Dr. Andrea Carter may have settled into her retirement home in Henry County, but she is far from being retired.

In recent years, the career educator has embarked on a new venture that allows her to “stay in the conversation,” as she puts it, on a topic that is near and dear to her heart—student literacy.

“We have had students who have issues with literacy as long as I’ve been in education, which is more than 30 years,” she said. “I wanted to stay in the conversation not by being in the classroom but by providing tools that can be used in the classroom.”

In 2017, she authored and published her first “Pretty Pops” book, which was aimed at elementary students. The title character is an 8-year-old girl, and the name came from the nickname Dr. Carter gave her youngest daughter, now 22, when she was a child.

Dr. Carter’s storytelling is complemented by plenty of colorful illustrations that help young readers imagine themselves in Pretty Pops’ shoes. Relatability, inclusivity and diversity are among the things that make these books different, according to Dr. Carter.

There are currently eight books in the Pretty Pops series, and the writer plans to expand her repertoire to include books aimed at other ages, from middle school students through young adults. The goal is to get young people to read and enjoy it.

“The biggest thing is that students need to have texts they are interested in,” she said. “Our reading scores have dropped to a 30-year low, and we have yet to get back to pre-COVID levels. School leaders are trying to figure out what to do because students were out of the classroom for a couple of years. They have never seen this before.”

Having been an award-winning teacher as well as a school administrator, and taken part in boards and committees that decide which books an entire school district will make available, Dr. Carter has exactly the kind of experience that allows her to stay in the game when it comes to helping young people read. She started her own publishing company and plans to take her books across the United States.

For more information about Dr. Andrea Carter and her body of work, visit prettypopsworld.com.

By Monroe Roark