Dottie the Doubtopotamus

Meet Dottie, a hilarious and hugely relatable new picture book character whose runaway worries lead to big laughs—and an even bigger lesson about discovering the courage to try even when doubts get in the way!

Some days, Dottie is a hippo who handles things. Other days, Dottie is a hippo who hesitates.

She gets down in her doubts and worked up in her WHAT IFs. And once she starts feeling like a doubtopotamus, finding her way back isn’t always easy.

When Dottie is invited to her best best friend’s sleepover, her imagination begins spinning. What if she can’t fall asleep? What if she trips, falls, and gets her head stuck in a bucket? What if she . . . farts again, like at last year’s party?! As one worry leads to another, Dottie must decide whether everything that could go wrong is enough to keep her from going at all.

Funny, honest, and reassuring, Dottie the Doubtopotamus helps children recognize anxious thoughts, feel less alone in their worries, and understand that being brave does not mean feeling completely certain.

• MEET AN IRRESISTIBLE NEW CHARACTER: Expressive, endearing, and spectacularly prone to overthinking, Dottie is an adorably chaotic hippo young readers will recognize and root for.
• BIG WHAT IFS, BIGGER LAUGHS: Dottie’s imagination turns familiar childhood fears into increasingly ridiculous possibilities, balancing emotional honesty with laugh-out-loud humor.
• AN ACCESSIBLE LOOK AT WORRY: The story gives children language for doubt and anxiety without becoming clinical, heavy-handed, or preachy.
• BRAVERY WITHOUT PERFECT CONFIDENCE: Dottie discovers that she does not need every fear to disappear before she can make a choice and move forward.
• FOR CHILDREN FACING SOMETHING NEW: A helpful choice for parents and caregivers navigating kids’ sleepovers, parties, school events, and other unfamiliar situations. Ideal for those seeking books like Ruby Finds a Worry and Invisible Things to share with children who struggle with worry.