Coeur d'Alene unveils Stewy statue, celebrating literacy and community

Students, teachers and parents stood in the cold rain at McEuen Park as Coeur d’Alene unveiled a bronze statue honoring Stewy, the therapy dog whose story helped drive a literacy effort that has now given away more than 16,000 books to kids and families. The ceremony turned a park entrance into a public celebration of reading, memory and local art, with one small sculpture carrying a message far larger than its size.

Stewy’s story began with Kristin Cooper-Herby, who started publishing the Stewy Baby books after her own daughter struggled with reading. What started as a personal project grew into a seven-book series built around humor, kindness and gentle life lessons told from Stewy’s point of view. The books have found a following in schools and with families, and teachers say they help children get excited about reading instead of treating it like a chore.

The work has spread well beyond Coeur d’Alene. Stories With Stewy says the certified therapy dog’s reading program has traveled to more than five states and reached more than 15,000 children since 2015. The new statue gives that effort a permanent home in a city park already busy with children, trail users and visitors heading to Tubbs Hill and the Centennial Trail.

City arts records show the statue had been in motion for months before the unveiling. On May 27, 2025, the Arts Commission discussed placing it at the McEuen Park playground entrance, the 12th Street entrance to Tubbs Hill or downtown in front of Hudson’s Hamburgers. City Administrator Troy Tymesen favored the McEuen Park playground site because of the number of children there, and artist Terry Lee asked for a steel stand about four feet high so the statue could be bolted in place. Cooper-Herby also requested a sign written from Stewy’s perspective, similar to signage at the dog park.

The result adds another stop to a growing outdoor gallery around McEuen Park, where other Terry Lee works already include The Idaho Farmer, The Idaho Lumberjack and The Miner. Sponsored by Eve Knudtsen of Knudtsen Chevrolet, the Stewy statue ties public art to private philanthropy and a reading mission that has moved from story time into city landmarks, school visits and children’s hospitals. A new Stewy book set in Costa Rica is also on the way, extending a local effort that has already reached far beyond North Idaho.