If you love something, why not write about it? Leah Wolf Hearst found herself asking and answering that question. She’s the author of a children’s book about her favorite San Francisco sweets shop, Bob’s Donuts.
“I feel like so much about life is following your passions and not being attached to the outcomes,” says Hearst. “And I think, for me, it took a little bit of guts and bravery to even walk into Bob’s and say, ‘I’m so obsessed with your business that I wrote a book about it.’”
“Bob’s Donuts for Breakfast” (Leah Wolf Hearst via Duck Duck Publishing, 38 pages, $19.99, August 2025) centers on two furry friends—a dog named Kovee and a squirrel named Chestnut (an ode to Chestnut Street in the Marina/North Beach)— who embark on a sensory-filled exploration in San Francisco.
“It’s a comedy of errors, with a dog and squirrel recklessly going through the most amazing city in the world,” says Hearst.
The characters stop by the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, the Painted Ladies, Chinatown and, of course, Bob’s.
Bob’s Donuts has been around for 60-some years, with its original store at 1621 Polk St. The local go-to spot is known for its vast menu, which goes beyond and includes usual suspects such as raised glaze, maple, chocolate, sugar; chocolate cake with sprinkles, cake crumb and chocolate and maple bars.
Owned and operated by the Ahn family since 1977, the business today has three locations: 1720 Polk St. on Nob Hill (as of February), 601 Baker St. in the Panhandle and 252 Almonte Blvd. in Mill Valley.
Hearst walked into the Mill Valley shop one day and shared news of her book.
“I said to them, ‘I wrote a story called “Bob’s Donuts for Breakfast.” What do you think about it?’ And they were like, ‘We love it,’” she says.
Hearst, a resident of San Francisco and Mill Valley, is a physical therapist, yoga teacher, ergonomist, personal trainer, mindfulness coach and founder of “Wolf of Wellness,” a business offering wellness services in corporate spaces.
Mindfulness, along with the power of imagination, played a role in the book’s development — and are key components of the book.
“Once you start getting the creative ideas, … there’s an itch in your mind that keeps wanting to go forward and move the dial on certain things, and so I kept feeling that with this,” says Hearst. “It’s really a story of transformation of me doing something for the first time and feeling this warmth of support to do it.”
Hearst has published guidebooks about travel wellbeing, massage guns and prenatal wellness, but “Bob’s Donuts” is her first children’s book. It’s 100% dedicated to her two sons, who are her “biggest inspirations.”
Working with Bob’s Donuts staff, Hearst put together a Donut Invention Contest, tasking contestants to “create the most unique, fantastical, magical donut.”
“I was honestly humbled and overwhelmed with inspiration by the contest, because I got to glimpse into the creativity of the young minds in San Francisco and how different everyone’s brains are—neurodivergence and how different people see different things,” she says.
The winner, Taste the Clouds, has blue vanilla icing, sprinkles and a heaping of marshmallows for clouds. Created by a youngster named Kylie, it’s featured in the book.
“I really had a moment where I fell back in love with San Francisco looking at the doughnut invention entries for Bob’s,” she says. “It’s just been such a positive experience.”
Ever supportive, the Ahns and Bob’s workers hosted the contest winner and had an in-store celebration featuring Taste the Clouds.
“I think so much about why this book was successful was Bob’s belief in me to do this. It’s truly this amazing sense of community,” she says.
Artist Anne Glove and Simon Friedberg, a creative director and photographer based in London, did the book’s illustrations.
Glove first created watercolor paintings of the characters. Friedberg, who used artificial intelligence as an efficiency tool to “flesh out the book,” Hearst says, based his illustrations on Glove’s renderings.
“It’s this amazing marriage of artists and technology,” she says. “It’s been a really fun, shared creative experience for us to put this together.”
Hearst has plans to do some book signings in Bob’s locations. In the meantime, there are plenty of opportunities to stop in for a treat.
Though a fan of the Froot Loops doughnut (strawberry icing topped with Froot Loops cereal) and cake doughnut varieties, Hearst’s all-time favorite, according to the description on Bob’s website, is a “heavy duty, apple-filled, frosted coated hunk of a donut that will scare away anyone who isn’t ready for some serious eating.”
“It depends on which hour of which day—my favorite doughnut oscillates. But I would say the apple fritter. It’s just amazing,” she says.
To preorder “Bob’s Donuts for Breakfast,” go here.