Town of Qualities: Curiosity, Humility, Audacity, Delight, and Their Friends

Meet Curiosity, Hope, Envy, Humility, and their friends in The Town of Qualities, where 45 familiar traits and emotions become unforgettable characters through J. Ruth Gendler’s lyrical prose and original art.

The Town of Qualities is a completely new companion to J. Ruth Gendler’s beloved The Book of Qualities. Like the original, it brings human attributes to life as vivid characters, this time pairing Gendler’s lyrical writing with her original monotypes. Serious and playful, subtle and surprising, each brief portrait can be read on its own or shared aloud with friends.

The Qualities exist inside and outside all of us, in different degrees and combinations. By encountering our attributes as characters who interact with one another and with us, we can see ourselves with greater perspective and compassion, befriend both our positive and difficult traits, and perhaps feel less alone and more connected to others.

Beautifully illustrated and designed to be dipped into again and again, The Town of Qualities offers wisdom, comfort, humor, and inspiration for moments of growth, celebration, transition, and reflection. No familiarity with The Book of Qualities is necessary to enter the town.