Donovan Anderson, who penned the Annie and Izzie stories, is a follower of Christ, from Jamaica, a father of four, and a lover of science fiction.

The stories draw from the complexity of his experience and his desire to create children's literature that focus on both literacy and the black aesthetic for this generation and many to come. For example, Juniors Read title, Empress in the Place is a simple tale of friendship, fear and perseverance that could have been set anywhere. Using his imagination, Donovan used Empress in the Place to construct the world that enslaved Africans traveled after flying away to freedom in The People Could Fly.

Plus, he wanted to establish that Annie and lzzie, while flying high in this story, are not bound to the laws of nature. It is fiction after all.