Macmillan Children's Publishing Group announces partnership with Pinna

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, will partner with Pinna, the only on-demand audio entertainment service developed and curated exclusively for kids 3-12, to adapt the popular Pinna Original podcast QUENTIN & ALFIE’S ABC ADVENTURES, for a series of books for young readers, to launch in early 2023 with a hardcover picture book, with further books to follow in multiple formats.

Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe Award winning author Randy DuBurke will write and illustrate the books, which, like the podcast, will center around young Alfie and his super-cool 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.

The QUENTIN & ALFIE’s ABC ADVENTURES podcast is a Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner that tells the stories of five year-old Alfie and his babysitter Quentin, and their every day whimsical adventures filled with fun, friends, and lots of letter learning along the way! Each day, a magical sidewalk takes them to an exciting new location, from A(amusement park) to Z(zoo). The podcast, like the upcoming series of books, introduces preschoolers to the alphabet and early literacy learning in a developmentally-appropriate way, with a focus on exploration and fun.

"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.

''I am very excited about becoming a part of Pinna’s 'Quentin and Alfie’ family. The Quentin and Alfie’s ABC Adventures podcast is a fun, engaging way to bring young children the joys of learning,” said DuBurke. “I hope I can add to the growth of 'Quentin and Alfie’ by expanding the podcast into a series of entertaining, informative picture books.''

“It’s been such an honor to work with Pinna and Randy to bring Quentin and Alfie’s ABC Adventures to life in a fresh way, and we’ve had such fun blazing a new trail for books to meld with the kids’ audio space,” said Melissa Warten, associate editor with Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers. “The strong, supportive relationship between Quentin and Alfie, as well as the creative and encouraging approach to reading in everyday life, made this story feel so relevant to so many kids today."