Friendship inspires children's book

Friendship inspires children's book

South Fayette resident writes and illustrates story

by Andrea Iglar

Natalie Lawrence Rush of South Fayette has self-published a children’s picture book.

“You Can Always Find a Way” was inspired by the true story of her family’s friendship with neighbors in the Winchester Woods community.

Natalie Lawrence Rush of South Fayette has self-published a children's book.

Submitted photo

Her daughters, Sophia and Sarah, had become buddies with the neighbor’s daughters, Isabella and Sofia. The Rush girls were sad when their friends moved cross-country due to their father’s Coast Guard transfer.

The book tells a similar tale.

“The story is really about friendship,” Ms. Rush said.

Image courtesy of the author

During the coronavirus pandemic, Ms. Rush completed her longtime goal of writing and illustrating a children’s book.

An art teacher in the Montour School District, she used colored pencil and chalk pastel to draw and color the illustrations.

“It’s pretty cool,” she said. “It’s still hard to believe, but it’s a great feeling to say to the world, ‘Hey, I did this. This is my work.’”

A swimming scene is among the illustrations in a children's book by South Fayette Township resident Natalie Rush.

Image courtesy of the author

The book is available in digital and paper formats by searching Amazon for “You Can Always Find a Way book.”

Ms. Rush plans to donate a copy to the South Fayette Township Library.