Kendall College of Art and Design
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Grand Rapids, MI 49503
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 a new children's book that's all about embracing the unfamiliar.
Maddie May Taracks
Taracks, a 2017 graduate of the Fashion Studies program at Ferris’s Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, created "Milo’s Manhattan Adventure" out of her own experience navigating the sprawling NYC landscape as a newcomer.
“New York City is overwhelming not only in scale, but also pace, and it can be hard to discover authentic, new things,” Taracks said. “What helped me, and what I wanted to mirror in my book, was going out of my way to connect with people who already were established here, who could take me along with them and help me find what this new city could offer me.”
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, Milo’s new friends show him that there’s much more in New York to be awed by than in fear of.
“While the magnitude of a city like this may not be something my young readers are toiling with, the message lends itself in the same way to starting new schools, joining a new club or team,” Taracks said. “Anywhere they are the outsider coming in.”
(above and below): excerpts from “Milo’s Manhattan Adventure” (images courtesy of
Maddie May Taracks)
The book’s lessons on overcoming fear apply to the rats themselves, too. Taracks also hopes her story 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.
"I believe if we lay the groundwork now for children to grow up understanding that all life and animals have value and spirit, that they can grow into adults that can implement change to help these animals,” Taracks said. “Will the need to eradicate rats from our cities go away? Probably not, but hopefully we can live in a world someday where we seek out new and innovative ways to humanely tackle these issues."
As for what influenced the sublimely illustrated cityscapes that fill the book’s pages—and its main character—with wonder, Taracks points to her own enchantment with New York and its many layers.
“I was inspired to create this story visually by the contrasts that exist within NYC,” she said. “It’s this rigidity of an urban jungle blended with the playful dance that exists in all the lights and colors that blend over top of it.”
(above and below): excerpts from “Milo’s Manhattan Adventure” (images courtesy of
Maddie May Taracks)
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.
“It’s an interesting balance between keeping things ultra comfortable and functional, and the aesthetic design elements,” Taracks said. “There are also just a lot of technical components and materials that all go into designing intimate apparel to consider for every style and size.”
Now, with one published children’s book under her belt, Taracks is looking forward to more opportunities to apply her creative skills outside of the fashion industry.
“So many things about the launch of this book surprised me, and I am more and more rewarded every day when I connect with new people over it and hear how much it resonates with my young readers,” she said. “Fashion has been a very rewarding career, but this experience has given me such a unique opportunity to share my art with so many new people in a unique and tangible way that really excites me.”
“Milo’s Manhattan Adventure” is available now on all major online bookselling platforms.