Helen Docherty
Author of The Snatchabook
Works by Helen Docherty
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Short biography
- [excerpted from author's website]
My family was from Wales, and I inherited from them a love of stories. As a child, I spent a lot of time either reading or writing stories. From the age of about six I started making books with my own stories and pictures in them (and even a monthly magazine for witches, called WHOOSH). I took this very seriously, and if you'd asked at the time I would have told you that I wanted to be an author when I grew up.
I went to Newcastle University in the north of England to study French and Spanish, and in between being a student there I spent time in France, Spain and Cuba. After graduating, I trained as a secondary school teacher and headed out to Mexico City with an open ticket and no job. Luckily, I found a job teaching French in an International school, and I ended up staying in Mexico for four years, before returning to the UK to do a Masters in Film and Television Production at Bristol University. After a lot of fun helping young people in Bristol make films (but not making much money), I returned to teaching for a few years, working with refugees and asylum seekers and then teaching Spanish at the University of the West of England.
I got married in 2008, and we now live in Swansea, Wales, with our two daughters and a dog.
Looking back, I'm glad that I ended up learning languages, living abroad and working for many years as a teacher… before I finally became an author! Nowadays, I love going into schools to tell my stories to children and inspire them to write stories of their own. - Birthplace
- Weymouth, Dorset, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales, UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- UK
Members
Reviews
A Book Review- The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty, Author and Illustrator, Thomas Docherty. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; Illustrated edition (October 1, 2013)
“Tap! Tap! The noise came really fast. Before they looked around, the book was gone–without a sound.” In the long dark autumn evenings in Burrow Down, a terrible thing was happening–storybooks are disappearing even as they are being read. Author Helen Docherty and her husband illustrator Thomas Docherty combine their talents for show more a second time in this rhyming picture book. (They previously co-authored Ruby Nettleship and the Ice Lolly Adventure, which Thomas also illustrated (2010).)
Written in rhyming couplets gathered in quatrains and six-line stanzas, The Snachabook is Helen’s first venture into rhyming stories. The effort is a resounding success that begs The Snatchabook to be read out loud: “Her curtains opened, just a chink. She barely had time to blink. Her storybook just disappeared! Eliza Brown found that very weird.”
Not only did Eliza Brown’s storybooks disappear, but they were vanishing from every den, burrow, warren, and hideaway in Burrow Downs. Eliza is determined to solve the mystery of what or who is absconding with all the bedtime storybooks.
If Helen Docherty’s rhymes add joy to the story’s language, Thomas Docherty’s Illustrations convey a depth of emotions and information far beyond the text. Most of The Snatchabook is rendered at night and although the moon is cold, white and full, it only illuminates a glimpse of something strange with wings and a long peculiar tail. With a green hue added to the dark blue night sky, thin black clouds streaking across the sky, and leaves blowing wildly off the nearly bare trees, his illustrations recall an autumn night as imagined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Madeleine L’Engle or Snoopy–it was indeed a dark and stormy night.
The warm, rich reddish brown earth surrounds the setts, dens, burrows, warrens, and other homey hideaways that are colored in warm yellows and oranges contrasting with the cold sky. The rounded images, together with bright cozy comforters, fluffy pillows, and hooked rugs on the floor, further the distinction between the safe and snug homes and the scary night. But is it really safe?
“The wind blew wild across the sky. The smallest squirrel heard a cry. ‘What’s that?’ she whispered to her dad. But then - and this was really bad–before they’d had a chance to look, she’d lost her very favorite book.”
In one of the few daylight scenes in the book, the residents, badgers, squirrels, rabbits, owls, and hedgehogs of Burrow Downs gather in the village green. The worried expressions, hand gestures, and the segregation of each household, along with several insightful thought bubbles, reveal neighbors suspecting neighbors. The community is rife with rumor and suspicion.
As Eliza Brown watches this scene in dismay, she decides that the mystery must be solved without delay. She devises a plan and baits a trap that very night. The tension reaches its height when after waiting most of the night Eliza sees a huge monstrous shadow with pointed ears that stretches from her bedroom window to the large stack of books, the bait. Although telling herself she is not scared, she is terrified - the reader not so much. Thomas Docherty has by now shown enough cameos of the creature that it is obviously neither large nor monstrous. And, what kind of scary fiend would leave behind a trail of fairy dust and stars?
After Eliza Brown challenges the book thief, the little snatchabook introduces himself, and the sequence of simple illustrations - that may be the best in the book- tell the story: Eliza’s surprise, the little snatchabook’s sorrow and contriteness, and finally Eliza’s compassion as she sets the little fellow on her knee and listens to his sad confession.
The Snatchabook is a charming rhyming picture book that is neither trite nor shallow. Although probably enjoyed most by the pre-K, kindergarten, and first-grade crowd, older children will probably like reading this out loud to younger children. Adults will also enjoy reading, which is a bonus as it has an excellent chance of becoming a repeat request for a bedtime story. show less
“Tap! Tap! The noise came really fast. Before they looked around, the book was gone–without a sound.” In the long dark autumn evenings in Burrow Down, a terrible thing was happening–storybooks are disappearing even as they are being read. Author Helen Docherty and her husband illustrator Thomas Docherty combine their talents for show more a second time in this rhyming picture book. (They previously co-authored Ruby Nettleship and the Ice Lolly Adventure, which Thomas also illustrated (2010).)
Written in rhyming couplets gathered in quatrains and six-line stanzas, The Snachabook is Helen’s first venture into rhyming stories. The effort is a resounding success that begs The Snatchabook to be read out loud: “Her curtains opened, just a chink. She barely had time to blink. Her storybook just disappeared! Eliza Brown found that very weird.”
