The Invisible Alphabet

JOSHUA DAVID STEIN is a James Beard Award–winning author, journalist, and editor. His previous books include Notes from a Young Black Chef and My America, both with Kwame Onwuachi; Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing, with Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper; Dad, What’s for Dinner? with David Nayfeld; and many others. He has also written many children’s books, including Make New Friends, which was named one of the best children’s books of the year for 2025 by The New York Times. His writing has appeared in Esquire, New York, The New York Times, Financial Times, and elsewhere. He lives in Brooklyn.

Ron Barrett is the illustrator of the classic Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, written by his wife Judi Barrett. They also collaborated on Pickles in Pittsburgh. He lives in New York City.