Andrea Davis Pinkney is a best selling author acclaimed for the way she captures and brings to life moments and people from American history.
Andrea Davis Pinkney is our pick for March’s 2020 Author Study Challenge. You can of course do an author study at any time and at your own pace, but I’d love for you to join our free challenge!
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Andrea Davis Pinkney Author Study
Meet Andrea Pinkney
Andrea Davis Pinkney is an award winning, NY Times bestselling author of books for children and young adults. She also worked in children’s book publishing and editing. She lives in NYC with her husband (illustrator Brian Pinkney) and their two children.
Some Resources to Get to Know Andrea:
- Andrea Davis Pinkney’s Website: https://andreadavispinkney.com/
- Conversation with Andrea Davis Pinkey on YouTube (love what she says about growing up and having trouble learning to read).
- Watch this YouTube video of Andrea talking about her career.
- Another video of Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney speaking at the National Book Festival in 2013.
Books by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Andrea Davis Pinkney has not only written an impressive number of books but an impressive number of acclaimed and bestselling books. For the purposes of our author study, she has books from toddlers and up. The bulk of her books are for elementary schoolers and middle schoolers, but many of her picture books can also be enjoyed by younger children and her board books are good as well.
Board Books & Best Books for Younger Readers
Andrea and Brian (her husband) Pinkney collaborated on a series of board books for kids in the 90s that are still just as charming today. You can see the full list on her website.
Below in this section I’ve included the books I’d most recommend for kids under 5. I included a few by Brian Pinkney on his own to help round out the list since Andrea does tend to write more for first graders and up.
Watch Me Dance
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Pretty Brown Face
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Shake Shake Shake
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Sleeping Cutie
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On the Ball
by Brian Pinkney
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Max Found Two Sticks
by Brian Pinkney
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Hush, Little Baby
by Brian Pinkney
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Non-Fiction Picture Books about People
Andrea Davis Pinkney has written an impressive number of picture books. The vast majority celebrate the lives of African Americans. There is a huge range of people covered in her books, from people everyone would recognize like Martin Luther King to less known people like Bill Pickett and Alvin Ailey. I have included some favorite below – her full list of books in on her website.
A Poem for Peter
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Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Songs
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Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down
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Watch Online
You May Also Like: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson Author Study
Sojourner Truth’s Step-Stomp Stride
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Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
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Alvin Ailey
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Duke Ellington
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Also Read: Place to Start if You Want to Expand Your Bookshelves to Include More People of Color
Ella Fitzgerald
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Dear Benjamin Banneker
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Chapter Books for the Older Kids
If you have older kids participating in this author study Andrea Pinkney has also written a number of middle grade books. Again the full list is on her website, but I have included a few below.
The Red Pencil
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Bird in a Box
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Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
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Activities inspired by Books by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Andrea Davis Pinkney brings history to life. The activities below center on that theme, as well as loving who you are and where you come from which seems (to me at least) to be another theme running through her body of work.
General Author Study Ideas
Art Ideas
- Draw self portraits. Put a mirror in front of each child. Start with a pencil and paper and then add color.
Literacy Ideas
- Martin Luther King Jr Writing Prompt Printables from Sight and Sound Reading
- Compare Brian Pinkney’s HUSH, LITTLE BABY to Marla Frazee’s book also called HUSH, LITTLE BABY.
- I have a Dream writing and art activity from The Educator’s Spin On It.
- If you enjoyed A POEM FOR PETER – here are a whole array of ideas inspired by Ezra Jack Keats.
STEAM Ideas
- Listen to different kinds of music – blues. jazz. etc – from the biographies you’ve read OR for younger kids, listen to different versions of HUSH LITTLE BABY.
- Dance to different kinds of music like Alvin Ailey.
- Try fishing like the little girl in FISHING DAY.
Social Studies / History Ideas
- Famous Women Poster and Free Colouring Page or the Amazing Women Paper Doll Set from Adventure in a Box
- Women’s History Month Read Alouds and Activity ideas.
Culminating Projects
This is optional, but traditionally author studies end with some culminating or concluding project. These vary greatly and I encourage you to decide based on what appealed to you most about the books by Pinkney and the age of your children.
An idea or two to get you started:
- Music is a common theme in Pinkney’s work for all ages so have a musical celebration. Make instruments, learn dances or songs to sing. Have a dance party.
- Let your favorite book(s) inspire you to learn more about a person in history or an event from history. Loved the book about Duke Ellington? Find more books. Watch videos. Etc. Fascinated by SIT IN? Learn more about nonviolent protests or sit ins in particular. Maybe even come up with your own way to politely protest something you think should be changed.
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