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STEM children's book published by electric trucking mom
Daughter of Palos Hills resident writes book about "Elly the Electric Truck" to introduce young readers to the benefits of clean energy.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2024
Trucking Industry mom publishes STEM children’s book to inspire representation of women in trucking.
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Daughter of Palos Hills resident writes book about “Elly the Electric Truck” to introduce young readers to the benefits of clean energy.
Sparks, NV – Earlier this month, new children’s book author, Brittany Keith, introduced “Elly the Electric Truck” during her presentation as keynote speaker at the Women in Trucking Association Accelerate! Conference and Expo in Dallas, TX. Keith is the Manager of Service Programs and Training for the Tesla Semi Program in Reno, NV, and is the daughter of Palos Hills resident, Patti Mehallick.
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Most young children are fascinated by big trucks, and that same passion carried into the adult years of Brittany Keith. “I remember as a young child, waving out the window to the Mack trucks we passed on a highway because my grandfather and uncle worked for Mack in Hagerstown, MD,” recalls Keith. “If they honked back at us, it was absolutely thrilling.”
Keith’s own childhood enthusiasm and passion for trucks carried into her adulthood working in transportation most of her career. Having recently taken on the role of a new mother, Brittany has spent a great deal of time reading children’s books to her toddler-aged daughter. “A few things occurred to me about how vehicles and trucks were characterized in kids’ books,” explains Keith. “Most were male vehicle characters and all of them were gas or diesel powered. Of the truck books I have read to my daughter, none of them gave representation or empowerment to young girls.” So, she began writing “Elly the Electric Truck,” that was premier released and sold out at the Women in Trucking Conference.
The story features Elly, an electric powered semi-truck on an adventure to deliver toys. Her power source is explained in the content along with colorful illustrations made by Tanya Matiikiv, an artist in Ukraine, which shows Elly outrunning fuel powered vehicles and plugging in to recharge after a hard-day’s work. The early childhood book can be classified as STEM given it explains the positive environmental impact of electric powered vehicles and gives children a glimpse into how they operate and the value of trucking in general.
It is appropriate that Keith works in trucking, an area still dominated by male employees. While a young girl she played on Washington County, Maryland, all-boys athletic teams. Immediately after high school, she attended the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, where only about a quarter of midshipmen are female. She completed the Masters in Business Administration executive program at Duke. Prior to attending Duke, she worked for Volvo and Mack Trucks in Greensboro, NC. She comes from a family of semi-truck manufacturers, engineers, executives, and truck drivers.
“My career evolving into trucking was natural. I grew up feeling I could compete and feel comfortable in areas like trucking, typically held by men,” says Keith. “I felt Elly, being the heroine of my book, would spark an interest and open the minds of young girls and boys to see gender as a level playing field, while at the same time introducing the vehicle power of the future.”
This is Ms. Keith’s first publication with plans to expand Elly’s adventures in the future. Brittany, her husband, Jason and their 20-month-old daughter reside in Sparks, NV. Her mother, Patti Mehallick, works at Moraine Valley Community College in the Foundation office and is an adjunct business professor.
“Elly the Electric Truck” is sold on Amazon. For more information about the book and Ms. Keith, go to:
The views expressed in this release and in “Elly the Electric Truck” are that of Go Strong Publishing LLC and Brittany Keith. They have not been reviewed or approved by Tesla.
Contact: Patricia Mehallick
(708) 518-2288
Brittany Keith
(510) 501-5330
