A New Literary Adventure
After moving to New York City post-graduation for a career in apparel design, Ferris State University alumna Maddie May Taracks has channeled her adventures in the Big Apple into a side project writing and illustrating the new children’s book “Milo’s Manhattan Adventure” that’s all about embracing the unfamiliar.
Taracks, a 2017 graduate of the Fashion Studies program at Ferris State Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, wanted the book to be a window into her own experience navigating the sprawling NYC landscape as a newcomer.
A Book that encourages adventure
The story follows Milo, a Brooklyn pup who dreams of adventure but is too afraid of the big city to follow his heart. That is, until one night he meets a group of city-wise rats who bring him along on a wild night that turns into the experience of his life. From the lights of Broadway to the hustle and bustle of the subway system and everything in between, Miloâs new friends show him that New York has much more to be awed by than in fear of.
The lessons on overcoming fear speak to the rats themselves, too. Taracks also hopes it can inspire young readers to adopt a more tolerant view of creatures that are widely regarded as unwelcome pests. After all, she says, New York City is their home as well.
Just like her book’s hero, Taracks found a new lease on life in stepping outside of her comfort zone. After landing her first job in the city with Tommy John, she discovered a latent love for the creative challenge of working in the intimate and lounge apparel space, where she remains today designing for brands Natori and Skarlett Blue.