Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of numerous books for children and young adults, including picture books, novels, works of historical fiction and nonfiction.

Her books have been awarded multiple Coretta Scott King Book Awards, Jane Addams Children’s Literature Honor citations, four NAACP Image Award nominations, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor medal, as well as several Parenting Publication Gold Medals, and American Library Association Notable Book citations.

Andrea was named one of the “25 Most Influential Black Women in Business” by The Network Journal, and is among “The 25 Most Influential People in Our Children’s Lives” cited by Children’s Health Magazine. She is the recipient of the Medgar Evers College Lifetime Achievement Award.

Andrea was selected to deliver the May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture. This honor recognizes her significant contributions to literature for young people provided through a body of work that brings a deeper understanding of children’s books and their impact.

In addition to her work as an author, Andrea has had an illustrious career as a children’s book publisher and editor. She has acquired and published a robust mix of titles by authors such as Christopher Paul Curtis, Allen Say, Marilyn Nelson, Sharon G. Flake, Lois Lowry and Toni Morrison.

During the course of her career, Andrea has launched many high-profile publishing and entertainment entities, including Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Publishing’s Jump at the Sun imprint, the first African-American children’s book imprint at a major publishing company; the hugely popular Cheetah Girls series, and the teen book Serving from the Hip by world-class tennis pros Venus and Serena Williams, an Oprah featured selection.

Andrea is a graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications and is a former member of the Newhouse School’s Board of Trustees. She lives in New York City with her husband, award-winning illustrator Brian Pinkney, and their two children.