Wendy Piersall, Chicago-based CEO and editor-in-chief of Woo! Jr. Kids Activities will continue to oversee the Woo! Jr. brand, with plans to publish 6-12 books per year. In addition, Piersall will take on the new role of Director of Business Development at Mango, licensing new products and developing new partnerships. 

The acquisition follows a partnership between Mango and Piersall that began during the pandemic when Mango was in the process of developing the DragonFruit imprint. “Our missions and values are very similar—we both put a premium on education, diversity, and activism.  As we started to work together, it became clear that Wendy’s SEO experience would enhance our predictive analytics,” said Mango founder and CEO Chris McKenney. “We’re thrilled that Wendy will be Mango’s first Director of Business Development, where she will impact the entire Mango group.  She’ll also be able to help our team with other evolving publisher partnerships and acquisitions.” Mango’s sales grew by 75% in 2020 and the company aims to continue that pace into 2021.

Piersall developed online success offering educational activities she created to keep her own kids busy and off the screen while she worked at home. With more than 55 million visitors to date downloading activities from her Woo! Jr. site, Piersall began turning them into books and selling them on Amazon.  

“The direct-to-reader focus and international reach of Mango combined with the millions of visitors we get each year on the Woo! Jr. site is a winning combination that will translate into higher international and e-commerce sales,” said Piersall, whose site averaged 3.5 million users over the past 12 months. 

DragonFruit publishes children’s books that celebrate inclusivity, educate, entertain & inspire kids worldwide. “I’m excited that Woo Jr. and DragonFruit will work together to continue sparking children’s creativity and encouraging their development in a myriad of ways,” said M.J. Fievre, Mango’s Director of Global Editions and Juvenile Publishing. A native of Haiti, Fievre says she appreciates what this collaboration means in terms of fairness, inclusivity, and sustainability. “Together, we’re building for the future—we’re capitalizing on our knowledge of analytics and innovation to break down barriers and ensure diverse and inclusive literature is accessible for young readers everywhere.”