BOSTON, Massachusetts - January 29, 2015–Donovan and Mindelyn Anderson today announced the launch of their company and blog, Juniors Read. They further announced plans to launch a book series to promote literacy, culture and education. Juniors Read is dedicated to educating and empowering young black girls between the ages of 2-9 years old, through love, literacy and culture. Donovan and Mindelyn Anderson, collectively penned Juniors PhD., came up with the name because they are both juniors. Donovan was named after his father and Mindelyn was named after her mother. Mindelyn obtained her PhD from John Hopkins University and Donovan is completing his PhD at UNC-Chapel Hill. Hence, the name Juniors PhD. The duo are not just authors, they are also parents to a set of twin girls, Olivia and Vivian. After the birth of their daughters, they realized that there were not many positive images that their daughters could relate to that not only resembled their own culture and uniqueness, but that they could connect with through story images. With a vision to empower young black girls within a forum that taught them to read, served to empower them and provided a platform of support to parents and caregivers, the duo created Juniors Read. The blog is filled with reference tools, book and product reviews and information focused on raising young black girls. It opens a discussion on many topics such as black dolls, toys and games; clothing; hair and body; and highlights role models and figures in the entertainment industry; along with featuring other children book reviews, and links to related content.
Juniors Read is preparing to launch their own 10-book series that shows black girls as lead characters, with their own twins as the inspiration. The primary goal of the collection is to promote literacy within the African American community with a focus on providing fun, exciting and positive examples that young black girls can connect with. The collection focuses on literacy through the fun presentation of the 220 sight words (dolch words) that are most frequently used. It is an exciting blend of imagery and rhyme making it a unique addition to the fabric of children’s literature. The stories are educational, culturally relevant and heart-warming. They send the reader on fun new adventure with fraternal twin characters Annie and Izzie. The books highlight their different personalities, talents and qualities. The twins grow as they learn about real life obstacles such as overcoming fear, success and failure, realizing their talents, embracing and loving their own cultural uniqueness, spirituality and prayer, and making choices and smart decisions.
As the company prepares to launch the 10-book series, they are preparing a Kickstarter Campaign to help raise funds towards completing the illustrations for the book series. The duo has commissioned illustrator Guy Wolek who is a wonderful and enthusiastic artist, with his own popular book series, to help bring their vision to life. “We want to invest in one of the best illustrators in the market in order to create a book series that can last for multiple generations.” says Donovan Anderson. He further adds, “We commissioned Guy to use his unique style, he is masterful at facial expressions and simplicity, to bring to life the worlds that our characters find themselves in.”
The couple plans to launch the Kickstarter Campaign in February of 2015 and will keep fans and supports updated through their website and their Facebook page.
Contact Information:
Company Name: Juniors Read
Media Contact: Donovan Anderson
Email: juniorsread@gmail.com
Website: www.juniorsread.com
