The South Dakota girl whose appreciation for the Postal Service captured headlines at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic has written a children’s book about the experience.
“Sincerely, Emerson: A Girl, Her Letter and the Helpers All Around Us” will be published Dec. 8 by HarperCollins.
“It’s kind of crazy,” said the author, Emerson Weber. “This all started out with me just wanting to thank my mail carrier.”
In April, Emerson, 11, who lives in Sioux Falls, wrote a note of thanks to her letter carrier, Doug Scott, for collecting and delivering the letters she writes to her friends and family. Touched by the gesture, Scott shared the note with a supervisor, who then included it in a local USPS newsletter.
Before long, Emerson began receiving replies from postal workers across the nation. The story soon found its way to social media, where Emerson caught the attention of her idol, Taylor Swift, and others — including a HarperCollins editor who signed the young writer to a deal and put her book on the fast track for publication during the holiday season.
In addition to Emerson’s words, “Sincerely, Emerson” features colorful illustrations by Jaclyn Sinquett, including pictures of Scott.
“It looks like me. Too much gray hair, though,” he said with a chuckle.
Scott, who works at Southwest Annex, said he’s not used to being in the limelight, but he’s glad to be an important part of Emerson’s life and to help showcase USPS.
“It is good for the Post Office to get some good press. People can see what we do every day,” he said.
While Emerson appreciates the opportunity, she also wants to keep the attention on her inspiration: the Postal Service.
“It is really meaningful that this story is going to get out,” she said. “It really brings attention to postal workers. We really need them.”
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