Our Story

Kerin Reilly is a New Jersey resident who spent her career in Higher Education. Dakota Bear Books has been a dream project since she wrote the original story in 1997. Without the essential illustrations, the book was left unfinished for years until her daughter, Dakota Whalen, the book’s namesake, now a mother herself partnered with Kerin to complete this beloved family project. Two more Dakota Bear books are currently in the works as the story continues. The mother-daughter duo has been having so much fun bringing this character to life and sharing her with the world.