Library Partners with Museum to Create Picture Book About the Cutest Heavy Machinery Ever
Bethlehem Area Public Library (BAPL) in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania got started in creative publishing by producing two poetry collections, and they expanded their catalog with their first children’s title, TUG! In the picture book, an anthropomorphic tractor tow named Tug loves to help workers in a steel mill, but when the mill is closed, he must find a new sense of purpose as the city around him changes.
TUG! was created in partnership with the National Museum of Industrial History, which is located a few blocks away from the library in a 100-year-old former steel mill. The book was written to coincide with the museum’s commemoration event for the 25th anniversary of the last cast poured at the steel mill.
Children can read the book, then visit the inspiration for Tug, which is a real working tow tractor artifact at the museum. The concept for TUG! came from Mike Piersa, a historian for the museum, and the text was written by Catherine McCafferty, a youth services librarian at BAPL. McCafferty grew up in Bethlehem when the steel mill was still operational, so creating this book was very special for her.
When the museum held a commemoration event for the 25th anniversary, a former steel mill worker read TUG! to a group of children. Copies of the book can be purchased on the library’s website for $16, which includes shipping.
Want to learn to publish children’s books at your library? Grab a copy of Stephanie Katz’s Libraries Publish: How to Start a Magazine, Small Press, Blog, and More (Libraries Unlimited, ABC-CLIO, 2021).
