Background
Andrea Davis was born September 25, 1963 in Washington D.C., United States.
2018
Andrea Pinkney with her family
2018
Andrea Pinkney with her family
2018
Andrea Pinkney with her family
2018
Andrea Pinkney with her family
2019
Andrea with her husband, Brian, at the annual Evening of Readings & Gala Dinner Dance hosted by Literacy Partners at Cipriani Wall Street.
Andrea Davis Pinkney with Whoopi Goldberg.
Andrea with her husband, Brian
Andrea with her husband, Brian
Children's author Andrea Davis Pinkney speaks at the dedication of The Snowy Day stamps October 4 in New York City.
Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Pinkney graduated from Syracuse University in 1985 with a degree in journalism.
(A young reader's portrait of dancer and choreographer Alv...)
A young reader's portrait of dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey considers what the young Alvin might have thought and said and interposes facts about his life and dance theater.
https://www.amazon.com/Alvin-Ailey-Andrea-Pinkney/dp/0786810777/?tag=2022091-20
1993
(Describes the origins and practices of Kwanzaa, the seven...)
Describes the origins and practices of Kwanzaa, the seven-day festival during which people of African descent rejoice in their ancestral values.
https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Candles-Kwanzaa-Andrea-Pinkney/dp/0803712928/?tag=2022091-20
1993
(This is the story of Benjamin Banneker - his science, his...)
This is the story of Benjamin Banneker - his science, his politics, his morals, and his extraordinary correspondence with Thomas Jefferson.
https://www.amazon.com/Benjamin-Banneker-Andrea-Davis-Pinkney/dp/0152018921/?tag=2022091-20
1994
(Twelve-year-old Deirdre, whose passion for photography ha...)
Twelve-year-old Deirdre, whose passion for photography has earned her the nickname "Camera Dee," feels uncomfortable being the only Black student at her new school.
https://www.amazon.com/Hold-Dreams-Andrea-Davis-Pinkney/dp/0786811250/?tag=2022091-20
1995
(The true sweat-and-dirt tale of the feisty cowboy-child w...)
The true sweat-and-dirt tale of the feisty cowboy-child who became the most famous black rodeo performer who ever lived. Includes a note about the history of the black West and a bibliography. The true sweat-and-dirt tale of the feisty cowboy-child who became the most famous black rodeo performer who ever lived. Includes a note about the history of the black West and a bibliography.
https://www.amazon.com/Bill-Pickett-Andrea-Davis-Pinkney/dp/0152021035/?tag=2022091-20
1996
(As the new girl in town, Cass is desperate to join the ne...)
As the new girl in town, Cass is desperate to join the neighborhood jump-rope club, and, with the help of her loving brothers, she practices and struggles to learn how to do double dutch just like the other girls in the group.
https://www.amazon.com/Solo-Andrea-Davis-Pinkney-1997-06-02/dp/B01JXQUVKK/?tag=2022091-20
1997
(Another stunning picture book biography of a prominent tw...)
Another stunning picture book biography of a prominent twentieth-century African-American in the arts, from the creative team behind Alvin Ailey.
https://www.amazon.com/Duke-Ellington-Piano-Prince-Orchestra/dp/0786814209/?tag=2022091-20
1998
(It's summer vacation, and twelve-year-old Nell has gone u...)
It's summer vacation, and twelve-year-old Nell has gone upstate to spend a month with Aunt Ursa and Cousin Foley. Seeing Foley's best friend, Slade, puts a smile on Nell's face, even when she tries to stay cool. Nell is enjoying the lazy days of summer, especially Foley's antics and Slade's flirty talk until the boys surprise her with a frightening request. They want her to hide a pistol in her old dollhouse. Nell doesn't know what to do. Suddenly, she doesn't trust anyone, even herself. But when tragedy strikes, she knows she can't handle it on her own.
https://www.amazon.com/Raven-House-Andrea-Davis-Pinkney/dp/0544230167/?tag=2022091-20
1998
(Nell spends every summer with her aunt Ursa and cousin Fo...)
Nell spends every summer with her aunt Ursa and cousin Foley. This summer she finds she is strongly attracted to Foley's smooth-talking best friend, Slade. When Slade and Foley beg her to hide Foley's Raven .25, a pistol her cousin purchased in a gun-running scheme, Nell reluctantly agrees - even though the weapon scares her and hiding it means lying to her aunt. Nell is haunted by guilt when tragedy strikes and Foley runs away. Could she have prevented Slade's death? Should she have told Aunt Ursa what the two boys were up to? Seeking answers, Nell turns to her father, who must face his own conflicted feelings about his family and his past. In the end Nell learns the importance of making choices for herself, telling the truth, and about the healing power of a strong family.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152014616/?tag=2022091-20
1998
(Both 11-year-old Summer and her older brother Roscoe have...)
