Ana & Andrew series by Christine Platt, illustrated by Sharon Sordo

Book covers for four Ana & Andrew titles by Christine Platt, illustrated by Sharon Sordo

Siblings Ana and Andrew make their debut in four simultaneously published titles from Abdo. (In 2020 readers can look forward to an additional four titles in this series, as well as Spanish language versions of the first four.) Each title works as a stand alone and can be read in any order. Divided into four chapters, the text includes vocabulary and concepts targeting more confident readers, with many pages featuring 7-9 lines of text. Full color, digital illustrations appear on every page and provide visual support for some words. 

In Dancing at Carnival, the siblings visit their maternal relatives in Trinidad and learn about the origins of Carnival. “Many years ago, there were slaves on the island of Trinidad, just like there were in American,” Uncle Errol tells them. Their paternal grandmother comes to visit the siblings in Washington, DC in A Day at the Museum. She takes the whole family to the brand new National Museum of African American History and Culture. A trip to visit their father’s hometown encourages an oral sharing of the history of the construction of their church by slaves in Summer in Savannah. In A Snowy Day, the title that touches the least on history and culture, Ana and Andrew frolic in the snow with their neighborhood friends and wish their relatives in Trinidad could experience snow too.

Image of family and tour guide outside of the National Museum of African American History and Culture from A Day at the Museum by Christine Platt, illustrated by Sharon Sordo

This series excels at incorporating history and culture into fiction for developing readers, something not done often in the beginning reader world. For example, slavery is mentioned specifically in three titles. On the other hand, not all concepts are adequately explained in the narrative, which could cause confusion for some readers who may not be reading these books with a grown up who could explain the Underground Railroad or what “ancestors” means. An author’s note, glossary, or other back matter to provide more background knowledge would have been a helpful addition. Repetition of words and concepts, happens occasionally, but not as much as one would wish.

Grandpa telling Ana and Andrew about the Underground Railroad from Summer in Savannah by Christine Platt, illustrated by Sharon Sordo

At times the page turning dynamic is held back by mundane digressions that seem extraneous. Will readers really care to read four sentences about the black shutters and red door of a house, or want to read a recap of adventures they’ve just read about? One possible explanation is that these passages were added to achieve a particular word count.

These titles cover a lot of ground when it comes to racial/cultural representations. At the same time they also exhibit gender stereotypes. For instance, Ana is almost always depicted in a dress, in traditionally feminine colors with bows in her hair, and her doll always has a matching outfit. Another example comes after their visit to the museum and each family member is sharing what they enjoyed most. Ana says the dolls, while Andrew liked the old sports team uniforms. Similarly, Mama liked seeing how food was cooked in the past, a contrast to her husband who found learning about African American achievements the best part. 

Overall, although this series has some flaws, it also stands out in a field of contenders sorely lacking in diverse representations.  If I had to pick one, I’d say Dancing at Carnival is the most engaging of the bunch. Is there one title in this series that seems to rise above the rest for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.