December 4, 2018

Minneapolis – ABDO (abdobooks.com), a leading educational publisher, is proud to announce the publication of the upcoming early chapter book series, Ana & Andrew. This four-book series, featuring siblings Ana and Andrew learning about African American history and culture, will be released in December as part of the ABDO Spring 2019 season.

Ana & Andrew is written for PreK–Grade 3 students as part of the Calico Kid imprint from the Magic Wagon division. Editor-in-Chief Paul Abdo says, “Series for young readers that not only highlight African American history, but also present that information from a child’s perspective are rare. We wanted to address that gap in a library’s collection.”

Written by Christine A. Platt and illustrated by Sharon Sordo, Ana & Andrew follows siblings Ana and Andrew Lewis as they travel with their family to learn about African American history and culture. In the first book, A Day at the Museum, Ana and Andrew visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture with their grandmother. There, they learn about civil rights leaders and other influential African Americans. Other books in the series discuss the history of Carnival and the first Black church in America.

Senior Art Director Candice Keimig states, “Our Magic Wagon division is dedicated to producing original titles that celebrate diversity, encourage inclusion, and inspire young readers. Ana & Andrew is a wonderful new addition to our collection.” All Magic Wagon titles are developed and managed in-house by the expert editorial and creative teams at ABDO.

Ana & Andrew is Platt’s debut children’s series. Her previous published work includes Dear Ancestors and The Truth About Awiti, both published under the name CP Patrick. She holds a B.A. in Africana Studies from the University of South Florida, M.A. in African and African American Studies from The Ohio State University, and J.D. from Stetson University College of Law. Platt currently serves as the Managing Director of The Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University.

This is Sordo’s first project with ABDO. She mostly works digitally, but she dabbles in ink and marker when she is feeling adventurous. Sordo loves to illustrate diverse characters and includes decorative plants and flowers whenever possible.

About ABDO

ABDO has been a leader in children’s educational publishing for school and public libraries since 1985, providing high quality nonfiction and fiction titles for children and young adults in grades PreK–12. The company is known throughout the industry for its excellence in both reading materials and customer service. For more information, visit ABDO online at abdobooks.com.