Both 11-year-old Summer and her older brother Roscoe have a "silent thunder" roaring through their souls. Summer yearns to learn letters, so she can read. Roscoe wants to join the Union forces and fight in the Civil War. But they are slaves in Virginia, and their wishes are forbidden. Their friend Thea says that silent thunder is something slaves have to keep private, but Summer and Roscoe can't resist their feelings. Before 1862 comes to a close, they both find unexpected allies who help them act on their desires. Now they must make difficult, painful decisions that will forever change their lives.
https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Thunder-Civil-War-Story/dp/B002LCSVPQ/?tag=2022091-20
1999
(Young readers will rejoice in a vibrant collection of cla...)
Young readers will rejoice in a vibrant collection of classic poems compiled to create a stunning tribute to one of the premier Black poets of all time.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786804645/?tag=2022091-20
1999
(A fascinating new series makes history come alive as Lett...)
A fascinating new series makes history come alive as Lettie, a 12-year-old slave living on a plantation in South Carolina, begins corresponding with Abraham Lincoln and continually implores him to free the slaves, and soon President Lincoln, overcome with conscience, drafts the Emancipation Proclamation. 25,000 first printing.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1890817600/?tag=2022091-20
2001
(Everyone agrees that Cutie LaRue is a perfect child excep...)
Everyone agrees that Cutie LaRue is a perfect child except at bedtime. She just isn't tired. Cutie's parents try absolutely everything to get her to bed-with disastrous results. But finally they discover Night Owl, a wondrous toy that takes Cutie on a fantastic journey to Dreamland.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152025448/?tag=2022091-20
2004
(Peggony-Po, a sailor boy who was carved from a piece of d...)
Peggony-Po, a sailor boy who was carved from a piece of driftwood and came to life, sets out to take revenge on Cetus, the biggest, meanest whale of them all who nearly took his father Galleon's life.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786819588/?tag=2022091-20
2006
(Rosa Parks took a stand by keeping her seat on the bus. W...)
Rosa Parks took a stand by keeping her seat on the bus. When she was arrested for it, her supporters protested by refusing to ride. Soon a community of thousands was coming together to help one another get where they needed to go. Some started taxis, some rode bikes, but they all walked and walked.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060821183/?tag=2022091-20
2008
(Coretta Scott King winner Andrea Davis Pinkney brings her...)
Coretta Scott King winner Andrea Davis Pinkney brings her talents to a brand-new Dear America diary about the Civil Rights Movement. In the fall of 1955, twelve-year-old Dawn Rae Johnson's life turns upside down. After the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, Dawnie learns she will be attending a previously all-white school. She's the only one of her friends to go to this new school and to leave the comfort of all that is familiar to face great uncertainty in the school year ahead.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HE2QFG/?tag=2022091-20
2011
(Born into slavery, Belle had to endure the cruelty of sev...)
Born into slavery, Belle had to endure the cruelty of several masters before she escaped to freedom. But she knew she wouldn't really be free unless she was helping to end injustice. That's when she changed her name to Sojourner and began traveling across the country, demanding equal rights for black people and for women. Many people weren't ready for her message, but Sojourner was brave, and her truth was powerful. And slowly, but surely as Sojourner's step-stomp stride, America began to change.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786807679/?tag=2022091-20
2011
(Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are three children with a lot ...)
Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are three children with a lot in common: they've all lost a loved one, they each have secret dreams, and they won't stop fighting for what they want. And they're also a lot like their hero, famed boxer Joe Louis. Throughout this moving novel, their lives gradually converge to form friendship, family, and love. Their trials and triumphs echo those of Joe Louis, as he fights to become the heavyweight boxing champion.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047Y0FLY/?tag=2022091-20
2011
(Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washingt...)
Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, A. Philip Randolph, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Barack H. Obama II are profiled in this volume that includes dynamic full-color portraits and spot illustrations by two-time Caldecott Honor winner and multiple Coretta Scott King Book Award recipient Brian Pinkney.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008UZIL8A/?tag=2022091-20
2012
(The recipient of a Coretta Scott King Book Award Author H...)
The recipient of a Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Honor, Andrea Davis Pinkney is the popular author of numerous picture books and young adult novels. Sit-In recounts the historic events of 1960, when four black college students attempted to integrate a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BTD7UL4/?tag=2022091-20
2013
(Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and spark...)
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and sparked a boycott that changed America. Harriet Tubman helped more than three hundred slaves escape the South on the Underground Railroad. Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The lives these women led are part of an incredible story about courage in the face of oppression; about the challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights; and about speaking out for what you believe in - even when it feels like no one is listening.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547906048/?tag=2022091-20
2013
(On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famo...)
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and his strong voice and powerful message were joined and lifted in song by world-renowned gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. It was a moment that changed the course of history and is imprinted in minds forever. Told through Andrea Davis Pinkney's poetic prose and Brian Pinkney's evocative illustration, the stories of these two powerful voices and lives are told side-by-side - as they would one day walk - following the journey from their youth to a culmination at this historical event when they united as one and inspiring kids to find their own voices and speak up for what is right.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316070130/?tag=2022091-20
2013
(New York Times bestselling and Coretta Scott King Award-w...)
