Books on genetics for children, area coal history released
Recently published books with local connections include the children's book “Genetics with Nettie and Friends” and a historical volume on “Southwestern Pennsylvania's Coal Region.”
[naviga:h3]'Genetics with Nettie'[/naviga:h3]
Butler High School Class of 2016 graduate Erin Soule recently released her book “Genetics with Nettie and Friends,” a children's picture book for ages 5 to 8.
Along with Nettie and her friends, readers can learn about genetic disorders, including Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Soule, a senior biology/psychology major at Bowling Green University, wrote the book as her honors thesis and published it with a grant from her school's Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship.
She said she wrote the book to explore genetics in children's literature and encourage empathy in children by showing that people with genetic disorders aren't so different after all.
“In children, empathy development is shaped by experiences and exposure to people who might be different from them,” Soule said.“The cool thing about this is that these experiences do not always need to be real. Representation in literature and media is so important because it acts as a proxy for these exposures while still encouraging empathetic growth in a child,” she noted.The picture book was illustrated by Madeleine Burland, an aspiring art teacher.“Her art style is exactly what I was looking for (for) the illustrations, and it balanced the text really well,” Soule said.This is the second book Burland has illustrated.Soule is currently interviewing for admission to genetic counseling graduate programs.The 36-page hardcover book is available online for $15.50.
<h3>'Coal Region'</h3>In her new book, Marion Piccolomini describes Southwestern Pennsylvania's history of the coal, coke and steel industries that helped shape the region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.The recently published “Southwestern Pennsylvania's Coal Region” contains more than 150 images, including (on page 38) pictures comparing a mine entrance in use in its heyday and with the entrance closed after disuse.The 96-page softcover book is available from Arcadia Publishing for $23.99 online.The author, who was born and raised in the region, will have a meet-and-greet at 1 p.m. March 14 at the Westmoreland Historical Society in Greensburg.
