Who Will U Be?

It’s the annual “Find Yourself Field Trip” at Ms. Bracket’s School of Little Letters, and “u” couldn’t be more excited. She can’t wait to see all the ways letters are used in the world — they’re on everything from books to boats, from sidewalks to spaceships! And it’s starting to make her wonder one important question: Who will she be when she grows up? Set in New York City, this book is a love letter to my former home as well as a beautiful introduction to the world of fanciful letters. The story originates in Alphabet City (of course it does!) where the little letters attend school. The class embarks on a full day of exploration, meeting letters “on the job” and learning about all sorts of different places they may choose to end up when they’re older. Each “grown up” letter shares their passion and motivation for what they do, showing the little letters that who you become when you grow up is informed by who you are now and what makes you happiest. Ultimately, u learns that she has her whole life to figure out who she is meant to be, and that all she really has to be is herself.

While touring for my first two kid’s books, I loved showing children how fancy letters are all around us and that there are countless ways to draw the same set of letters. So aside from conveying an important lesson about staying in touch with what drives us as individuals to find happiness and fullfillment in life, I wanted the book to encourage kids to look at the world around them to see beautiful letters everywhere. You will love exploring your city and looking for everyday examples of beautiful letters “at work” on signage, in books, on graphic tees, and everything in between.