventure.
A tea party becomes a ritual of care.
A quiet moment by the sea becomes a lesson in listening.
The dogs don’t rush. They observe. They play. They explore. They are truly in the moment and very much invested in keeping all things cozy, gentle, joyful, and warm. They care for one another and for the world around them.
A Love Letter to Place, Home, and the Simple Joys
Set along Long Island’s Gold Coast, 16 Paws celebrates the serenity and charm of places like Oyster Bay, Sea Cliff, Locust Valley, and Cold Spring Harbor. These aren’t just backdrops – they are part of the story’s soul.
Children learn that beauty lives close to home.
Adults are reminded to notice it again.
Jen was inspired by D.H. Lawrence’s lifelong quest for “home” and how he dedicated his adult years to investigating the spirit of a place. For Jen, where she grew up in Old Brookville, on Long Island’s North Shore, is the perfect spirit indeed. The nature and the quiet serenity hold all the right ingredients for dreaming, creating, and learning to stay still in a world that presses us to rush. It is truly her home.
The little cottage by the sea, the changing light on the water, the rhythm of small towns – these details quietly teach that a good life isn’t built on speed or excess, but on presence and care.
Themes That Grow Gently With the Reader
Rather than spelling out lessons, 16 Paws lets its themes unfold naturally:
- Unconditional love, shown through the pack’s devotion to one another and their human
- Belonging, found in home, routine, and community
- Kindness, practiced in small, ordinary ways
- Wonder, rediscovered in gardens, kitchens, and coastal paths
- Resilience, expressed through joy, not fear
These are stories that meet children where they are – and continue to speak to them as they grow.
Reading Together, Living Together
Designed to be read aloud, 16 Paws becomes a shared experience between a fun-loving, safe, supportive adult and a child. The dogs’ voices invite play and expression – perfect for silly accents, laughter, and pauses to ask, “What do you think Bentley noticed here?”
The adult isn’t performing. They’re participating.
In fact, Jen often refers to her story as a “children’s book for adults”, much like the recent resurgence of coloring books for more mature audiences.
And the child isn’t just listening. They belong. The feeling of safety and joy is a memory about who read the story to them, and the experience they had, as much as it is about the fury pack of wonder. Everyone matters.
The PawPrint Pages: Where Story Becomes Life
Each chapter ends with a PawPrint section – an open invitation to linger a little longer.
Together, adults and children are encouraged to:
- bake a comforting recipe or sip a warm drink
- explore a bite-sized history connected to place
- Create art or write a story inspired by the chapter
- make a dog treat and include their own pets in the joy
These moments turn reading into a ritual and imagination into action. They say: Let’s do this together.
A Book That Holds Both Light and Awareness
While 16 Paws and A Special Kind of Grace is filled with whimsy, warmth, and joy, it is written by someone who understands the weight of the world. Jen does not create wonder because life is easy – she creates it because wonder is necessary.
This book quietly champions defiant joy – the idea that choosing beauty, kindness, and connection is a powerful response to hardship.
For children, this feels like safety.
For adults, it feels like relief.
A Special Kind of Grace
Grace, in this story, is not grand or distant. It lives in the small things:
a shared recipe,
a loyal pack,
a walk by the sea,
a story read aloud.
16 Paws and A Special Kind of Grace is a celebration of togetherness – between dogs and humans, adults and children, imagination and everyday life.
It is a book to return to.
A book to read slowly.
A book to share.
And long after the final page, its themes linger – quietly reminding us that joy, when shared, becomes something enduring.