A major American milestone was the perfect time for Studyville founder Amanda Martin to write her first children’s book

Authoring a children’s book was never Amanda Martin’s goal when she began her career, but she has wholly embraced the process.

Just in time for America’s 250th birthday, her new release Henry the Star-Spangled Spaniel follows a familiar character from her local tutoring service and non-traditional microschool, Studyville.

Henry was inspired by Martin’s own curious Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and was born from a work-related brainstorm. While developing curricula, Martin and her team noticed a lack of resources for elementary civics education, so they created their own kid-friendly approach to teaching both literature and civics. Their custom decodable books—early reading tools designed to help with phonics and comprehension—included a cuddly character named Henry. The four-legged friend soon became a favorite both in Studyville classrooms and at education conferences, inspiring Martin to take her stories to the publishing company Simon & Schuster.

“I can say he’s kid-tested by about 4,000 students, and he is beloved by all of them,” Martin says.

Henry the Star-Spangled Spaniel follows the title character as he discovers that he shares a birthday with America—and that his new birthday present is a time-traveling doghouse. Whisked away from the present day in a red, white and blue firework-studded gust of wind, Henry is transported back in time where he witnesses the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the end of the Revolutionary War and the signing of the Constitution.

As the mother of two boys, Martin was already familiar with children’s books about her sons’ favorite subject: American history. However, she found that many history books for young children are now outdated, making it difficult for this generation of students to relate to them.

“We’re going to end up in a place where a teacher needs to teach civics to a kindergarten class, and she’s not going to have a book to read,” Martin explains of her motivation to develop the Henry stories. “This is a story they’re going to remember, and I love the idea that they’re going to be celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with Henry. There’s going to be a 4- or 5-year-old who gets the Henry book, and they’re going to understand because stories and characters come alive to them. And that’s how they learn.”

This article was originally published in the July 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.