In May, an 11-year-old South Dakota girl, Emerson Weber, went viral after writing a letter to her mailman, Doug. Her sweet gesture has captured the hearts of many, so thousands of other mail carriers thanked her for appreciating how hard they work during these trying times. Soon, her story will be in a children's book.
Sweet gesture turned into a book
Emerson told TODAY via Skype why she needs postal service. She explained that since this year, she will be doing school virtually, she needs it to stay in touch with her friends. Now, HarperCollins is immortalizing her story into a children's book, which focuses on a love letter to the United States Postal Service. It will include the essential role of the mailman and other people who sacrifice their lives now that there is a pandemic.
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People need thanks
The soon-to-be Sioux Falls grade six student said that it is what the working people need right now. She explained that while these people pass by your house daily, they do not get to hear people's thanks because they do not see them a lot. She is happy to thank them because they are very grateful upon knowing that they are being appreciated. She explained that even though she did not write to them directly, they felt the connection.
Hugh Weber, the girl's dad, explained that not only did the mailman feel appreciated, but even their families have sent their gratefulness for his daughter. He said that they have heard from so many mailman family members whose parents were also a part of the US Postal Service. Weber added that the people felt seen in their work so it has become a pretty rewarding exercise now.
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Her love of writing inherited from her mom
Emerson has inherited her love of writing from her mother, who was also her fifth-grade teacher in writing. She shared that she has been writing letters for a while. Since third grade, she has been in a long time pen pals with her librarian, Mrs. Versteeg. Along with her pen pals Kristin and Sherry, the librarian was one of the real ones. She sometimes leaves little notes around her home too.
She already had six or seven pen pals even before her story went viral; now, it has reached 25. Emerson said that some people write to her and she writes back once or twice, but some stuck around her.
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Spreading the love
Hugh explained the significance of his daughter's viral story. He said the best thing people could do right now is to spread the love by writing letters and buy stamps. He also said the Emerson has a fond memory of the postal carrier of when she was younger, which made her fond of Doug.
He believes that this is a time when people need to be connected physically. For him, the postal service is one true non-partisan entity in the world because they serve people everywhere.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Emerson Weber (@sincerelyemerson) on Aug 20, 2020 at 8:45am PDT
On Thursday, HarperCollins announced that on January 5, 2021, it is releasing a picture book about Emerson's viral story. The title of the book is "Sincerely, Emerson." A description of the book reads that it is a story of gratitude, hope, and recognition for all the essential people we see every day who goes unnoticed.
