United States-based Palmetto Publishing has released After the Storm: The Power of Push and Pull, a new children’s picture book by educator and author Betty Faye Nugent.
The book is the latest entry in Nugent’s Backyard Adventures series, which introduces young readers to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) concepts through story, teamwork and spiritual reflection.
Story Overview#
The narrative opens on a Wednesday morning after a powerful storm has swept through the neighborhood and canceled school. Young Lina steps into her backyard to find a landscape buried under fallen branches and scattered leaves.
Rather than retreat indoors, she gathers her Treasure Box of Words, a small decorated box filled with vocabulary cards and definitions, and invites her friends Jackson, Maya and Sam to help restore the yard.
What starts as a cleanup becomes a hands-on lesson in science as the four children encounter the principles of force and motion in every task they tackle. As the friends push heavy branches, pull a stuck wagon and haul loads in a wheelbarrow, they begin to recognize the scientific concepts at work around them. Energy, force, direction and motion reveal themselves through the physical effort of the job.
The group includes a child with a prosthetic leg, and the narrative grounds its depiction of strength and ability in action rather than limitation.
Author’s Statement#
“I wrote this book because I wanted children to see that science is not something separate from their everyday lives or their faith. When a child pushes a branch or pulls a wagon, they are experiencing the same forces God built into creation. I want young readers to feel that wonder and to know they already have what it takes to explore and care for the world around them.”
Target Audience and Educational Alignment#
The book targets readers ages four through eight and aligns with early elementary science standards, including Next Generation Science Standards for force and motion. It is intended for use in classrooms, homeschool curricula and family read-aloud settings.
Nugent’s approach draws from her career teaching students from Kindergarten through college. The series integrates Christian faith with inquiry-based STEM learning.
Availability and Publication Details#
After the Storm: The Power of Push and Pull is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
- Title: After the Storm: The Power of Push and Pull
- Author: Betty Faye Nugent
- Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
- Publication date: 17 August 2026
- ISBN-13: 9798318819131
About the Author#
Betty Faye Nugent is an educator whose teaching experience spans Kindergarten through college. She integrates STEM into subjects such as Social Studies, Language Arts and Bible study, and is the creator of the Backyard Adventures series.
Nugent and her late husband raised four children, EAN, Jodi, Joy and Leishon, and have three grandchildren, Micaiah, Sariah and Seth.
Her social media profiles include Instagram accounts @above_and_beyond_education and @betty.nugent.71, and a Facebook page under the name Betty Faye Nugent.
