Ashley Bryan (1923–2022), award-winning children’s author and illustrator
legacy.comAshley Bryan wrote and illustrated award-winning children’s books including “Beat the Story-Drum, Pum Pum” and Beautiful Blackbird.”Bryan began creating art as a child and went on to study art at Cooper Union.
While in school, he was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve in World War II. He kept a sketch pad and drawing materials in his gas mask to continue making art while he served, including drawing sketches of Omaha Beach on D-Day.
After the war, Bryan continued studying art and began teaching art, as well as illustrating the writings of other authors. In the 1970s, he began writing and illustrating his own children’s books, with early titles including “The Ox of the Wonderful Horns and Other African Folktales” and “The Adventures of Aku.” With his books, he shared stories with children of African traditions and African American life.
Bryan’s books covered topics from traditional African tales to the lives of slaves in America to his own experiences in the segregated Army.Bryan’s work was widely celebrated, and he was first honored with a Coretta Scott King Award for illustration for “Beat the Story-Drum, Pum Pum,” a collection of Nigerian folk tales.
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