Heather McCarthy

Heather McCarthy is a teacher, author, advocate, and humanitarian. Heather teachers seventh grade language arts in a suburb of Chicago. She also owns Someone Special Books, a company that creates picture books for children with special needs. The mission of the company is to spread the message of acceptance, awareness, and kindness for all children.

Someone Special Books was inspired by Heather’s daughter Maya who was born with a rare metabolic condition called Propionic Acidemia. When Maya was getting ready to attend preschool, Heather needed a way to explain her condition to Maya’s classmates, while also showing how Maya is just like everyone else. She designed Maya an “all about me” book. After seeing how helpful Maya’s picture book was, Someone Special Books was created.

Heather is actively involved in her community and supports many non-profit organizations. Heather has been awarded the Dr. Tereria Trent Award (2017), Community Supporter of the Year (2016), and Distinguished Women Excellence Award (2015). Someone Special Books was recently awarded an Autism Speaks Grant to continue to spread the message of acceptance for all children.