Bats in Danger tells the story of Brownie the Bat. Her friends are dying. While Brownie is a creation of 5th-grade authors, her plight is not. Kaitlyn Desrochers visited Mammoth Cave when she was in 3rd grade. She learned about the effects of white-nose syndrome on the bats and the images spurred her into action. She partnered with a classmate, Kennedi Emery, who had helped author the year before a book about Sr. Lyn’s Beehives. Kennedi volunteered to work with Kaitlyn and write a children’s book. They wanted their friends to know why we need to save the bats. The two went out in search of a mentor to help them
They discovered a scientist and biology professor, Dr. Cassandra Miller-Butterworth, at Penn State Beaver. She is one of Pennsylvania’s leading bat experts. Kaitlyn and Kennedi see her as a superhero. They worked together to craft the story of Brownie and the difficulties facing bats, particularly in Pennsylvania.
Dr. B was close to their elementary school, Baden Academy, so Kaitlyn and Kennedi visited. While they were there, they got to see first hand the techniques she used with electrophoretic gel to extract and study DNA. Her research may help her and other scientists determine where the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome will spread next.
After their visit, Kaitlyn and Kennedi worked to edit and illustrate draft after draft of the storybook with Dr. B’s help. They used a green screen and photographed a stuffed bat in a variety of poses to begin to illustrate the book. Bats in Danger help them raise awareness and funds. All profits go to Bat Conservation International.
You can buy the book through Lulu at https://bit.ly/2LvdJvk . Kaitlyn and Kennedi would be thrilled to visit your classroom, library, or community event to share their story and read aloud their book.
About Baden Academy Charter School
This public charter school in Western PA works to inspire personal excellence. They cultivate the inherent gifts and talents present in all children by providing a curriculum which integrates the arts and sciences in a highly interactive, hands-on environment.
About Grow a Generation:
Grow a Generation partners with schools, classrooms, and students to make meaningful projects possible.
In The News
Beaver biology professor is the star of a book published by local fifth-graders
Beaver biology professor stars in a book published by local fifth-graders