New York Times bestselling and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney's powerful verse and Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist Shane W. Evans's breathtaking illustrations combine to tell an inspiring tale of one girl's triumph against all odds.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HQ2MXZK/?tag=2022091-20
2014
(Ella Fitzgerald began her life as a singer on the stage o...)
Ella Fitzgerald began her life as a singer on the stage of the Apollo Theater when she was just 17 years old. Her rich voice and vocal innovations brought her fame and a remarkable career than spanned half a century and won her generations of fans around the world. Acclaimed author Andrea Davis Pinkney has told Ella's inspiring story in the voice of Scat Cat Monroe, a feline fan whose imagined narrative sings with the infectious rhythms of scat.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IXX0F3I/?tag=2022091-20
2014
(The story of The Snowy Day begins more than one hundred y...)
The story of The Snowy Day begins more than one hundred years ago, when Ezra Jack Keats was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. The family were struggling Polish immigrants, and despite Keats’s obvious talent, his father worried that Ezra’s dream of being an artist was an unrealistic one. But Ezra was determined. By high school he was winning prizes and scholarships. Later, jobs followed with the WPA and Marvel comics. But it was many years before Keats’s greatest dream was realized and he had the opportunity to write and illustrate his own book.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BK0WT98/?tag=2022091-20
2016
Andrea Davis was born September 25, 1963 in Washington D.C., United States.
Pinkney graduated from Syracuse University in 1985 with a degree in journalism.
For her first job Pinkney worked as an editor of a home-decorating magazine. From there she moved to Essence, a publication geared toward African American women, where Pinkney headed the modern living section and wrote feature articles on family life, travel, and history. A move to book publishing found Pinkney working first at Simon & Schuster and Scholastic before signing on with Hyperion Books for Children. At Hyperion, Pinkney promoted the works of African American authors, gaining praise within the publishing industry and providing young black readers with books that promote and extol the many positive aspects of their heritage.
Many of Pinkney’s books have been biographies of notable African Americans. Pinkney augments her library research with trips to view her subject’s art and interviews close family members or acquaintances in order to place her subjects within the larger context of the African-American experience. Pinkney writes for a variety of age groups. She also writes young-adult novels based on her personal experiences as a pre-teen.
(A fascinating new series makes history come alive as Lett...)
2001(As the new girl in town, Cass is desperate to join the ne...)
1997(Peggony-Po, a sailor boy who was carved from a piece of d...)
2006(A young reader's portrait of dancer and choreographer Alv...)
1993(Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are three children with a lot ...)
2011(Twelve-year-old Deirdre, whose passion for photography ha...)
1995(New York Times bestselling and Coretta Scott King Award-w...)
2014(The recipient of a Coretta Scott King Book Award Author H...)
2013(Young readers will rejoice in a vibrant collection of cla...)
1999(Another stunning picture book biography of a prominent tw...)
1998(Describes the origins and practices of Kwanzaa, the seven...)
1993(This is the story of Benjamin Banneker - his science, his...)
1994(This is a moving story about two children crossing bounda...)
2003(Coretta Scott King winner Andrea Davis Pinkney brings her...)
2011(The true sweat-and-dirt tale of the feisty cowboy-child w...)
1996(It's summer vacation, and twelve-year-old Nell has gone u...)
1998(The story of The Snowy Day begins more than one hundred y...)
2016(Ella Fitzgerald began her life as a singer on the stage o...)
2014(Both 11-year-old Summer and her older brother Roscoe have...)
1999(Born into slavery, Belle had to endure the cruelty of sev...)
2011(Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and spark...)
2013(Everyone agrees that Cutie LaRue is a perfect child excep...)
2004(Nell spends every summer with her aunt Ursa and cousin Fo...)
1998(Rosa Parks took a stand by keeping her seat on the bus. W...)
2008(Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washingt...)
2012(On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famo...)
2013
Quotations:
"I wanted to show young people that taking a stand can be done by simply standing firm in your convictions."
"The best advice I can give to any aspiring author is to write every single day. Work at the craft of writing. Take it seriously."
"The blues have hope wrapped inside them."
"When I'm not writing or working on books as a publisher, I'm doing things that make me happy. One is skiing with my kids and husband. I love sports."
"I never leave home without my writing notebook, and get a lot of writing done in transit. One great place to create is while riding the subways of New York City, where I live."
"One of the challenges of wearing so many hats, is that I love each and every one of them!"
"As a publisher and author, I'm a big fan of historical fiction and also memoir."
"Like any working mother, I have to balance and manage my time very carefully. My children and husband come first, of course, then my work."
"One of the most refreshing changes I've seen in recent years is the blending of genres - the pushing past the hard-and-fast lines of specific publishing categories."
"I'm a true opera buff. Operas make the best stories."
Quotes from others about the person
“Pinkney’s rich descriptions of people, historical and geographical eras, the movement and emotional quality of various arts, and the use of colorful language variations vividly convey her message. Without sacrificing the complexity or authenticity of the lives she shares, Pinkney makes her work accessible to young readers.”
In 1991, Andrea married Brian Pinkney, a children’s book illustrator. They have two children.