Palmetto Publishing Releases Betty Faye Nugent's Faith-Based STEM Picture Book for Young Readers

Newly published by Palmetto Publishing, After the Storm: The Power of Push and Pull blends early science concepts with friendship and faith as four children explore force and motion in a post-storm backyard adventure.

CHARLESTON, S.C., Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 concepts through story, teamwork, and spiritual reflection.

The story 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 beloved 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. Together, the four friends must find ways to solve real problems and finish a job that feels bigger than any one of them, discovering along the way that the forces shaping their world carry a deeper purpose.

Betty Faye Nugent stated, "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."

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 positioned for use in classrooms, homeschool curricula, and family read-aloud settings. Nugent's approach draws from her career teaching students from Kindergarten through college, and the series occupies a space alongside titles such as Andrea Beaty's Rosie Revere, Engineer and the Magic School Bus series, while distinguishing itself through its integration of Christian faith with inquiry-based STEM learning.

After the Storm: The Power of Push and Pull is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. For more information about the author, please visit any of their social media platforms.
Instagram: @above_and_beyond_education
Instagram: @betty.nugent.71
Facebook: Betty Faye Nugent 

About the Author: Betty Faye Nugent is an educator whose teaching experience spans Kindergarten through college, giving her a rare depth of understanding of how children learn at every stage. She is passionate about integrating STEM into subjects like Social Studies, Language Arts, and Bible study, always seeking creative ways to make learning exciting, relevant, and rooted in purpose. As the creator of the Backyard Adventures series, she has established herself as a distinctive voice in faith-based STEM picture books for young readers.

Betty Faye's love of teaching and storytelling converge in her writing, where she crafts stories that show children the wonder of God's design in the natural world. Her latest book, After the Storm: The Power of Push and Pull, grew from her belief that scientific ideas like force and motion are best understood when they unfold naturally within real-life experiences. By weaving STEM concepts into relatable adventures with beloved characters Lina, Jackson, Maya, and Sam, she encourages young readers to think like scientists while exploring creation with gratitude and curiosity. Her books align with early elementary science standards, making them ideal for classrooms, homeschool lessons, and family reading alike.

When she is not writing or dreaming up new backyard adventures, Betty Faye draws daily inspiration from her family. She and her late husband proudly raised a family that has grown to include four children—EAN, Jodi, Joy, and Leishon—and three grandchildren—Micaiah, Sariah, and Seth—who fuel her love of discovery and remind her that the best learning begins with wonder.

About the Book:

Title: After the Storm: The Power of Push and Pull
Author: Betty Faye Nugent

Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
Publication date: 8/17/2026
ISBN-13: 9798318819131

SOURCE Palmetto Publishing