Not only did Eliza Brown’s storybooks disappear, but they were vanishing from every den, burrow, warren, and hideaway in Burrow Downs. Eliza is determined to solve the mystery of what or who is absconding with all the bedtime storybooks.
If Helen Docherty’s rhymes add joy to the story’s language, Thomas Docherty’s Illustrations convey a depth of emotions and information far beyond the text. Most of The Snatchabook is rendered at night and although the moon is cold, white and full, it only illuminates a glimpse of something strange with wings and a long peculiar tail. With a green hue added to the dark blue night sky, thin black clouds streaking across the sky, and leaves blowing wildly off the nearly bare trees, his illustrations recall an autumn night as imagined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Madeleine L’Engle or Snoopy–it was indeed a dark and stormy night.
The warm, rich reddish brown earth surrounds the setts, dens, burrows, warrens, and other homey hideaways that are colored in warm yellows and oranges contrasting with the cold sky. The rounded images, together with bright cozy comforters, fluffy pillows, and hooked rugs on the floor, further the distinction between the safe and snug homes and the scary night. But is it really safe?
“The wind blew wild across the sky. The smallest squirrel heard a cry. ‘What’s that?’ she whispered to her dad. But then - and this was really bad–before they’d had a chance to look, she’d lost her very favorite book.”
In one of the few daylight scenes in the book, the residents, badgers, squirrels, rabbits, owls, and hedgehogs of Burrow Downs gather in the village green. The worried expressions, hand gestures, and the segregation of each household, along with several insightful thought bubbles, reveal neighbors suspecting neighbors. The community is rife with rumor and suspicion.
As Eliza Brown watches this scene in dismay, she decides that the mystery must be solved without delay. She devises a plan and baits a trap that very night. The tension reaches its height when after waiting most of the night Eliza sees a huge monstrous shadow with pointed ears that stretches from her bedroom window to the large stack of books, the bait. Although telling herself she is not scared, she is terrified - the reader not so much. Thomas Docherty has by now shown enough cameos of the creature that it is obviously neither large nor monstrous. And, what kind of scary fiend would leave behind a trail of fairy dust and stars?
After Eliza Brown challenges the book thief, the little snatchabook introduces himself, and the sequence of simple illustrations - that may be the best in the book- tell the story: Eliza’s surprise, the little snatchabook’s sorrow and contriteness, and finally Eliza’s compassion as she sets the little fellow on her knee and listens to his sad confession.
The Snatchabook is a charming rhyming picture book that is neither trite nor shallow. Although probably enjoyed most by the pre-K, kindergarten, and first-grade crowd, older children will probably like reading this out loud to younger children. Adults will also enjoy reading, which is a bonus as it has an excellent chance of becoming a repeat request for a bedtime story. show less
I don't even know where to start. I am impressed with so many aspects of The Storybook Knight and love it for so many reasons, not the least of which is its message that unconventional approaches to problems can yield wonderful results. Leo's parents are very insistent he try something new in life (which is good) and send him off to fight a dragon (not so good). Leo encounters a few adversaries along this journey but "vanquishes" them by reading them stories rather than stabbing and such.
I'm show more also a fan of the sentiment that messes must be cleaned up before one can relax and enjoy books. This is a wonderful, beautiful book that I hope to add to my library soon, as I was afforded a digital copy by the publisher via NetGalley for review. show less
I'm show more also a fan of the sentiment that messes must be cleaned up before one can relax and enjoy books. This is a wonderful, beautiful book that I hope to add to my library soon, as I was afforded a digital copy by the publisher via NetGalley for review. show less
Anyone can feel overstimulated by things that don't bother someone else, and that is OK. This lovely rhyming illustrated book shows that sensory overload and stressors can be countered by simple personal physical coping mechanisms because self-stimulating blocks and distracts. And that is more than ok!
The illustrations by Taylor Barron are simple, perfect in bright colors, and definitely add to the prose.
Well suited for reading WITH someone any age including ESL, and great for gifting to show more everyone, but especially to a school, waiting room, or your local public library. Pub Date Sep 30, 2025
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected readers' proof on Thorium PDF from Moon + Bird | Moon & Bird via NetGalley. ***** review #bookbub #goodreads #storygraph #LibraryThing
#MakeitAllGoAway by @helendochertyauthor and @tbeardraws #NetGalley @moonandbirdbooks #childrensbookillustration #kidlit #ParentingTools @childrensbookcouncil #BooksForKids #comfortingbehaviors #ChildrensBooks #MindfulParenting #sensoryoverload #copingmechanisms
#bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk show less
The illustrations by Taylor Barron are simple, perfect in bright colors, and definitely add to the prose.
Well suited for reading WITH someone any age including ESL, and great for gifting to show more everyone, but especially to a school, waiting room, or your local public library. Pub Date Sep 30, 2025
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected readers' proof on Thorium PDF from Moon + Bird | Moon & Bird via NetGalley. ***** review #bookbub #goodreads #storygraph #LibraryThing
#MakeitAllGoAway by @helendochertyauthor and @tbeardraws #NetGalley @moonandbirdbooks #childrensbookillustration #kidlit #ParentingTools @childrensbookcouncil #BooksForKids #comfortingbehaviors #ChildrensBooks #MindfulParenting #sensoryoverload #copingmechanisms
#bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk show less
The Storybook Knight by Helen Docherty is a great book for young readers. It is very cute and clever. I think this would be a great book to read aloud to children, especially those who are reluctant readers. This book helps show them that reading can be fun if you find the right book for you. I believe this book also has an underlying message that shows you that violence could be avoided with more education. I would recommend this book to be in any classroom or home.
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- Works
- 24
- Members
- 1,224
- Popularity
- #20,979
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 34
- ISBNs
- 83
- Languages
- 14