April 30, 2007

A Keswick woman is gaining national attention all because of her love of reading and promoting literacy for children.

Terry Doherty has always been an avid reader, and those genes have passed right along to her daughter, Katherine.

But she found early on that after trips to the library, the books her little one was picking up just didn't excite her enough to read.

"My sister-in-law said, why don't you start a website. You're reading all the time, why don't you write some reviews and see what happens," said Doherty.

So she got to work on her drawing board and came up with the idea of an online database of helpful reading hints for families.

Doherty said, "I played around with it, I found a do-it-yourself website service, and I created the Reading Tub back in October of 2003."

What started out as a hobby in the form of a blog would soon become Doherty's full-time web business.

"We help parents find books that aren't necessarily part of the things that they are going to see everyday or that the kids are already watching everyday," she said.

In 2004, Doherty teamed up with Cynthia Brian, another avid reader who started the "Be the Star You Are" campaign in San Fransisco.

"Be the Star You Are empowers families, women and youth through positive messages and showing them the power of reading and literacy," explained Doherty.

The team work and effort of both women got them national recognition on ABC's Good Morning America.

Doherty said, "Literacy is more than reading. It's comprehension, it's the understanding and it's the communicating. It's the one piece of homework at home that you can really compliment to strengthen your child's academic success."

For more information on The Reading Tub, click on the newslink section on this website.