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Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, will partner with Pinna, an audio entertainment service for kids 3-12, to adapt the Pinna Original podcast Quentin & Alfie’s ABC Adventures, for a series of books.
The planned launch is in early 2023 with a hardcover picture book with further books to follow in multiple formats.
The books, which, like the podcast, will center around young Alfie and his babysitter, Quentin, and their adventures on a fantastical sidewalk — making new friends and learning the alphabet along the way. Each book will place a strong emphasis on functional literacy, a loving Black male relationship between a boy and his babysitter, and finding extraordinary things even in ordinary days.
“This latest collaboration with Pinna has grown out of Macmillan’s long-standing history of publishing podcasts and supporting podcasting with its own networks,” said Kathy Doyle, Vice President, Content Development at Macmillan, which is among the only major book publishers with a dedicated podcast network.
“We’re excited to be partnering with the incredible team at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and celebrated author/illustrator, Randy DuBurke, to bring the world and our characters from Quentin and Alfie’s ABC Adventures to life in books. The series will deliver fresh new stories that immerse young children in literacy-based, play-along adventures that get readers looking for & learning about signs, symbols, words and more in all of the places where the magical sidewalk takes them. Collaborating with Randy and the team at FSG to bring this world and our characters to life in picture books and extend our stories in new directions is thrilling, ”said Maggie McGuire, CEO, Pinna.